College Launches Master’s in Biomedical Engineering

The College of Engineering announced a new master of science degree in Biomedical Engineering (MSBME) that will launch in Fall 2024. The interdisciplinary program involves the application of engineering to address challenges in medicine and health care for societal needs.

“Our faculty and students are already working in the biomedical space, but there was no structured program around it,” says Director of the MSBME Program and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Meltem Izzetoglu, PhD. “A College-level program that combines all the department programs and courses will be very beneficial. There’s this whole wealth of research and knowledge at Villanova. Now, it is under one umbrella where we can all gather and collaborate better with each other in master’s degree education.”

The MSBME program will offer three specializations: Cell & Tissue Engineering, Biomechanics & Biomaterials, and Biomedical Signals, Sensors & Imaging. Each track will offer students thesis and nonthesis options for degree completion.

MSBME students will be required to take two new courses: Medical Sciences for Engineers, covering relevant topics in anatomy and physiology; and Foundations of Biomedical Engineering, providing an introduction to the different concentrations within the field. Students will also have the opportunity to take electives outside of Engineering classes through collaborations with the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

As with all other master’s programs offered by Villanova Engineering, the MSBME will require 30 credits: 10 courses of 3 credits each and one zero-credit seminar course. The degree can be completed part time or full time, as well as in person, online or in a hybrid format. Students currently enrolled in a Villanova Engineering master’s program will have the option of transferring into Biomedical Engineering starting this fall.

The College’s MSBME was created in consultation with an advisory board featuring members from both academia and industry, with expertise spanning the field’s various disciplines. Biomedical engineering is a fast-growing, high-paying field with strong career prospects and a low unemployment rate. U.S. News and World Report ranks biomedical engineering as the No. 3 “Best Engineering Job” and the No. 17 “Best STEM Job” for 2024, with an annual median salary of nearly $100,000. Employment is expected to grow at 5% per year (2022–2032), according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Biomedical engineers develop lifesaving treatments and devices as well as those that help alleviate pain and restore activity,” says Michele Marcolongo, PhD, PE, Drosdick Endowed Dean of the College of Engineering.

“The MSBME program will provide graduate education to advance biomedical engineering and further Villanova’s mission to engineer for the greater good.”

There’s this whole wealth of research and knowledge at Villanova. Now, it is under one umbrella where we can all gather and collaborate better with each other in master’s degree education.

—Meltem Izzetoglu, PhD (above right), director of the MSBME program