Why the University of Minnesota?

The University of Minnesota provides a unique experience for biomedical engineering graduate students. 

Outstanding, diverse research faculty

The University of Minnesota's Medical School and College of Science and Engineering are across the street from one another, and our program is philosophically and physically at the intersection of the two. This proximity creates an intellectual environment that encourages:

  • Interdisciplinary research.

  • Applying engineering to fundamental biological questions.

  • Clinical and translational research collaborations.

Our graduate faculty consists of over 80 potential advisors in more than 20 departments across campus. Their research spans the breadth of biomedical engineering, from cardiovascular and neural engineering to biomedical imaging and optics. And it proceeds at scales from the molecule to the cell to the tissue to the organ.

Integration of research and education

Doctoral students begin working on their research their very first semester, typically with the advisor of their choice. Early exposure to research, combined with our elective-based curriculum, allows students to design individual programs of study and provides optimal flexibility in balancing coursework and research.

Professional opportunities

The University of Minnesota is located at the heart of the Twin Cities’ thriving medical device industry, with over 500 device companies in the surrounding area. This provides ample internship and employment opportunities for current and graduated students.

Since 2007, nearly 47 percent of our PhD students secured employment at medical device companies upon graduating, mostly in the Twin Cities area. 

Financial support

Students admitted to our full-time PhD program are awarded graduate assistantships that come with a stipend, health benefits, and tuition coverage. Support is provided through a combination of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and traineeships with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

We have also helped many of our students get competitive graduate fellowships from NSF, NIH, and American Heart Association (AHA), as well as internal support from the University's Graduate School and College of Science and Engineering. These come in the form of first-year fellowships, dissertation completion fellowships, and interdisciplinary research fellowships.

Program details

PhD program

Master's program

Handout: Our graduate programs (PDF)