Description
Make a difference to human health by studying bioengineering. In this interdisciplinary field, you'll combine biology and engineering to create new materials, devices, and processes for medical applications and biotech industries. You'll learn from leading experts in the field and have opportunities to discover applications in precision health, medical device development, cancer treatment, and more. With a solid foundation in biology, chemistry, physics, and math, underpinning advanced coursework in bioengineering principles, you'll be prepared for a career at the nexus of living systems and human design.
Students in the bioengineering program at Oregon State University gain a solid background in biology, chemistry, physics and math, in addition to core engineering studies and research opportunities. Advanced coursework includes biomedical engineering principles, materials engineering, and product design. All students complete a capstone-design experience that integrates drug and medical device regulation.
Our diverse faculty pursue research interests with applications in precision health, medical device development, cancer treatment, immunotherapy, drug discovery, biomaterials, cell/tissue preservation, and epidemiology. Oregon State is an acknowledged leader in bioengineering statewide. Our program’s impact is magnified through partnerships with Oregon Health & Science University and the University of Oregon.
Undergraduate Information
- Biotransport
- Surface analysis
- Bioreactors
- Cell engineering
- Biomedical image processing
- Biomedical Engineering Society Student Chapter
- Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering Student Association
- Engineers Without Borders – OSU Chapter
Have a question about a club? Ask the Engineering Student Council.
“I see medicine and engineering as two halves of the same coin. If you do research, you’re trying to understand the root of the problem; in medicine you’re trying to get to the root of the disease.” - Helena Raposo, B.S. bioengineering ’21. Read about Helena’s experience at Oregon State.
Alex Melville, a bioengineering student, has refined her path for a future career in engineering by participating in research, clubs, and an internship.
Former classmates collaborate on cancer therapies
Brynn Olden and Anthony Amsberry have been friends since they were both students at Oregon State a decade ago. Working together after all this time has been an unexpected bonus for both of them.
Alum Sydney Forbes: Home Healthcare Solution
Sydney Quinton-Cox Forbes, B.S. bioengineering ’17, co-founded Tonsil Tech with fellow alum Jessy Imdieke, B.S. bioengineering ’17, and Daniel Forbes. Their idea for developing a tonsil stone removal tool was sparked by a class assignment when they were seniors. In July 2020, the three partners launched the company in Bend, Oregon.
Connecting with communities for clean water
How can students at Oregon State improve access to clean water for rural communities around the world? We hear from three students who worked in Nicaragua and Cambodia on projects that changed people’s lives – including their own.
Program Educational Objectives
Alumni of the Bioengineering program will be work-ready engineers, problem solvers, responsible professionals, and interdisciplinary collaborators. Specifically, within a few years after graduation, they will have:
- Obtained employment in the biotechnology, biomedical, or bioprocessing industries or entered graduate studies in bioengineering, chemical, environmental, or biomedical engineering and/or gained admission to professional schools including health-professional programs and law programs;
- Created value through solving problems at the interface of engineering and biology, whether in a manufacturing, research, or clinical environment;
- Pursued professional development in order to fulfill their professional and ethical responsibilities, and they will have recognized and responded to evolving contemporary questions at the interface of biosciences, technology, and society; and
- Created value through effectively communicating with a diverse set of professionals, and facilitating meaningful collaboration between bioscientists and other engineers.
Student Outcomes
The graduates of the bioengineering undergraduate program must demonstrate that they have:
- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
- An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Graduate Information
Oregon State University and the University of Oregon offer joint Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Bioengineering. Oregon State University also offers a Master of Engineering degree in Bioengineering.
M.S. and Ph.D. Programs
The joint OSU-UO M.S. and Ph.D. programs combine an immersive curriculum, impactful research, and targeted professional development to advance science, society, and your career.
Request Information about the Joint Program
Joint program students have full access to resources at both UO and OSU, including research facilities and collaborations, coursework, training workshops, and student groups. Ph.D. students may choose an advisor or co-advisors from the bioengineering faculty at either UO or OSU. At this time, only OSU faculty advisors are accepting M.S. students.
OSU Bioengineering Faculty | OU Bioengineering Faculty
The design of our curriculum helps students create an academic plan that drives their research and career success. This starts with minimizing core requirements to four courses that prepare students to apply bioengineering fundamentals toward innovations that advance human health. Students then tailor their individual experience by selecting elective courses that align with their research or career goals.
Handbook for M.S. Students Handbook for Ph.D. Students
MEng Program
While the M.S. degree includes a research project and a thesis, the M.Eng. provides students the opportunity to pursue advanced-level study without the requirement for a research thesis. M.Eng. degrees are intended as terminal degrees, not as preparation for a doctorate, and will emphasize job-related knowledge and skills. Although not required, students wishing to pursue a Ph.D. in the future are advised to pursue an M.S. degree, not the M.Eng.
M.Eng. students can design their curriculum to match their career goals. Required coursework includes the bioengineering core – Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, Modeling of Physiological Systems, and Drug and Medical Device Regulation – as well as electives selected from a wide range of course offerings in engineering, mathematics, biomedical sciences and other fields.
- Cellular and molecular bioengineering
- Modeling of physiological systems
- Drug and medical device regulations in technology development
- Innovation and entrepreneurship
Students in the M.S. and Ph.D. projects will complete a research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Students in the joint Ph.D. program can select faculty mentors at Oregon State University or at the University of Oregon. At this time, M.S. students can only select faculty mentors from OSU. At OSU, the Bioengineering Program has participating faculty from various disciplines across campus, enabling students to conduct advanced studies in biomaterials, biomedical devices and instrumentation, cell and tissue engineering, human performance engineering, and systems and computational biology.
More Information about Research Areas Full List of Participating Faculty
Application Deadlines
To receive full consideration, applications to the joint OSU-UO M.S. and Ph.D. programs must be received by December 1 for matriculation the following fall.
Start Your M.S. or Ph.D. Application
The deadline to submit applications to the M.Eng. is program is May 1 for matriculation the following fall.
Start Your M.Eng. Application (Domestic Applicants)
Start Your M.Eng. Application (International Applicants)
Application Materials
During the application process, among other information, you will be required to submit the following:
- Academic Records/Transcripts from each institution attended, showing graded course work for all academic work attempted or completed
- Personal Statement/Essays
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae
- Letters of Reference: During application, you will provide the names and emails of reference writers. The letter of reference system will contact each reference writer to enable them to submit a confidential electronic letter.
- A satisfactory proficiency in the English language is required for admission. M.S. and Ph.D. applicants must meet joint program language requirements. M.Eng. applicants must meet OSU language requirements.
- Application Fee - $75.00 for domestic students, $85.00 international students.
Need additional information or clarification? For questions about the joint M.S. and Ph.D. programs, please contact us at jointbioegrad@oregonstate.edu. For questions about the M.ENG. program, please contact us at cbee-gradinfo@oregonstate.edu.
Lindsay Benage, a recent doctoral graduate from bioengineering, is inspired to find biomedical solutions for people suffering from chronic orthopedic injuries. Her research examines how tendons and cartilage respond biologically to stress and injury. The interdisciplinary work was advised by Morgan B. Giers, assistant professor of bioengineering, and Ravi Balasubramanian, associate professor of mechanical engineering.
Bioengineering faculty member stokes passion for interdisciplinary research
New bioengineering faculty Heidi Kloefkorn brings to the College of Engineering skills in developing noninvasive observation technologies, experience in degenerative and chronic pain models, and histological and electrophysiological tissue analysis.
Oregon State Engineering students, alum earn NSF fellowships
Humanitarian engineering graduate students Ethan Copple and David Evitt, as well as bioengineering alum Melanie Huynh, have earned NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program awards.
Heart of cold
Adam Higgins' computer model hints at method for organ cryopreservation.
Tracing the virus through the sewers
What can wastewater tell us about the spread of disease? In this episode of Engineering Out Loud, we talk to researchers who are leading the effort to monitor Oregon’s wastewater streams for coronavirus.
Job Market Outlook
Make an informed decision to help meet your career goals by using this real-time job market information.
Accreditation
Our undergraduate programs in bioengineering provide students with the engineering skills and knowledge they need to succeed in advanced studies and careers in biomedical, biotechnology, and bioprocessing fields. You'll take courses and labs in bioengineering topics such as BIOE 457: Bioreactors, BIOE 459: Cell Engineering, and BIOE 462: Bioseparations. All students complete coursework in drug and medical device regulation as well as a capstone design experience.
In addition to the engineering curriculum, our program provides a solid background in biology (anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology), chemistry, physics and math.
Bioengineering graduates are prepared to contribute to the rapidly growing bioscience-based industries, and are able to formulate and solve problems relevant to the design of devices and systems to improve human health.
The Bachelor of Science & Honors Bachelor of Science degree programs in Bioengineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.
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