Graduate Program

For a complete description of the Graduate Programs, please download the Graduate Handbook.


Graduate Degree Requirements

Please consult the Graduate School Catalogfor information on degree requirements from the University of Arkansas.

  1. Selection of Major Advisor
  2. Advisory Committees
  3. Graduate Course Selection

    There is a wide selection of courses that may be incorporated into a graduate program. All courses that are listed in the Graduate Catalog are categorized as being acceptable for graduate credit. Other courses may be included if approved by the Advisory Committee and the Graduate School. In general, the selection of courses depends on the student's interests and the nature of the research program. Basic and fundamental courses related directly to the area of Biological Engineering and of specific interest to the student will constitute the major part of the course program. Non‑Biological Engineering courses should consist of courses that support the major work.

  4. Course Requirements

    You can find a list of engineering courses on our website and in the Graduate School Catalog. It would be expected that at least one course in mathematics or statistics be included in the student's graduate program. In addition, one‑half of the formal coursework should be at the 5000 level or higher.

    All Ph.D. graduate students are required to take at least 13 hours, and all M.S. students are required to take at least 10 hours of formal coursework at the 5000 level or higher (excluding Thesis) in Biological or Biomedical Engineering. This must include seminar BENG 5801 (Graduate Seminar), BENG 5103 (Advanced Instrumentation), and either BENG 5703 (Design and Analysis of Experiments for Engineering Research) or BENG 5613 (Modeling and Simulation). No more than six hours of BENG 500V (Advanced Topics in Research) may be presented for degree credit.

Graduate Degree Program Options

The MSBE requires the student to take a minimum of 24 course hours beyond the B.S. degree; at least 10 semester hours of advanced BENG courses (5000 level or above); and at least one course in mathematics or statistics. In addition, 6 hours of master’s thesis are required. There is not a non-thesis option. Courses taken prior to acceptance for graduate study cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

The doctoral program leads to a Ph.D. in Engineering degree and requires satisfactory completion of at least 30 course hours beyond the master’s degree, plus 18 hours of dissertation and the completion of the dissertation based on original research. All Ph.D. students must take a minimum of 13 hours of advanced BENG courses (5000 level or above). At least one course in mathematics or statistics is required in the student's graduate program.