Bioengineering studies at UTA began in 1974 with a program in biomedical engineering conducted in association with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (UTSW) – one of the top medical schools in the nation and only 22 miles (35 minutes) away. Graduates of the program receive a diploma bearing the seals of both UTA and UTSW. The combined faculty, staff and facilities of the two campuses provide tremendous resources and opportunities for biomedical engineering students.
Approximately 170 students are currently pursuing Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Biomedical Engineering. Students take engineering courses at UTA and life science courses at UTA or UTSW; they conduct research in laboratories located on either campus. More than 85% of students in the program receive financial assistance in the form of scholarships and graduate research and teaching assistantships. Internships with area businesses are also available on a limited basis.
At UTA, there are eleven core faculty members and several adjunct professors from associated engineering and science disciplines. Five areas of concentration are offered:
1) bioinstrumentation and human performance 2) biomaterials and tissue engineering 3) biomechanics and orthopedics 4) medical imaging 5) molecular and computational engineering.
Students in the program have received national recognition for "Best Research Paper" at the annual Biomedical Engineering Conference as well as the International Conference on Engineering in Medicine and Biology held by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Graduates of the program have excelled in their careers - several are currently faculty members at major universities across the nation; others hold positions of leadership and high responsibility in industry. In addition, many of our past students hold U.S. patents on medical devices and procedures.
Because of the growth in enrollment, the Biomedical Engineering Program became the Department of Bioengineering within the College of Engineering in the spring of 2005. The name “bioengineering” has emerged to encompass both the traditional practice of developing devices for improved health care as well as new technologies that deal with cell and tissue engineering.
