Program Overview

Introduction to the Master's Program in Biomedical Systems Engineering (BMSE)

The Master's program in Biomedical Systems Engineering (BMSE) is an interdisciplinary field that applies engineering techniques to medical problems. Graduates with a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology in the BMSE specialization have a high level of specialization, a research-oriented perspective, and in-depth knowledge of electrical engineering, information and communication technology, and engineering physiology. They can apply technical principles and design concepts to medicine and biology, understanding medical instruments for diagnosis and therapy.

Program Structure

The program consists of four semesters, with a total of 120 credits. The first three semesters include lectures, exercises, and laboratory work, as well as an 18-week industry internship. The fourth semester is dedicated to the Master's thesis.

• The program is divided into two main module groups, with elective courses in each group.
• The BMSE specialization covers the study profile Biomedical Technology.
• The curriculum is supplemented by a wide range of laboratory work, projects, and seminars.
• Students can also choose modules from other specializations as electives.
• Additionally, students can select courses from the entire range of RWTH courses, such as language courses, modules from economics, law, soft skills, etc.

Course Structure

1. Semester

• 5 elective modules from the CORE or ELECTIVE catalogs of the BMSE specialization | 20 credits
• 1 module from the GENERAL catalog of the faculty | 4 credits
• LABORATORY or PROJECT of the BMSE specialization | 4 credits
• SEMINAR from the faculty's offer | 4 credits
• Module building block Scientific Integrity | 0 credits

2. Semester

• 5 elective modules from the CORE or ELECTIVE catalogs of the BMSE specialization | 20 credits
• 1 module from the GENERAL catalog of the faculty | 4 credits
• 2 modules from the ADDITIONAL area | 8 credits

3. Semester

• Industry internship (18 weeks) | 18 credits
• Seminar accompanying the internship | 4 credits
• 1 module from the ADDITIONAL area | 4 credits

4. Semester

• Master's thesis including colloquium | 30 credits

Learning Objectives

Graduates of the BMSE specialization will be able to:

• Take over technical-scientific questions from practice, understand problems, formulate them, and communicate them to others.
• Analyze and formulate solutions to engineering and technological questions.
• Understand the influence of design activities on the life cycle of products.
• Report appropriately in writing and orally in the current technical language and terminology on results and working practices, to convince others of the benefits of new ideas and inventions.
• Communicate appropriately in their native language and in English.

Research Areas

Typical research areas include molecular and cellular system physiology, organ systems, physiology, medicine, imaging, measurement technology, robotics, learning- and knowledge-based systems, and visualization. The program focuses on the systemic applications in electrical engineering, such as control systems, communication technology, measurement or visualization technology for biomedical systems for basic applications or clinical applications. The curriculum provides a broad background in biomedical technology and a special focus on the system applications in electrical engineering. The graduates will have a broad knowledge in signal processing for the acquisition, optimization, and analysis in biomedical applications for clinical and research applications. System-theoretical, mathematical, statistical, multi-scale computer-aided modeling, and optimization form the theoretical basis of the field.