Bioengineering (PhD)
Program Overview
Bioengineering (PhD)
The UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint PhD Program in Bioengineering combines the outstanding resources and faculty in biomedical sciences at UCSF with the excellence in engineering, physical, and life sciences at UC Berkeley. Students in this highly interdisciplinary program learn to bring the methods of cutting-edge engineering to bear on some of the most pressing problems in biology and medicine.
Program Description
Bioengineering is a young but rapidly evolving discipline. The UCSF-UCB Bioengineering program offers students unparalleled opportunities to do basic and applied bioengineering research in a wide variety of related fields, reflecting the strengths and breadth of program faculty across the two campuses and in multiple departments.
Faculty
There are 162 core faculty members and 93 additional affiliate faculty members in the joint program. The Bioengineering program combines the research activities of faculty from 23 departments from all four professional schools at UCSF together with 14 departments from the College of Engineering at Berkeley, as well as several non-engineering departments there.
Sub-Disciplines
- Biomaterials, Cell and Tissue Engineering
- Biomedical Imaging
- BioMEMS and Nanotechnology
- Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, and Genomics
- Neural Systems Engineering and Vision Science
- Systems and Synthetic Biology
Program Leadership
- Duan Xu, PhD, Director, UCSF
Admission Requirements
- Entering students are expected to have a B.A. or B.S. in engineering, biology, or other science.
- Typically, this includes a two-year college mathematics sequence, a one-year sequence in each of physics, chemistry and computer science, and extensive upper-division work in either engineering or biology.
- The mathematical level should include calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra.
- Additional requirements include:
- The online application (via UC Berkeley)
- Emphasis of specialty area of study (first and second choice)
- Three letters of recommendation
- A completed recommendation waiver form (to be completed online)
- Unofficial transcripts (submitted online)
- Conversion of GPA (for international students only)
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) official scores (for international students only)
- Application fee
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE) official scores (optional)
Learning Outcomes
The PhD in Bioengineering is granted jointly by Berkeley and UCSF, two of the top public universities in the world in engineering and health sciences. Our interdisciplinary program combines the outstanding resources in biomedical and clinical sciences at UCSF with the excellence in engineering, physical, and life sciences at Berkeley.
Degree Requirements
- Minimum GPA of 3.0
- All core courses and required activities taken and passed
- Six quarters in residence including a minimum of three registered quarters after advancement to candidacy
- Pass qualifying examination
- Complete and submit the dissertation
Core Courses
UCSF Course Requirements
| Course List Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOENGR 281 | Biological Aspects of Bioengineering | 1 |
| BIOENGR 250 | Research | 1-8 |
| GRAD 202 | Racism in Science | 3 |
| Total Units | 5-12 |
UCSF Approved Electives
| Course List Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOENGR 215 | Laboratory Rotation | 1-8 |
| BIOENGR 221 | 2.5-3 | |
| BIOENGR 240 | Principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging | 4 |
| ... | ... | ... |
UC Berkeley Course Requirements
| Course List Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIO ENG 200 | 1 | |
| BIO ENG 301 | 1 | |
| BIO ENG 201 | 1 |
UC Berkeley Approved Electives
| Course List Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIO ENG 203 | 4 | |
| BIO ENG C208 | 4 | |
| ... | ... | ... |
Non-course Core Requirements
- Course Requirements and Program of Study
- Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirements
- First Year Research Rotations and Research Mentor Selection
- Graduate Student Instructor/Teaching Assistantship
- Qualifying Examination
- Advancement to Candidacy
- Research Conference Presentation
- Annual Progress Reports
- Dissertation
- Exit Seminar
Academic Programs
- Advanced Training in Clinical Research (Certificate)
- Artificial Intelligence and Computational Drug Discovery and Development (MS)
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Tetrad) (PhD)
- Bioengineering (PhD)
- Biological and Medical Informatics (PhD)
- Biomedical Imaging (MS)
- Biomedical Sciences (PhD)
- Biophysics (PhD)
- Cell Biology (Tetrad) (PhD)
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology (PhD)
- Clinical and Epidemiological Research (MS)
- Computational Precision Health (PhD)
- Dentistry Postgraduate Program - Certificate
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (PhD)
- Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)
- Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
- Epidemiology and Translational Science (PhD)
- Equity in Brain Health (Certificate)
- Genetic Counseling (MS)
- Genetics (Tetrad) (PhD)
- Global Health Sciences (MS)
- Global Health Sciences (PhD)
- Health Data Science (Certificate)
- Health Data Science (MS)
- Health Policy and Law (MS)
- Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership (MS)
- History of Health Sciences (MA)
- History of Health Sciences (PhD)
- International Dentist Pathway (DDS)
- Interprofessional Health Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Dentistry
- Interprofessional Health Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Medicine
- Interprofessional Health Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Pharmacy
- Medical Anthropology (PhD)
- Medical Scientist Training Program
- Neuroscience (PhD)
- Nursing (DNP)
- Nursing (MS)
- Nursing (PhD)
- Nursing Master’s Entry Program
- Nursing Post-Master's Certificate Program
- Nursing Practice (Post-BSN)
- Oral and Craniofacial Sciences (MS)
- Oral and Craniofacial Sciences (PhD)
- Oral and Craniofacial Sciences DDS/PhD Program
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PhD)
- Postgraduate Program in Dental Public Health - Certificate
- Postgraduate Program in Oral Medicine - Certificate
- Postgraduate Program in Orthodontics - Certificate
- Postgraduate Program in Pediatric Dentistry - Certificate
- Postgraduate Program in Periodontology - Certificate
- Rehabilitation Science (PhD)
- Sociology (PhD)
- Translational Medicine (MTM)
- UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program
Residency and Fellowship Programs
- Various programs available
University Support Offices
- Various offices available
Academic and Administrative Calendar
- Various dates and deadlines available
Accreditation
- Accreditation information available
Governance
- Governance information available
Faculty
- Faculty information available
Fees
- Fee information available
Course Listing
- Course listing available
Search Courses
- Course search available
Catalog Contents
- Catalog contents available
Catalog A-Z Index
- Catalog A-Z index available
Contact Information
- Contact information available
Print Options
- Print options available
Download Page (PDF)
- PDF download available
Download Full Catalog
- Full catalog download available
The Regents of the University of California
Close this window
Print Options
- Send Page to Printer
- Download Page (PDF)
- Download Full Catalog
The PDF will include all information unique to this page.
A PDF of the entire catalog.