Biological Engineering
MIT is a leader in the field of biological engineering, engaging in visionary research and collaborations with industry and government. Our research in the synthesis of engineering and biology technologies results in major innovations in diverse areas, including developing imaging systems to help understand the origins of cancer and harnessing biomaterials for controlled drug release and tissue regeneration.
Students, professors, and researchers in biological engineering explore issues of physical and chemical sciences such as biochemistry, biophysics, pharmacology, and toxicology from both a molecular life science and an engineering perspective. Throughout the curriculum, our educational programs interweave major concepts of biological engineering with a number of important focus areas, including:
- Biological and physiological transport phenomena
- Biological imaging and functional measurement
- Biomolecular engineering and cell and tissue engineering
- Computational biology and bioinformatics
- Genetic toxicology
- Macromolecular biochemistry and biophysics
- Metabolism of drugs and toxins
- Microbial pathogenesis
- Carcinogenesis
- Biomechanics
- Genomics, proteomics, and glycomics
Graduate Education
Graduate students in the Department of Biological Engineering participate in research that examines how biological systems function in terms of physical/chemical mechanisms, and how they respond when perturbed by external factors, including medical therapeutics and environmental agents. Their work prepares them to create novel technologies for a spectrum of human-health applications and to generate new biology-based paradigms for solving problems in non-biological applications of science and engineering.
Our graduate alumni are leaders in academia and industries related to biotechnology and medicine, and in other emerging fields based on biological technology. They find careers creating biology-based technologies in medical diagnostic, therapeutic, and device industries as well as agriculture, environment, materials, manufacturing, and defense sectors.
Degree Options
The Department of Biological Engineering offers the following graduate degree programs:
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Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering
This five-year degree program emphasizes the fusion of engineering with modern molecular-to-genomic biology and leads to a bachelor’s degree in a science or engineering discipline and a Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering. Students are required to complete a thesis of original research, design, or development.
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Doctor of Philosophy in Bioengineering
This five- to six-year program is for students seeking PhD thesis work involving the application of engineering principles to the solution of biological and biomedical problems. Students are required to participate as a teaching assistant for at least one term and defend a thesis based on original research.
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Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Bioscience
In this program, students apply quantitative scientific approaches to the solution of biological and biomedical problems in areas such as molecular and systems toxicology and pharmacology and molecular and systems bacterial pathogenesis. During the course of this five to six-year program, students are required to participate as a teaching assistant for at least one term, and execute and defend a thesis based on original research.
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Doctor of Philosophy in Computational and Systems Biology
This program is a collaborative effort among three departments: Biology, Biological Engineering, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The curriculum emphasizes foundational material to enable students to become creators of future tools and technologies. In addition to coursework and a research thesis, students must pass a written and an oral qualifying examination in the second year.
