Medical Product Engineering (MPE) Professional MS (MS-MPE)

For further information, contact MSMPE@pitt.edu.

The Medical Product Engineering emphasizes preparation for a career in the medical device industry through hands-on, practical experience in medical product design and development, development of advanced engineering skills, and instruction in professional affairs and practices in medical engineering. The program focuses on the application of engineering innovation to the identification of and solution to challenges in health care delivery in the medical industry. 

The coherent program of study is designed to assure mastery of specific knowledge and skills, rather than a random accumulation of a specified number of courses. Each student in the program will have a curricular advisor (the Educational Program Director of the Center for Medical Innovation) and a project advisor to guide the student's individualized educational experience. A thorough grounding in the principles of medical device innovation and development compliant with regulatory requirements is provided through a three-semester sequence that starts with immersion in the medical/hospital environment and ends with a first generation prototype. The curriculum also provides a strong foundation in ethics, analysis, design principles, and principles of entrepreneurship as applied to medical device innovation.

Full-time program students are required to have internship (or co-op) experience starting with their second semester until completing the program.

NOTE : Professional MS students in the Medical Product Engineering track must comply with all Swanson School of Engineering (SSoE) requirements for access to clinical sites within the UMPC system.

The distinctive educational core of the professional MS program in Medical Product Engineering is four courses directed toward developing knowledge and skill sets important to the practicing engineer. Two didactic courses explore the concepts and practices of Medical Product Ideation (BIOENG 2150) and Medical Product Development (BIOENG 2151). Both courses are also part of the Certificate in Medical Innovation and open to any interested student, with the intent that interactions between engineers, health scientists, business students, and, potentially, law students will enrich the learning environment. The other two core courses focus on hands-on experiences developing expertise in medical device development. Clinical Bioengineering ( BIOENG 2170 ) and Medical Product Prototyping (BIOENG 2171) implement concepts from BIOENG 2150 and BIOENG 2151 through clinical immersion and subsequent prototype development. Enrollment in the hands-on courses is restricted and requires instructor approval.

In addition to the four Core Classes (12 credits), the Medical Product Engineering program requires an additional 18 credits (Bioethics - 3 credits, Graduate Engineering Mathematics or Statistics - 3 credits, Advanced Graduate Engineering - 12 credits) for a total of 30 credits. The Certificate in Medical Innovation requires an additional 6 credits. All elective courses must be approved by the curricular advisor to ensure the student obtains a coherent program:

          Medical Product Core Curriculum (12 credits)
                    6 Credits - Medical Product Innovation
                              BIOENG 2150: Medical Product Ideation (3 credits)
                              BIOENG 2151: Medical Product Development (3 credits)
                    6 Credits - Medical Product Prototyping
                              BIOENG 2170: Clinical Bioengineering (3 credits)
                              BIOENG 2171: Medical Product Prototyping (3 credits)

          Bioethics (3 credits)
                   BIOENG 2241: Societal, Political, and Ethical Issues in Biotechnology

          Graduate Engineering Mathematics or Statistics (3 credits)
                   Graduate Engineering Mathematics
                            IE 2086 : Decision Models
                            CHE 2410 : Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering
                            ME 2001: Differential Equations
                            ME 2060: Numerical Methods
                            BIOENG 2351: Computer Applications
                   Graduate Statistics
                            BQOM 2401: Statistical Analysis
                            IE 2007 : Statistics and Data Analysis
                            STAT 2081: Modern Data Analysis for Research Workers
                            BIOENG 2525: Applied Biostatistics
                            CLRES 2020: Biostatistics: Statistical Approaches in Clinical Research

                   Advanced Engineering Graduate Electives (12 credits)
                            BIOENG 2016: Fundamental Principles of Biodegradable Metallic Alloys
                            BIOENG 2035: Biomechanical Modeling of Movement
                            BIOENG 2061: Ergonomics and Occupational Biomechanics
                            BIOENG 2067: Musculo-skeletal biomechanics
                            BIOENG 2075: Advanced Biomaterials
                            BIOENG 2080: Biomechanics of Organs, Tissues, and Cells - 1
                            BIOENG 2220: Cardiovascular Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering
                            BIOENG 2230: Cardiovascular Organ Replacement
                            BIOENG 2310: Hemodynamics and Biotransport
                            BIOENG 2515: Cardiovascular System-Dynamics and Modeling
                            BIOENG 2703: Rehabilitation Engineering Design
                            BIOENG 2704: Fundamentals of Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology 1
                            BIOENG 2709: Rehabilitation Biomechanics
                            BIOENG 2721: Human movement biomechanics
                            BIOENG 2810: Biomaterials and Biocompatibility
                            BIOENG 3020: Design & Synthesis of Biomaterials
                            ChE 2752: Introduction to Polymers
                            ENGR 2051: Product Realization
                            ME 2003 : Continuum Mechanics
                            ME 2027 : Advanced Dynamics
                            ME 2045 : Linear Control Systems
                            ME 2047 : Finite Element Analysis
                            ME 2062 : Orthopedic Biomechanics
                            ME 2074 : Advanced Fluid Dynamics I
                            ME 2080 : Introduction to MEMS
                            ME 3011 : Non-linear Elasticity
                            HRS 2867: Pathokinesiology of Orthopedic and Athletic Injuries
                            IE 2006 : Introduction to Manufacturing Systems
                            IE 2012 : Manufacture of Structural Nano-Materials
                            IE 2051 : Computer Aided Manufacturing
                            IE 2098 : Finite Element Analysis in Product Design

            Typical three-semester sequence: 

Fall Semester (1):

• [Core Didactic]: BIOENG 2150 - Medical Product Ideation
• [Elective]: BIOENG 2195: Special Topics in Bioengineering: Medical Product Prototyping Foundations Lab
• [Elective]: BIOENG 2167 - Managing Medical Product Innovation
• [Elective]: BIOENG 2351 - Computer Applications in Bioengineering (LabVIEW)
• [Elective]: Graduate Engineering Mathematics or Statistics Course*
• [Elective]: Advanced Graduate Engineering Course*
• [Optional]: Business/Law Course**

Spring Semester:

• [Core Didactic]: BIOENG 2151 - Medical Product Development
• [Core Hands-on]: BIOENG 2170 - Clinical Bioengineering 
• [Elective]: BIOENG 2173 - Medical Design for Low Resource Environments
• [Elective]: BIOENG 2175 - Human Factors Engineering and Medical Devices
• [Elective]: Advanced Graduate Engineering Course* 

Summer Semester:

• Full-Time Students are required to complete full-time internship (paid, unpaid, or for credit) with an industry partner or related entity

Fall Semester (2):

• [Core Hands-on]: BIOENG 2171 - Medical Product Prototyping
• BIOENG 2241: Medical Ethics*
• [Elective]: BIOENG 2230 - Cardio Organ Replacement
• [Elective]: Advanced Graduate Engineering Course*
• [Elective]: Advanced Graduate Engineering Course*
• [Optional]: Business/Law Course**

While the typical three-semester sequence focuses heavily on medical product design and development, the student has an opportunity to develop depth in an area of interest through proper choice of the four Advanced Graduate Engineering Courses. The Optional Business/Law Courses are directed toward gaining an appreciation for the special entrepreneurial and law challenges associated with the typical small businesses that are on the forefront of medical product engineering and will qualify the student to earn the Graduate Certificate in Medical Product Innovation as well as the Professional MS.

Admission to the Professional MS in Bioengineering - Medical Product Engineering program is by application only. Class size is limited. Accepted students will have a curricular advisor and a project advisor to guide the student's individualized educational experience. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA to remain in good standing in the program. The Professional MS in Bioengineering - Medical Product Engineering is not intended for students pursuing the PhD and admission to the program does not guarantee continuation on to the PhD program. Students interested in pursuing the PhD must complete the PhD application process. 

To apply, please visit the Graduate Admissions Page on the Swanson School of Engineering website.

For further information, contact MSMPE@pitt.edu

See the Bioengineering, MS Program in the Pitt catalog

Download our Professional MS in Bioengineering - focus on Neural Engineering information sheet.

Program Coordinator: Prof. Neeraj Gandhi (msne@pitt.edu)

WHY STUDY NEURAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH?

Pitt is a recognized leader in the emerging discipline of Neural Engineering. Our core faculty and clinical collaborators offer courses that prepare students to work in this exciting and dynamic field. Neural Engineering, which encompasses neural prosthetics, brain-computer interface systems, epilepsy monitoring, deep brain stimulation, engineering approaches to psychiatric disorders, and brain-inspired computation and device design, is a fast-growing field that provides clinical and technological benefits.

The program is offered by Pitt’s nationally ranked Department of Bioengineering. Instruction will be in-person and online. The 30-credit program can be completed in 1 to 1.5 years of full-time study. Students will garner a deep knowledge of the biology of the nervous system, and how, from an engineering perspective, to treat disorders, build clinical devices, and build computational models. The non-thesis program is designed to provide excellent training for industry in Neural Engineering or related fields such as Medical Devices or Data Science.

CONCENTRATIONS

Neural engineering students will pursue didactic coursework that builds core competency in at least two of the following areas:

• Brain-computer interfaces
• Neural tissue interface
• Neural imaging and signals
• Neural devices and neuromorphic engineering

The concentrations for core competency will be selected in consultation with the program director and will take into consideration the student’s previous training and career aspirations.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL MS (30 CREDITS, TYPICALLY 10 COURSES)

• 12 credits in Concentration 1
• 9 credits in Concentration 2
• 3 credits in life sciences
• 3 credits in Mathematics/Statistics
• 3 credits in Medical Ethics

Math/Statistics Course –many options available each semester; too many to list

• All graduate-level courses offered through MATH, STAT, and BIOST departments at either Pitt or CMU count towards this requirement.
• More options are provided in the ‘Approved Math Courses’ and ‘Approved Statistics Courses’ lists.

Note: Students who identify courses not on this list but wish to use them to fulfill requirements must obtain prior approval from the graduate program director.