Pitt’s Department of Bioengineering is ranked #5 among public graduate bioengineering programs and #18 among all universities (U.S. News and World Report) offers a Professional Master of Science and Graduate Certificate in Medical Product Engineering in conjunction with the CMI.
Professional Master of Science in Bioengineering Medical Product Engineering
(MS-MPE)
Pitt’s professional MS in Bioengineering – Medical Product Engineering (MS-MPE), applies engineering innovation to the identification of and solution to challenges in health care delivery in the medical industry. Students have the opportunity to work with the renowned University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in a city that has been named a U.S. tech hub to watch.
Professional Master of Science in Bioengineering - Medical Product Engineering (MS-MPE)
For further information, please contact msmpe@pitt.edu
The Department of Bioengineering offers a special Professional MS in Bioengineering with an emphasis on Medical Product Engineering in conjunction with CMI. The degree program 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. In essence, 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 Professional MS in Bioengineering - Medical Product Engineering is designed to assure mastery of specific knowledge and skills, rather than random accumulation of a specified number of courses. 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.
Fall Semester (1):
- [Core Didactic]: BIOENG 2150 - Medical Product Ideation
- [Elective]: BIOENG 2167 - Managing Medical Product Innovation
- [Elective]: BIOENG 2195 - Special Topics in Bioengineering (Medical Product Prototyping Foundations Lab)
- [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
- BIOENG 2242: Medical Ethics*
- [Elective]: BIOENG 2173- Medical Product Innovation 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.
Graduate Certificate in Medical Product Innovation
(C-MPI)
In conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh Center for Medical Innovation (CMI),
the Department of Bioengineering offers a special Graduate Certificate in Medical Product Innovation (C-MPI).
Graduate Certificate in Medical Product Innovation (C-MPI)
Download our Graduate Certificate in Medical Product Innovation information sheet. [archived]
For further information, please contact msmpe@pitt.edu
The Graduate Certificate in Medical Product Innovation (C-MPI), offered by the Department of Bioengineering in conjunction CMI is multi-faceted, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of medical innovation, with the objectives:
- To educate engineering graduate students at the MS and PhD levels in clinical, engineering, business, and legal aspects of the medical device design and development process
- To educate students of the health sciences (residents, fellows and clinicians) in engineering, business, and legal methodologies in identifying and developing innovative solutions to their problems
- To educate law students in engineering methodology, regulatory constraints, medical device intellectual property, and commercialization aspects of medical innovation
- To educate business (MBA) students in clinical, engineering, regulatory, and legal aspects of medical innovation and entrepreneurship
- To train all of the above disciplines in the art of working in multi-disciplinary teams to accomplish the medical innovation process, from medical technology ideation, through development, to realization and commercialization.
Certificate candidates must complete a minimum of 5 courses (15 credits) drawn from the following:
Medical Product Innovation (2 courses)
BIOENG 2150 - Medical Product Ideation
BIOENG 2151 - Medical Product Development
Entrepreneurship/Engineering Management (select one from)
BIOENG 2167 - Managing Medical Product Innovation
BSEO 2531 - Entrepreneurship and New Venture Initiation
BSPP 2111 - Commercializing New Technologies
IE 2003 - Engineering Management
IE 2039 - Entrepreneurship for Engineers
IE 2076 - Total Quality Management
Legal Aspects of Medical Product Engineering (select one from)
BSPP 2111 - Commercializing New Technologies
LAW 5135 - Commercializing New Technologies
LAW 5210 - Patent Law
LAW 5260 - Intellectual Property
LAW 5631 - Law and Entrepreneurship
Medical Ethics (select one from)
BIOENG 2241 - Societal, Political, and Ethical Issues in Biotechnology
BIOENG 2242 - Societal, Political, and Ethical Issues in Biotechnology
BIOETH 2661 - Theoretical Foundations
BIOETH 2664 - Bioethics
Students currently enrolled in any graduate program in the University (MS, MBA, JD, PhD, etc) are eligible to obtain the C-MPI upon completion of the Certificate requirements. No formal admissions process is required. Post-baccalaureate and post-professional students interested only in obtaining the C-MPI need to apply to the Department of Bioengineering for admission to the Certificate program.
To apply, please visit the Graduate Admissions Page on the Swanson School of Engineering website.
Professional Master of Science in Bioengineering - Neural Engineering Track
(MS-NE)
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, encompassing areas such as 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.