Postgraduate Courses in Biomedical Engineering

If you are a graduate in engineering, physical or biological science with a keen interest in the enhancement of the functioning of the human body then a postgraduate course in biomedical engineering could be for you. Biomedical engineering is a multidisciplinary subject that uniquely fuses professional engineering activities with medical knowledge. The healthcare industry is the world's biggest industrial sector with a turnover of almost £100 billion per annum. Postgraduate courses in biomedical engineering are an essential stepping-stone to a career in an area of engineering that will continue to grow and develop for many years. Hip replacements, pacemakers, medical imagining and life support systems would not be possible without talented and enthusiastic graduates wanting to take their learning further by studying postgraduate courses in biomedical engineering.

What Type of Course?

The UK is a world leader in biomedical engineering research and manufacture and offers many postgraduate courses. The broad range of activities covered by the subject means that the focus of postgraduate courses in biomedical engineering can be quite different - there is more variation in course content than in other, more traditional, engineering subjects. Consequently, a lot of universities will offer interdisciplinary research programmes. Some postgraduate courses in biomedical engineering will have a mechanical or electronic foundation whereas others may be biased more to materials, physics or biology.

Course content will vary according to the bias of the MSc, however, specialist modules that you may elect to study include: biomechanics, biofluids and biomaterials, implant design and artificial organs, rehabilitation engineering, computer and robotic assisted surgery, tissue engineering, physiological measurements, medical imaging and diagnostic techniques, and regulatory issues and medical ethics.

What Will I Learn?

Some universities will offer a heavily research-based postgraduate course whereas others will focus more on industrial training. However, it will be a part of any postgraduate course in biomedical engineering that you build links with local hospitals and preferably a Medical School. This is essential if the course is to be truly applied and you are to get some clinical experience. These links are also an invaluable source for research projects, which can then be associated with a particular clinical problem and possibly an individual patient.

In common with most engineering disciplines, team-working, presentation and inter-personal skills are very important for biomedical engineers as they will often be the person bridging the gap between clinicians, patients, sales and marketing, and the manufacturing activities. Biomedical engineers are, however, unique in their systems and integrative approach to problem solving, their ability to carry the results of basic research into the commercial and clinical setting and their ability to function in a multidisciplinary environment.

Entry Requirements and Assessment

Normally a university will be looking for a good honours degree (second or first class) in an engineering, physical or biological sciences discipline. MSc’s are assessed by a combination of final examination, research project and dissertation. All universities in the UK will require a high competency and fluency in English for entry onto a postgraduate course.

Job prospects

Job prospects for postgraduates in biomedical engineering are excellent and varied. The main aim of doing a postgraduate course in biomedical engineering is to build on existing knowledge and make preparation for a professional career in a range of healthcare establishments. Postgraduates can be employed in companies working on the design, development and manufacture of medical devices; in hospitals working with clinical colleagues in providing non-clinical services; in academic or governmental research facilities; and in government regulatory agencies. They can also work as technical advisers for marketing departments.

As a biomedical engineer, you will have the opportunity to get involved in a wide range of exciting projects. Hip replacement surgery is now a very common operation, which has brought renewed mobility and reduced pain to millions of people worldwide. Despite its success, there is still a great deal of work being undertaken to improve the performance of artificial hip joints still further, and in particular to extend their lives so they can be used in younger and more active patients. Indeed, replacement joints are now available for most of the articulating joints of the human body. Artificial limbs are also becoming increasingly sophisticated, and a bionic arm has recently been supplied to a patient that has powered finger, wrist, elbow and shoulder movement. Soon these limbs will be controlled directly by muscle and tendon contacts.

And in the future, applications which today might seem unrealistic, are already being developed in research labs around the world. For example, an artificial retina chip has been developed which can be implanted in the eye to replace a damaged retina and partly restore lost vision. You will know that it is already possible to restore lost hearing, but electronic circuits are also under development to restore the senses of smell and taste. Similarly, artificial tendons have already been developed and approved for use in patients, and now materials are being developed that respond to electrical currents and behave in a similar way to human muscles.

Apply Now!

Studying a postgraduate course in biomedical engineering will give you the opportunity to benefit millions of people every year. What better way to use your technological and engineering expertise than to contribute to the improvement of care and treatment of patients. If you want a rewarding, challenging and dynamic career in a sector in which employment potential is continually rising, then apply now for a postgraduate course in biomedical engineering.

Postgraduate Courses in Biomedical Engineering

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