Overview

Refer detailed information about BME course requirements on the UTSW Graduate School BME website.

Courses highlighted for each research area are described below:

Ph.D. students complete a flexible curriculum that typically includes core engineering and life science courses as well as several advanced electives related to their research. A minimum of 21 hours of didactic coursework is required for graduation. In addition to coursework, the curriculum for first-year students includes up to four laboratory rotations and training in responsible conduct of research. Beginning in their second year, students participate in a Works-in-Progress course in which they present and receive feedback on their dissertation research. The curriculum is further enhanced by numerous seminar series and journal clubs offered across the UTSW campus.
All doctoral students must pass a qualifying exam (Exam I), usually given during the second year. A supervisory research committee is formed for each doctoral candidate after successful completion of their qualifying exam. This committee reviews and evaluates the student’s progress, provides expertise and guidance on their research, and participates in the proposal and dissertation defenses.

Developmental Principles in Regenerative Science and Medicine

(Offered by Genetics, Development and Disease graduate program) 3 credit hours

This course integrates the fundamental concepts of development and stem cell biology. We explore the interrelated themes of pluripotency, cell fate specification, differentiation, organogenesis, regeneration, patterning, and morphogenesis with an emphasis on model systems and in vitro rodent and human models.

Metabolic Imaging of Disease

3 credit hours

Understanding the principles of metabolism is valuable for designing and interpreting diagnostic studies, as well as understanding the effects of many therapies. In this course, the fundamentals of intermediary metabolism and bioenergetics research as well as diagnostic methods to probe metabolism will be presented.

Machine Learning

3 credit hours

From the discovery of hidden subtypes in cancer patients to the identification of unknown patterns in imaging data, machine learning has rapidly advanced almost all fields of bioinformatics and biomedical engineering. In this course, we will cover classic topics in traditional machine learning, as well as neural network models and the basics of deep learning methods.

Radiation Therapy

3 credit hours

This course is designed to introduce students to the general concepts of medical physics applied in radiation therapy of cancer disease, including External Beam Radiation Therapy, Brachytherapy, Treatment Planning, Radiation Therapy Devices and Radiation Therapy with Neutrons, Protons, and Heavy Ions.

Translational Nanomedicine I

1.5 credit hours

This course presents the fundamentals underlying molecular design of nanomedicine platforms to help translate basic biological science to clinical medicine. Molecular design and nanoengineering will be closely integrated with pathophysiology and biological rationales to establish emerging precision paradigms for disease diagnosis and therapy.