Bioengineering

Overview

Students in the Bioengineering program of the Northern Arizona University will develop expertise in collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data at a level appropriate for positions in industrial research and development or academia. After completing this degree, students will be ready to undertake careers in private companies, government organizations, nonprofits, and universities.

Graduates will be prepared to direct a research laboratory and decide which questions to investigate, lead a team that solves problems related to bioengineering, coordinate large research and development projects, teach others about bioengineering including how to conduct research, and translate research discoveries into inventions, products, and businesses.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will build skills and knowledge through formal course work and an original dissertation project. The goal is to foster students’ abilities to identify and synthesize fundamental principles of bioengineering and apply them to complex problems. NAU graduates with a Ph.D. in Bioengineering will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

• Critical Thinking: Demonstrate the ability to apply graduate level critical thinking skills to formulate and solve advanced bioengineering problems in the emphasis area (Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Biophysics, Informatics & Computing).

• Interdisciplinarity: Demonstrate the ability to integrate information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from two or more disciplines to advance fundamental understanding or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of research practice.

• Research Design and Execution: Demonstrate the ability to independently and creatively design and conduct research studies, including synthesis of the scientific literature in the field of study, design of dissertation research, and interpretation of complex quantitative analyses.

• Oral Communication: Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively the results of a comprehensive research project through oral presentations.

• Written Communication: Compose and engage in highly effective written communication in bioengineering; demonstrate clear argumentation and logic in a variety of written communications, including published papers and grant proposals.