MAB students displaying their invention at the Holloman Health Innovation Challenge

MAB students displaying their invention at the Holloman Health Innovation Challenge

Invent the Future of Medicine

The Master of Applied Bioengineering (MAB) is a three quarter (Early Fall – Spring of the following year) full time professional master’s degree program.

The Master of Applied Bioengineering  trains students to apply engineering design to address today’s clinical challenges and fulfill the market-based demands of industry and medicine for biotechnology.  Students collaborate with world-class faculty from UW Bioengineering and UW Medicine to transform biomedical research into technologies for improving patient care. Graduates have in-demand skills for work in biomedical industries and translational research.

Maddalena DiPiazza

Advisors and professors in the program were hugely helpful in reviewing my materials and better preparing me while searching and applying for jobs. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without my experience in the MAB program.

–Maddalena Di Piazza, MAB ‘22

Sandra Oluoch

[MAB] gave me the skills I needed to network and break into a different career field. The internship requirement helped me get my foot in the door in this field.

– Sandra Oluoch, MAB ‘20

Christopher Allen

[The program] has helped [our startup] better navigate our course through the gamut of FDA and other regulatory requirements.

– Christopher Allan, MAB ‘20

Jay Walcott

While the procedures we witnessed were great to see, it was really inspiring to know we were working on projects that clinicians and patients actually cared about.

– Jay Wolcott, MAB ‘19

Master of Applied Bioengineering at a glance

  • Clinical focus: Students collaborate with UW Medicine clinicians and faculty to identify unmet clinical needs, and learn about clinical culture and ethics
  • Range of emphasis areas: Students select a technical focus for their coursework, and the curriculum is focused in areas in which Bioengineering faculty are acknowledged leaders.
  • Solve real clinical problems: Students take a health care-focused team design project through the whole design process.
  • Entrepreneurial focus: Student gain specialized knowledge about biomedical technology commercialization, including clinical trials and research, market analysis, business strategy development and regulatory compliance.
  • Mentorship: Students work with leaders in academia, clinical research institutions and industry, and gain professional skills including resume writing, interviewing and job search.
  • A foundation for career success: Students graduate with the ability to plan, design and develop biomedical technologies, effectively lead project teams and understand regulatory affairs.
  • What do our alumni do: We see that 90% of our graduates are employed in industry, start-ups, academic research, non-profits, or government agencies within 6 months of graduation. Our remaining 10% pursue further education as medical students or PhD students.

Master of Applied Bioengineering program features

  • Bachelor’s degree-level bioengineers or other engineering disciplines who want to gain direct experience developing biomedical technologies that are responsive to clinical needs while strengthening their industry skills
  • Students from non-engineering fields (biology, chemistry and physics) who wish to obtain training in biomedical engineering applications.
  • Professionals from traditional engineering disciplines who want to re-direct themselves to biomedical industry and translational research.

Each Master of Applied Bioengineering (MAB) student will participate in Clinical Observations during Early Fall before the beginning of Autumn Quarter. During the Clinical Observations, MAB students will observe UW Medicine clinicians and faculty to watch medical procedures and processes. There will be opportunities to identify unmet clinical needs and discuss potential solutions. MAB students will learn how to interact professionally with clinicians and patients, and learn about clinical culture and ethics.

Students have had the privilege to observe procedures, surgeries and clinical rounds in various units, including Cardiology, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Radiology and Urology. The exact locations for Clinical Observations change each year and will be conveyed to the cohort when they arrive for Orientation in the September.

Requirements

Total course credits: 40 credits

Core curriculum

BIOEN 540 (2) – Bioengineering Clinical Practicum, Early Fall
BIOEN 541 (4) – Design Skills I: Clinical Needs Evaluation
BIOEN 542 (4) – Design Skills II: Design Proposal
BIOEN 543 (4) – Design Skills III: Project Implementation
BIOEN 536 (3) – Quantitative Physiology
BIOEN 504 (4) – Intro to Technology Commercialization OR BIOEN 505 (4) – Biomedical Entrepreneurship
ENTRE 540 (2, CR/NC) – Business Plan Practicum
2 credits of Bioengineering Seminar – a limit of 1 credit per quarter

Technical Electives (15 credits)

Students will take 2-3 graded BIOEN technical electives (TE) each quarter to complete a focus in a technical area. Classes offered for the academic year are available on the Bioengineering Teaching Schedule

SUGGESTED SCHEDULE (* indicates required course | ** one of these two options must be taken)

Early Fall Autumn Winter Spring
BIOEN 540 (2)* BIOEN 541 (4)*
BIOEN 536 (3)*Suggested:
– One 1 credit seminar
– Two 3 or 4 credit TE		 BIOEN 542 (4)*
ENTRE 540 (2)*BIOEN 504 (4)**Suggested:
– BIOEN 509 (1)
– Remaining credits are TE		 – BIOEN 543 (4)*

Suggested:
– BIOEN 505 (4)**

Suggested:
– BIOEN 509 (1)
– Remaining credits are TE

In addition to the core product development and entrepreneurship courses, each MAB student gets to craft their education by choosing Bioengineering electives taught by UW Bioengineering faculty who are leaders in their field. We have pre-curated themes to help guide students, or students are welcome to define their own. Students take a minimum of 15 credits (five to six technical courses) in subjects of their choice.

For the most up to date course offerings, please refer to the Bioengineering Annual Teaching Schedule.

Recommended Backgrounds for pre curated technical tracks:

BIOMEDICAL IMAGING
Differential equations, linear algebra, physics (waves), circuits, DSP, some programming, such as MATLAB, and physiology is beneficial.

MOLECULAR BIOENGINEERING AND BIOMATERIALS
Biology (especially fundamentals of cell biology), general chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry are beneficial.

REGENERATIVE MEDICINE AND BIOMATERIALS
Biology (especially fundamentals of cell biology), general chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry are beneficial.

Apply to UW Bioengineering’s Master of Applied Bioengineering (MAB) program – GRE Scores Now Optional

We have several application options. Please pick the one that works best for you. 

Applications received by January 31st, will be reviewed in mid-late February with committee decisions sent out to applicants by mid-March.

  • Applicants must make their decision to accept or decline offers by April 30th.

Applications received between February 1 and April 30th will be reviewed in early May, with committee decisions sent out to applicants by mid-to-late May.

  • Applicants must make their decision to accept or decline offers by June 15th.

We will consider applications received after April 30th on a rolling basis pending available space. If you’re an international candidate we strongly encourage you to apply by April 30th in order to secure your visa.

Get on the fast track to inventing the future of medicine.

We will consider applications received after April 30th on a rolling basis pending available space. If you’re an international candidate we strongly encourage you to apply by April 30th in order to secure your visa.

Get on the fast track to inventing the future of medicine.

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