Earn Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Bioengineering degrees in five years.

UW Bioengineering offers a combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Bioengineering (B.S./M.S.) to students who have earned their B.S. from our department. The program can generally be completed in five years. In some cases, the B.S. portion may take longer than four years, but students must complete the M.S. within one year immediately following the B.S.

  • Students apply to the BS/MS program while seniors in UW Bioengineering;
  • Students may not apply directly to the BS/MS program when applying to the UW and Bioengineering major.

Apply to UW Bioengineering’s B.S./M.S. program

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Bachelor/Master of Science program features

The Bachelor/Master of Science has two end-points:

  1. Meeting the research and design requirements for the B.S.
  2. Meeting the research requirements for the master’s thesis

Once completing the B.S., the following summer is usually spent researching, and the fifth year is spent on coursework, research, writing and thesis defense.

B.S. timeline

Plan to start early in the lab where you plan to complete your capstone project — normally by the beginning of junior year. This is necessary to complete the project within the required timeframe.

M.S. timeline

  1. Prior to the first quarter, identify which track to pursue (BPS: Bioengineering Professional Series or PTC: Program on Technology Commercialization).
  2. By the end of the first quarter, form a Supervisory Committee (no less than 2 members).
  3. By the end of the winter quarter, the Supervisory Committee must review and approve the student’s academic plan.
  4. Prior to the beginning of the spring quarter, determine project status and prepare to write the thesis.
  5. During the final quarter, submit a M.S. request with the Graduate School and defend the thesis.

General requirements for the Master of Science Degree for the BS/MS Program

For the General Requirements for a master’s degree, refer to the Graduate School website. Note that the Master of Science degree in Bioengineering requires a thesis. There is no teaching requirement for BS/MS students.

Specific Course Requirements for the Master of Science degree for the BS/MS Program (effective Autumn 2012 or later)

To keep track of your coursework, please see the Undergraduate Academic Counselor  for a planning sheet and quarterly check-ins. The degree provides two track options (the Bioengineering Professional Series (BPS) and the Program on Technology Commercialization (PTC)). The degree requires 20 course credits, plus research credits. Petitions to substitute or waive courses, are not encouraged.

Note: Up to six credits taken during the student’s senior year may count towards the MS degree requirements for BS/MS students. These six credits cannot have satisfied any BS degree requirements.

BS/MS requirements (minimum 36 credits required)

Core courses (4 credits minimum required from either track):

  • Bioengineering Professional Series (BPS) track: BIOEN 530: Literature Analysis (2 credits, CR/NC), BIOEN 531: Grant Writing (2 credits) or BIOEN 532: Professional Development (1 credit, CR/NC)
  • Program on Technology Commercialization (PTC) track: BIOEN 504: PTC I (4 credits) or BIOEN 505: PTC II (4 credits)

Statistics (3 credits):

  • BIOSTAT 511, 517, 524; STAT 502, 504, 509, 512, or UCONJ 510 (2 cr, approved by petition when submitting the student plan)

Electives (13 credits minimum of bioengineering-related, PI-approved electives):

  • All 13 credits must be graded
  • 5 credits must have a BIOEN prefix
  • 6 credits must be 500 level

Additional BS/MS requirements

  • 18 credits must be at the 500-level
  • 18 graded credits must be at the 400/500-level
  • Students must complete 9 thesis research credits of BIOEN 700 prior to MS graduation
  • 36 total credits

Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average to maintain good standing with the Graduate School and the department. Students must earn a 2.7 or better in every course.