collageJohns Hopkins School of Medicine Graduate Programs – Admissions Information
for the PhD in Biomedical Engineering (BME)
Program Admissions Details:
Note: up-to-date admissions requirements are maintained on the Biomedical Engineering website,
and applications are submitted through the School of Medicine’s application system.
In 2020, the BME Program admitted 56 students out of a pool of 533 applicants. More information
about the applicant pool can be found here. In August 2020, the total number of students in the
program was 266. Students in this program work on the East Baltimore campus, the Homewood
campus, the Bayview campus and at the Applied Physics Lab.
Students in this program are paid a stipend to support their living expenses (the 2020-2021 stipend is
$34,223). Tuition costs for SOM courses are covered by the School for students in this Program (i.e., not
paid by the student). Standard medical and dental benefitsfor the student are covered. Benefits for
the student’s immediate family are available at additional cost to the student. Student stipends are
subject to taxes. Students from Maryland with student loans may receive State tax benefits. More
information is available here on our Financial Aid page. The University does not provide housing,
though the housing office will provide advice.
All accepted matriculating students receive full funding (including tuition waiver, stipend, and health
insurance) during their time in the program. Applicants are encouraged (but not required) to apply for
external funding before and during their training. Information about funding opportunities for U.S.
students (including NSF GFRP and F31 grants) can be found here.
Program Details:
The application for this program is open from 9/1/2020 to 12/1/2020. In the time before the application
is open, applicants may log in and begin their applications. The application can only be submitted in the
period when the application is open.
On the application, Applicants are asked to indicate one or two research area(s) of interest from this list
below. These areas are described in detail here.
– Biomedical Data Science
– Biomedical Imaging & Instrumentation
– Computational Medicine
– Genomics & Systems Biology
– Immunoengineering
– Neuroengineering
– Translational Cell & Tissue Engineering
Our BME program offers students the strengths of one of the best medical schools in the
world, combined with exceptional engineering education and training opportunities. If you
wish to combine engineering with cutting edge research in medicine, this may be the
program for you.
Our students have the option of taking many of the same courses as the medical students,
PhD in BME – Admissions Information
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including human anatomy, molecular and cellular biology, immunology, and pharmacology.
Our students also take advanced engineering courses. Our admitted students come from
many backgrounds and majors, and not all were undergraduate engineering majors.
However, all have demonstrated a strong quantitative training, as well as sufficient
background in biology (typically at least two introductory courses). Depending on their
preferred research focus area, relevant preparation for that focus area should be evident in
their application.
The admissions are reviewed by research focus area committees, so every application is
reviewed by faculty members interested in the same research areas as the applicant. The
applicant should specify which area(s) they are interested in, and we encourage applicants
to use part of their personal statement to write about the kind of research they are
considering. The faculty in each area review and rank the applicants; the final pool of
applicants is reviewed and approved by the whole program faculty. We use a holistic review
process; for example, the median GPA is typically ~3.8, but we have no minimum GPA or
GRE thresholds for review. Don’t think that a bad grade or a tough semester stands in your
way. We review the whole application and evaluate the potential of the person that wrote
it, not just a set of numerical metrics.
Academic History & Prior Research Experience:
Applicants will need to list all colleges and universities they attended. A transcript will need to be
uploaded from each school attended. Applicants with prior research experience share information
about this including the institution and mentor, dates of participation, and any publications resulting
from the experience.
Admissions requirements:
– Official transcripts from each college or university attended. We no longer require applicants to
submit official transcripts to OGSA via mail or electronically. Applicants may upload transcripts to
the online application for review. Applicants who receive an offer or accept an offer of admission
are required to submit official transcripts to OGSA via mail or electronically to
GradAdmissions@jhmi.edu
– Previously, we have required official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores or MCAT scores,
which can be arranged through the Office of Graduate Affairs. As of July 2020, we are actively
reviewing this and you should look to the most up-to-date information on the BME website. The
GRE code for applying to graduate programs at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is 5316. The
BME PhD program does not rely heavily on the GRE exam in making admissions decisions.
Research experience, course grades, and recommendations carry more weight.
– Applicants mustsubmit a one page personal statement indicating the basis of their interest in
graduate study and their career objectives. Applicants should include a discussion of any
research experience they have had.
– Applicants must identify three people who are familiar with the applicant’s work and provide
contact info for these references. The contact info will be entered into the application, and SOM
will contact the references and ask them to submit letters of recommendation on behalf of the
applicant
Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Requirements
The BME undergraduate program contains a set of “core knowledge,” defined and taught by the faculty, that future biomedical engineers should possess. The core includes courses in molecular and cellular biology, linear systems, biological control systems, modeling and simulation, thermodynamic principles in biology, and engineering analysis of systems level biology and physiology. Building on these core subjects, each student then takes a cohesive sequence of advanced engineering courses appropriate to one of seven focus areas: Biomedical Data Science; Computational Medicine; Genomics & Systems Biology; Imaging & Medical Devices; Immunoengineering; Neuroengineering; and Translational Cell & Engineering.The BS degree in biomedical engineering requires 129 credits. For an in-depth look at our requirements, please refer to the Undergraduate Advising Handbook.Basic Sciences (18 credits)
- General Physics I and II with Labs
- Introductory Chemistry I and II with Labs
Mathematics (20 credits)
- Calculus I, II, III
- Linear Algebra and Differential Equations
- At least one additional semester of statistics (300-level or higher)
Humanities and Social Sciences (18 credits)
These courses should form a coherent program, relevant to the student’s goals, with at least one course at the 300-level or higher.Biomedical Core Knowledge (34 credits)
Building on the foundation of this core curriculum, each student is required to take a cohesive sequence of advanced engineering encompassing:
- Biomedical Engineering and Design
- Structural Biology of Cells
- Structural Biology of Cells Laboratory
- Biochemistry and Molecular Engineering
- Statistical Physics
- Biological Models and Simulations
- Linear Signals and Systems
- Nonlinear Dynamics of Biological Systems
- Linear Systems and Controls
- Systems Biology of the Cell
- Biomedical Data Science
- Biomedical Data Science Laboratory
- Computational Medicine: Cardiology
- Computational Medicine: Cardiology Laboratory
- Choose two:
- Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory
- Nucleic Acid Sequencing Laboratory
- Neuroengineering and Laboratory
- Build an Imager
- Immunoengineering Principles and Applications
- Career Exploration in BME
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