Bioengineering

After completing core courses, students choose one of four concentrations to develop a deep level of expertise in a specific area of bioengineering.

• Molecular, cell, and tissue engineering
• Biomechanics and mechanobiology
• Biomedical devices and bioimaging
• Systems, synthetic, and computational bioengineering

• Students may pursue part- and full-time enrollment options, including an accelerated one-year curriculum plan, and some courses are offered in an asynchronous online format for working professionals. Learn more about the 1-year master’s plan.
• Thesis, project-based, or course-only options; can carry out research resulting in the preparation and defense of an MS thesis or an MS project.
• Significant research opportunities; bioengineering faculty have established highly interdisciplinary collaborations with faculty members from the College of Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Physical Therapy, and more.
• With a premier location in downtown Boston, research in the department leverages the wealth of collaborations with neighboring universities, hospitals, medical centers, and industry.
• Opportunity to participate in Northeastern’s top-ranked cooperative education program, gaining up to 8 months of professional experience employed in your field of interest as part of the academic curriculum.
• Opportunity to continue on to pursue a PhD.
• Can be combined with a Gordon Engineering Leadership certificate, and other certificates in the College of Engineering.

Bioengineering is a growing sector of the engineering profession. The aging of the U.S. population and the nationwide focus on health issues will help drive demand for better medical devices and equipment designed by biomedical engineers. Additionally, an increased concern for cost-effectiveness will boost demand for biomedical engineers, particularly in pharmaceutical and device manufacturing and related industries.

Biomedical advances are increasingly dependent on quantitative approaches as exemplified by bioengineering, and the general perception is that government support for this research will continue to rise (or, at the very least, erode more slowly than other areas). The energy crisis and global climate change threats have also fostered interdisciplinary research across bioengineering with other fields such as biofuel cells, bio-batteries, bioremediation, bio-carbon sequestration, etc., and many agencies such as EPA, DOE, DOD and DARPA support these research directions.

Applications received after the stated deadline dates will be accepted and processed as quickly as possible; however it may not be possible to have a decision rendered in time for the applicant to begin taking classes for the desired term if admitted.

Applications submitted by the referenced dates will receive full consideration for the referenced term. Applications received after the referenced dates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Completed online application form

• Two letters of recommendation

• Transcripts from all institutions attended

  • The Foreign Credential Evaluation (FCE) is a required assessment of all transcripts and documents from non-U.S. accredited post-secondary education institutions. (Review the FCE requirements by country.)

• GRE is not required for terms starting during the 2025-2026 academic years

• Statement of purpose

• Resumé

• TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo for international applicants unless the waiver requirements are met

• The application fee is waived for all new applicants applying to any of our Master of Science or Graduate Certificates for the fall 2025 and spring 2026 application terms.