Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Biomedical Engineering
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In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements:
For a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, all students are required to take a minimum of 6 units as approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Students may choose elective courses from the approved course list:
See website for details on topics courses. Note: not all courses may be offered every year.
Students can also take any 600 or higher-level course if considered relevant to program with approval from the supervisor and the graduate program director.
Note:
If the student's completed MSc degree is not in Biomedical Engineering, they must take a further of 12 units, for a total minimum of 18 units.
For students who transfer from an MSc program, minimum of 18 units at the graduate level are required beyond the BSc, or equivalent, degree.
course, course and course must be included in the course requirements if not taken in the MSc.
For Interdisciplinary Specializations see:
In addition to the course requirements, all PhD students are required to complete a research project and to submit a written thesis in compliance with the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Advanced Credit
Credit may be granted with approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. Advanced credit will not be granted for course, course or course.
Credit for Undergraduate Courses
Graduate credit may be given for 500-level courses for MSc/PhD students. No more than 3 units of credit will be allowed as approved by the supervisory committee, and the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.
Time Limit
In accordance with the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, the expected completion time for the PhD is four years. The maximum completion time is six years. Students transferring from the MSc to the PhD program are expected to complete studies within five years. Funding in the MSc and PhD programs may not be available after these expected completion times.
Supervisory Assignments
PhD students need a supervisor for admission to the program. The Supervisory Committee should be selected jointly by the student and supervisor immediately upon entry into the PhD program and approved by the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. The Supervisory Committee consists of the supervisor, co-supervisor (if appropriate), and two other members who normally hold academic appointment at the University of Calgary. Appointment of individuals who do not hold academic appointments at the University of Calgary is possible but requires the support of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program and the prior approval of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
The supervisory committee will advise on course selection and research topic for the student. The supervisory committee will usually be cross-disciplinary, as required by the student’s research topic and deemed necessary by the supervisor in consultation with the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program. The supervisory committee will recommend transfer to the PhD program for MSc students and certify the background preparation for PhD students prior to scheduling of the candidacy exam. All students will follow the guidelines of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program regarding supervision, frequency of committee meetings, course changes, thesis or project proposals, candidacy examinations, etc. as outlined in the Student Handbook. Membership on candidacy and examination committees requires the approval of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program.
Research Proposal Requirements
Doctoral students must submit a written thesis proposal, which is approved by their Thesis Proposal Evaluation Committee in a Thesis Proposal Evaluation Committee Meeting. See https://schulich.ucalgary.ca/biomedical/programs/graduate/program-resources/completion-requirements for further information.
Doctoral Candidacy Examinations
Doctoral students must pass Thesis Proposal (oral and written) and Field of Study (oral) examinations. For complete details of the examination format and other candidacy requirements, see https://schulich.ucalgary.ca/biomedical/programs/graduate/program-resources/timelines.
Scheduling of the Thesis Examination
All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student’s research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis, before an examination can be scheduled.
Doctoral Thesis Examination
The examining committee consists of a minimum of five voting members: the Supervisory Committee members (including the supervisor and co-supervisor, if appropriate), one Internal Examiner and one member external to the University of Calgary (External examiner). The Internal Examiner can be an approved Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program Supervisor. At least one of either a) the Supervisory Committee (excluding supervisor and co-supervisor) or b) the Internal Examiner, must be a Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program Approved Supervisor.
The student shall make a public 60 minute presentation (45 minute presentation plus 15 minutes for questions) of their thesis research, normally immediately before the oral examination. Examining committee members should attend this presentation but should refrain from asking questions during the presentation. The maximum allowable two-hour examination period does not include the time spent on student presentation.
Students in the PhD program will not be admitted without funding from an interested supervisor. Please see the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program handbook for more details.
For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.