Which classes should I take? You can find a list of classes on the Registrar's website, and you can also view a Powerpoint Presentation from Dr. Reza Shadmehr on our Downloads page. For a few other answers to your questions, see below.
A key feature of the biomedical engineering program at JHU is that students can take classes at both the medical school and at the Homewood campus. Usually, the medical campus hosts the more clinically-oriented classes, whereas the Homewood campus is the location of many basic science or engineering classes. The official PhD Program requirements can be found here: http://www.bme.jhu.edu/academics/phd/phd_curricula.htm
Medical School vs. Alternate Track
The most common question we get is, "Should I take the medical school track or the alternate track?" Here are some advantages and disadvantages for each:
Med School Track
Advantages
- You get a thorough dosage of biology from experts who come at it from a very clinical point of view, which I find really helped me in biomedical engineering as applied to clinical problems.
- A lot of the professors are approachable, and you can ask any of them to be on your GBO without having to take a full class with one particular professor for a semester.
- You fulfill all of your biology credit requirements.
- You get to meet fun med students, and perhaps forge academic or social collaborations in the future.
- It's easier to do a rotation on the med campus, b/c you'll be there anyway.
Disadvantages
- Because these classes are time-intensive, from 8am - 1pm every day, you don't get as much flexibility for working in your rotation or for taking other classes; you'll be spending much of your time on the med campus or studying. (Most people do a rotation on the medical campus while taking the med school classes, but since you live on Homewood, you'd be heading over there anyway, so a Homewood rotation is probably fine.)
- You'll have to study quite a bit -- read all of the readings, and try to study the notes ahead of time.
- Because of the inflexibility of scheduling, I think the med school classes delay people from finishing all of their classwork until about their second year. Others pile on the classwork from a mix of Homewood classes and biology classes, and might be able to finish their classwork in 1.5 years. However, it's much more difficult to get bio credits on the alternative track.
Alternate Track
Advantages
- These classes operate on a semester-type schedule, so they offer some flexibility in scheduling, similar to many college classes.
- You can take as many classes as you want per semester, which could let you finish your class requirements sooner than the average two years.
- Most of these classes are on the Homewood campus. Because many students live near Homewood, it's closer, and therefore easier to get to class.
Disadvantages
- Because the only classes that count for BME PhD credit are 400-level and above, you might have trouble finding enough classes that fulfill all of your biology requirements.
- Although the schedule is flexible, you might have to spread out your day with one class in the morning, and one in the late afternoon. This could be troublesome when trying to work around a rotation.
- If you live anywhere other than Homewood, you might have to find street parking or pay for a parking spot. But, because of the free shuttle, you really only have to find parking at one of the campuses.
Curriculum
- Biology: 18 credits (either via first year of med school [Molecules and Cells, Immunology, Neuroscience, Physiology] or classes in the departments of biology, neuroscience, cognitive neurosciences, etc [must have molecular/cellular and systems bio])
- Engineering: 18 credits (must be 400 level or above, including two semester-long courses must be 600 level, at least one of which must have a strong theory component that talks about theoretical methods and engineering tools; [e.g.: probability, statistics, stochastic processes, using differential equations, signal processing, mechanics, transport]
- When you choose your classes, consider courses that can also be tested on your GBO (Graduate Board Oral Exam). More info and advice can be found on the neuroengineering blog.
- Everyone needs to register for "Special Studies and Research in Biomedical Engineering," 210.801-802.
Core Classes for Research Areas
When you're choosing a particular research area in BME, there are a few core topics that are essential for anyone snagging a PhD in that field. We're trying to come up with a class list for each area, so please check back here soon for more information.
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/research/cbm.php
Cardiovascular Systems
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/research/cardiovascular.php
Cell and Tissue Engineering
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/research/cte.php
Computational Modeling
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/research/compmodeling.php
Medical Imaging
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/research/imaging.php
Molecular and Cell Systems
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/research/molcell.php
Systems Neuroscience
http://www.bme.jhu.edu/research/neuroscience.php
Other References
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