The MAS in Medical Device Engineering (MDE) degree program was sunset in 2019 after graduating its seventh cohort with 100 graduate alumni. A key feature of the program was a 3-quarter capstone that required a combination of in-class, laboratory, and off-campus work. The capstone provided an opportunity for students to integrate knowledge acquired over previous quarters in a written report and oral presentation.
The MDE was a specialized degree that offered a focused cross-disciplinary technical education program catering to the needs of engineering professionals. The program provided:
- specialized courses in clinical needs assessment
- the option of designing and prototyping a medical device or instrument
- technical education in mechanics and transport, anatomy and physiology, biomaterials
- instruction in life science technologies, embedded controls, computer-aided design
- introduction to business issues including product launching, regulatory and payment issues, and standards and compliance
Curriculum
Fall Quarter
Medical Devices: Clinical Perspectives
This course is a seminar series with invited clinician speakers intended to address needs and opportunities for meaningful application of engineering principles in clinical practice, with emphasis on next generation medical devices.
Winter Quarter
Fundamentals of Physiology and Anatomy
A basic introduction to human physiology and anatomy form and function as it relates to clinical perspectives on patient needs. An emphasize will be on case studies of integrative physiology to understand how this information is useful in designing combination medical devices and instruments for diagnosis or research.
Mechanics and Transport Processes for Biomedical Device Design
This course provides an advance overview of diffusion, heat and mass transfer, and transport processes in biological systems applicable to the design of biomedical devices. Application covers biosensor, heart-lung machines, dialysis machines, and microfluidic systems for analysis and drug delivery systems.
Spring Quarter
Computer Aided Design of Medical Devices
Computer-Aided Analysis and Design with applications to medical devices. Solid model representation, finite element analysis for strength and deformation, material selection, kinematics, statistical analysis, and visualization of analytical results. Software packages used will include 3D CAD, FEA solvers, and student generated code. Analytical methods will be applied to case studies of medical devices.
Life Sciences and Technologies
A general survey of modern high throughput instruments used for imaging and analyzing structure-function relationships at the molecular and cellular levels. An overview of potential human genomic and systems approaches for designing and validating medical device safety and performance.
Fall Quarter - Year Two
Design and Implementation of Medical Device Technology I
Introduction of project-based course in medical device engineering, medical product regulation, quality systems and standards, engineering project management, and business development.
Biomaterials for Medical Device Design
This class will cover biomaterials and biomimetic materials. Metal, ceramic, and polymer biomaterials will be discussed. Emphasis will be on the structure-property relationships, biocompatibility/degradation issues and tissue/material interactions. Synthesis and mechanical testing of biomimetic materials will also be discussed.
Winter Quarter - Year Two
Design and Implementation of Medical Device Technology II
Second of a 3-quarter sequence, project-based course in medical device engineering, medical product regulation, quality systems and standards, engineering project management, and business development. Students will begin to design a medical device and an engineering strategy.
Embedded System Design
This course gives an introduction to Digital Signal Processing (DSP) techniques and Data-Based Parameter Estimation (DBPE) techniques for the measurement, filtering and analysis of experimental data obtained with embedded systems in medical devices.
Spring Quarter - Year Two
Design and Implementation of Medical Device Technology III
Third of a 3-quarter sequence, project-based course in medical device engineering, medical product regulation, quality systems and standards, engineering project management, and business development. Students will complete and implement their medical device design and engineering strategy.
Biobusiness: Small to Large
Biotech is a special breed of business, especially in the start-up and early phases. Whether you are considering joining a biotech start-up or want to be successful in a life science organization, it pays to understand this unique business model. In this course, you will study and analyze (1) start-up proposals (2) the genesis of the biotech industry (3) biotech categories and growth strategies (4) the process of spinning out viable product concepts from academia (5) financing techniques (6) business development (7) acquisition/IPO valuation methods and (8) potentially disruptive technologies. The format is highly interactive and learning is enhanced by means of exercises, team presentations, and case studies.