Master’s Degree Concentrations
Customize your master’s degree with a concentration or track
Duke BME faculty members are engaged in a wide range of efforts to improve human health through research. Our master’s students can select courses to concentrate on an area of faculty research focus.
Choose Your Concentration
At Duke BME, you have all of Duke to choose from. Working with your advisor, you may count relevant courses offered by other Duke departments and Duke University Medical Center. The courses listed below are just a few examples.
Biotechnology: Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering
Focuses on engineering principles at the molecular and cellular scales to design and analyze biological systems, tissue regeneration strategies, and cutting-edge biotechnologies. Students often engage with courses and labs that deepen understanding of biomolecular engineering and biological system design.
-
- BME 562 Biology by Design
- BME 567 Biosensors
- BME 577 Drug Delivery
- BME 590 Cancer in Bioengineering
- BME 771 Bioconjugation in Biomaterials
Biomedical Imaging and Biophotonics
Explores the physics, technology, and applications of imaging systems and light-based methods to visualize and quantify biological phenomena. Coursework and research span ultrasound, MRI, optical coherence tomography, and advanced image processing, with a strong emphasis on translation to clinical diagnostics and therapy.
-
- BME 544 Digital Image Processing
- BME 548L Machine Learning in Imaging
- BME 552 Advanced Optics
- BME 553 Deep Tissue Optics
- BME 790L Modern Diagnostic Imaging Systems
Biomechanics and Mechanobiology
Centers on the mechanics of biological tissues and the influence of mechanical forces on cellular behavior. This concentration supports work in tissue mechanics, mechanotransduction, and biomechanical analysis relevant to orthopedics, disease, and engineered tissues.
-
- BME 527 Cell Mechanics and Mechanotransduction
- BME 530 Intro to Tissue Biomechanics
- BME 531 Intermediate Biomechanics
- BME 590 Fundamentals of Soft Matter
- BME 590L Injury Biomech Design
Computational Modeling of Biological Systems
Emphasizes the use of computational tools, simulations, high-performance computing, and data analysis to develop predictive models of complex biological systems, from cellular networks to organ-level function.
-
- BME 520L Computational Foundations of Biomedical Simulation
- BME 544 Digital Image Processing
- BME 574 Modeling and Engineering Gene Circuits
- BME 577 Drug Delivery
- BME 590 Protein Design with Deep Learning
Data Science & AI
Bridges biomedical engineering with data-driven methods. Students focus on machine learning, AI, and advanced data analytics applied to large biomedical datasets for insight into health, disease, and bioengineering challenges. Relevant courses and electives provide hands-on experience in data science tools.
-
- BME 790L BME Data Science
- BME 790 Introduction to AI for BME
- ECE 685D Introduction to Deep Learning
- COMPSCI 671D Theory and Algorithms for Machine Learning
- AIPI 540 Deep Learning Applications
Medical Device Design
Prepares students for careers inventing, designing, and optimizing medical technologies. This concentration integrates practical design skills, engineering principles, regulatory considerations, and real-world design challenges for devices that improve patient care.
-
- BME 500-2 Quality Systems for BME
- BME 554L Embedded Medical Devices
- BME 547 Medical Software Design
- BME 673L Advanced Design & Manufacturing
- BME 774L Design Health 2: Design
Neural Engineering
Combines principles of neuroscience and engineering to understand, interface with, and therapeutically modulate the nervous system. Students engage with courses covering neural control, stimulation, and tools for probing neural activity toward solutions for neurological disorders and prosthetic systems.
-
- BME 505L: Biopotential Amplifiers and Implant Device
- BME 517 Neuronal Control of Movement
- BME 590 Connectomic Neuromodulation
- BME 601L Introduction to Neural Engineering
- BME 760L – Medical Neuroscience & Clinical Human Neuroanatomy
Master’s Contacts
Have a question about the program or admissions? Contact the Admissions & Recruiting team.
Dr Mike Lynch, M.D., Ph.D.
Director of Master’s Studies, W. H. Gardner, Jr. Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering