Master of Science in BME

Non-thesis MS students complete their degree by taking a milestone exam in one of the three formats.

• Oral poster presentation on a research or design project conducted at Duke
• Submission of a proposal on a new research project, based on materials learned at Duke
• Comprehensive oral exam on technical knowledge learned at Duke

The projects and research proposal must be related to biomedical engineering and approved by the student’s adviser. The formulation of the project plan is a collaborative, mentored experience. Successful project plans are those in which students can do the following:

• State a research problem in a chosen area of study and demonstrate the value of the solution to the research problem
• Apply sound research methods/tools to problems in an area of study and describe the methods/tools effectively
• Analyze/interpret research data
• Draw valid conclusions from data and make a convincing case for the contribution of those conclusions in advancing knowledge within that area
• Communicate their research clearly and professionally in both written and oral forms appropriate to the field

MS students engaged in research are encouraged to prepare and defend a thesis.

Preparation

The Master’s Thesis should follow the format defined in the Graduate School’s Guide for Preparation of Theses and Dissertations, and should include the following items:

• An abstract with objectives and clearly stated unique contributions,
• A survey and discussion/synthesis of pertinent literature,
• Discussions of the completed research tasks, including theory development, experimental design, materials and methods used, results from the study, and disussion, and
• A set of conclusions that emphasize new theoretical, modeling, or experimental contributions; or novel applications of existing theories.

The quality of the Master’s Thesis should allow the material to be publishable in a peer-reviewed journal. Learn more information on the master’s thesis from Duke’s Graduate School website.

Defense

Upon the completion of the written thesis, the student must defend it orally. The thesis advisor must approve the thesis for the defense before its final submission to the faculty committee. In a letter to the Graduate School, the adviser will indicate that the thesis is ready for defense. The student is responsible for asking the DMSA to announce the thesis defense. The defense takes place no less than one week after the student has submitted the thesis to the Graduate School and has presented copies to the faculty committee members. An oral presentation is a public event. The faculty committee generally meets with the candidate in a closed meeting following the open oral presentation. During the defense, the faculty committee may question the student on both the content of the thesis and the student’s course work.

The possible outcomes of the Master’s Examination are:

• The student passes. A majority of supporting votes are required, in addition to the approval of the advisor
• The student fails. Re-examination might be permitted upon the recommendation of the advisor and the approval of the Director of Master’s Studies