The Master of Bioengineering (M.B.E.)
The Master of Bioengineering (M.B.E.) is a non-thesis degree that provides students with greater depth in their bioengineering training to advance their career objectives. Students may enroll on a full-time or part-time basis. Curriculum must be approved by the Graduate Academic Affairs Committee and the Bioengineering Department. This is done on a case-by-case basis.
M.B.E. prerequisite courses
- Fundamentals of Systems Physiology (BIOE 322 or equivalent -3 credit hours), Cell Biology (BIOC 341 or equivalent – 3 credit hours), and Statistics are prerequisite courses. If a student does not have evidence on their undergraduate transcript that they have received credit for these courses they must take them as part of the M.B.E. curriculum.
Only one prerequisite course may be counted towards the required 30 hours. This course must be a graduate-level course and taken for a standard letter grade. (Exception: BIOC 341 may be taken with a standard letter grade as a prerequisite and counted towards the 30 required hours.)
If more than one prerequisite is required, additional courses may be taken for a standard letter grade or pass/fail credit, but will not count toward the required 30 hours regardless of the grade mode. All BIOE courses must be taken for a standard letter grade.
M.B.E. requirements
- Complete 30 semester hours of upper-level (300 or above) courses, including:
- Fifteen bioengineering credit hours at the graduate level or above
- Six engineering credit hours
- Six general elective credit hours
- Graduate-level MATH, STAT, or CAAM (3 credit hours)
- All coursework must be at the graduate level with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Note: MBE students may not take BIOE 501 for credit towards the 30 required semester hours. For details about the Department of Bioengineering's Graduate Degree Requirements and Procedures, see the linked PDF files on the sidebar to the left titled Additional Information.
The joint M.B.A./M.B.E program
The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business and the Department of Bioengineering offer a Master of Business Administration/Master of Bioengineering (M.B.A./M.B.E.) degree program. Designed to meet the growing demand for managers with the technical expertise, the M.B.A./ M.B.E. program trains students to apply management strategies that meet the needs of high-technology companies. The Master of Bioengineering degree is intended for those having a B.A. or B.S. degree in an engineering or science discipline.
Students interested in the joint M.B.A./M.B.E. degree must apply for dual admissions through the Jesse H. Jones School of Business (for the M.B.A. program) and the Office of Graduate Studies (for the M.B.E. program). Admission is reviewed independently and students must be granted admission to both programs. Curriculum must be approved by the Graduate Academic Affairs Committee and the Department of Bioengineering. This is done on a case-by-case basis.
M.B.A./M.B.E. prerequisite courses
The as mentioned for the M.B.E. above, following courses are required prerequisites. If a student does not have evidence on their undergraduate transcript that they have received credit for these courses they must take them as part of the M.B.A./M.B.E. curriculum.
- Fundamentals of Systems Physiology (BIOE 322 or equivalent -3 credit hours),
- Cell Biology (BIOC 341 or equivalent – 3 credit hours), and
- Statistics.
M.B.A./M.B.E. requirements
- Complete a total of 63 credit hours (39 toward the M.B.A.; 24 toward the M.B.E.) with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher. At least 15 of the 24 credits hours of the M.B.E. portion must be taken from Foundation, Supporting and Advanced Topics courses.
- Nine bioengineering elective (400-level or above) credit hours
- Six engineering elective credit hours
- Six approved elective credit hours
- Graduate level or higher MATH, STAT, or CAAM (3 credit hours)
To learn more about Rice's M.B.A. program, visit http://business.rice.edu/MBAPrograms.aspx?id=987. For details about the Department of Bioengineering's Graduate Degree Requirements and Procedures, see the linked PDF files on the sidebar to the left titled Additional Information.