BIOE-MS - Bioengineering (MS)

Master’s Program in Bioengineering

The Master of Science in Bioengineering is designed for students who want to advance their expertise and pursue exciting careers in the biotechnology, engineering, medicine, and healthcare sectors. 

The MS in Bioengineering requires 45 units of coursework and can be completed within approximately one or two years. The curriculum comprises core bioengineering courses, technical electives, core seminars, and unrestricted electives. Core courses focus on quantitative biology and biological systems analysis. There is no thesis requirement for the MS degree.

Coterminal Master’s Program in Bioengineering

This option is available to Stanford undergraduates who wish to work simultaneously toward a BS one major and an MS in Bioengineering. The degrees may be granted simultaneously or after different quarters, though the bachelor’s degree cannot be awarded after the master’s degree has been granted.

The university minimum requirements for the coterminal program are 180 units for the bachelor’s degree plus 45 unduplicated units for the master’s degree. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of Bioengineering, several courses are offered directly through the Bioengineering Department, but many are available through other departments. See respective ExploreCourses for course descriptions.

To apply for the coterminal master’s program, students must have completed six non-summer quarters at Stanford (two non-summer quarters for transfer students), completed 120 undergraduate units, and declared their undergraduate major. They must be accepted into our program one quarter before receiving the BS degree.

The deadline for receiving applications will be late fall 2023. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission to the MS or PhD program in Bioengineering.

The application must provide evidence of potential for strong academic performance as a graduate student. The department’s graduate admissions committee evaluates and acts upon the application. Students are expected to enter with mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, computing, and engineering core competencies. Typically, a GPA of at least 3.5 in engineering, science, and math is expected.

University Coterminal Requirements

Coterminal master’s degree candidates are expected to complete all master’s degree requirements as described in this Bulletin. Coterminal Master's Degrees describes university requirements for the coterminal master’s degree. Graduate Degrees describes university requirements for the master’s degree.

After accepting admission to this coterminal master’s degree program, students may request a transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy the requirements for the master’s degree. Transferring courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case-by-case basis.

In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken before the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.

Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.

The university requires that the graduate advisor be assigned in the student’s first graduate quarter even though the undergraduate career may still be open. The university also requires that the Master’s Degree Program Proposal be completed by the student and approved by the department by the end of the student’s first graduate quarter.

The deadline for receiving applications is December 1, 2023. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission to the MS or PhD program in Bioengineering.

The application must provide evidence of potential for strong academic performance as a graduate student. The department’s graduate admissions committee evaluates and acts upon the application. Students are expected to enter with mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, computing, and engineering core competencies. Typically, a GPA of at least 3.5 in engineering, science, and math is expected for admission.