Course description
The Biomedical Engineering MSc has a strong research and development emphasis and is suitable for students for whom industrial training is not available or appropriate. It aims to provide an overall knowledge base, skills and competencies, which are required in biomedical engineering, research activities and in related fields.
The course draws on the wide experience of academic staff in the School of Engineering and Design, ranging from the development of equipment and experiments for use in space, to research carried out in collaboration with hospitals, biomedical companies and research institutions.
As well as giving a solid scientific understanding, the course also addresses commercial, ethical, legal and regulatory requirements, aided by extensive industrial contacts. Students who successfully complete the course will have acquired skills that are essential to the modern biomedical and healthcare industry, together with the expertise required to enter into management, product innovation, development and research.
Taught modules are given in a short course format. The order in which they are taken may also be adjusted to suit individual needs.
All students take the compulsory foundation modules. They may then continue to take the core programme, or select modules covering a particular theme that is relevant to their own interests or those of their sponsoring organisation.
Typical Modules (all core)
* Biomechanics and Biomaterials
Main topics include: review of biomechanical principles; introduction to biomedical materials; stability of biomedical materials; biocompatibility; materials for adhesion and joining; applications of biomedical materials; implant design.
* Biofluid Mechanics
Main topics include: review of the cardiovascular system: the cardiac cycle and cardiac performance, models of the cardiac system, respiratory system and respiratory performance, lung models, physiological effects of exercise, trauma and disease; blood structure and composition, blood gases. oxygenation, effect of implants and prostheses, blood damage and repair, viscometry of blood, measurement of blood pressure and flow; urinary system: anatomy and physiology, fluid and waste transfer mechanisms, urinary performance and control, effects of trauma, ageing and disease; modelling of biofluid systems. review of mass, momentum and energy transfers related to biological flow systems. fluid mechanics in selected topics relating to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. measurements in biomedical flows.
* Innovation and Management
Main topics include: company structure and organisation will be considered (with particular reference to the United Kingdom), together with the interfacing between hospital, clinical and healthcare sectors; review of existing practice: examination of existing equipment and devices; consideration of current procedures for integrating engineering expertise into the biomedical environment. Discussion of management techniques; design of biomedical equipment: statistical Procedures and Data Handling; matching of equipment to biomedical systems; quality assurance requirements in clinical technology; patient safety requirements and protection; sterilisation procedures and infection control; failure criteria and fail-safe design; maintainability and whole life provision ; public and environmental considerations: environmental and hygenic topics in the provision of hospital services; legal and ethical requirements; product development: innovation in the company environment, innovation in the clinical environment; cash flow and capital provision; testing and validation; product development criteria and strategies.
* Biomedical Engineering Principles
Main topics include: bone structure and composition; the mechanical properties of bone, cartilage and tendon; the cardiovascular function and the cardiac cycle; body fluids and organs; organisation of the nervous system; sensory systems; biomechanical principles; biomedical materials; biofluid mechanics principles, the cardiovascular system, blood structure and composition, modelling of biofluid systems.
* Biomedical Instrumentation and Signal Processing
Main topics include: biomedical instrumentation; biomedical signal processing.
* Analytical and Research Methods in Bioengineering
Main topics include: basic skills for biomedical research; information retrieval and data analysis; clinical trials and ethics; risk management and quality control; research dissemination.
* Design and Manufacture
Main topics include: design and materials optimisation; management and manufacturing strategies; improving clinical medical and industrial interaction; meeting product liability, ethical, legal and commercial needs.
* Artificial Organs and Biomedical Applications
Main topics include: audiology and cochlear implants; prostheses; artificial limbs and rehabilitation engineering; life support systems; robotic surgical assistance; telemedicine; nanotechnology.
* Dissertation
