Bioengineering M.Sc. Program

It is the sole responsibility of students to plan their graduate program in consultation with their academic advisor. Students are required to meet all deadlines. Students should be aware that most core courses are offered only once per year.

The Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree is awarded upon successful completion of a minimum of 36 credit hours. A minimum GPA of 3.0 must be achieved to graduate. Individual courses require a minimum of a B- for course credit. Students are expected to complete the M.Sc. degree in three semesters. Satisfactory participation in every KAUST summer session is mandatory.

The M.Sc. Requirements

  • Core courses (12 credits)
  • Elective courses (12 credits)
  • Research/capstone experience (12 credits)
  • Graduate seminar 398 (non-credit) – all students are required to register and receive a satisfactory grade for three semesters during their M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees (three seminars in each program)
  • Completion of one Winter Enrichment Program (WEP)

Core Courses (12 credits) Mandatory for ALL tracks.

B 241Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab

3

BioE 201Foundations of Bioengineering

3

BioE 202Foundations of Synthetic Biology

3

BioE 230Foundations of Bioengineering Lab

3

These core courses are designed to provide students with the background needed to establish a solid foundation in the program area.

Elective Courses (12 credits)

Track 1: Biosensors and Bioelectronics

B 316Foundations in Bioimaging

3

BioE 319Biomaterials and Biomedical Devices

3

ECE 202Analog Integrated Circuits

3

ECE 205Introduction to MEMS

3

ECE 208Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices

3

ECE 304Integrated Microsystems

3

ECE 305Advanced MEMS Devices and Technologies

3

ECE 310Integrated Sensors

3

ME 222AMechatronics and Microsystems

3

ME 222BMechatronics and Intelligent Systems

3

MSE 201Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering

3

MSE 225Electronic Properties of Materials

3

MSE 318Nanomaterials

3

MSE 322Semiconductor Materials

3

MSE 324Photophysics of Organic Semiconductors

3

Others upon approval of the academic advisor

ME 222A is equivalent to EE 272A

ME 222B is equivalent to EE 272B

Track 2: Bioinformatics and Machine Learning

B 322Computational Bioscience and Machine Learning

3

B 324Machine Learning for Genomics and Health

3

CS 220Data Analytics

3

CS 229Machine Learning

3

CS 249Algorithms in Bioinformatics

3

STAT 210Applied Statistics and Data Analysis

3

Others upon approval of the academic advisor

Track 3: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

B 318Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

3

B 320Stem Cells and Molecular Medicine

3

BioE 319Biomaterials and Biomedical Devices

3

ChemS 210Material Chemistry I

3

ChemS 215Polymers and Polymerization Processes

3

ChemS 360Advanced Physical Chemistry I

3

CS 249Algorithms in Bioinformatics

3

EnSE 310Colloids, Interfaces, and Surfaces

3

MSE 201Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering

3

MSE 225Electronic Properties of Materials

3

MSE 310Energy Storage Materials and Devices

3

MSE 318Nanomaterials

3

Others upon approval of the academic advisor

Track 4: Synthetic Biology

B 204Genomics

3

B 206Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology

3

B 306Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology

3

B 317Advanced Environmental Microbiology

3

EnSE 314Public Health Microbiology

3

EnSE 341Processes in Environmental Biotechnology

3

PS 302Biochemistry and Metabolic Engineering

3

Others upon approval of the academic advisor

The elective courses (which exclude research and internship credits) are designed to allow students to tailor their educational experience to meet individual research and educational objectives, with the permission of the academic advisor.

M.Sc. Thesis

Students wishing to pursue the thesis option must complete a minimum of 12 credits of thesis research (297).

The thesis defense committee, which must be approved by the dean, must consist of at least three members and typically includes no more than four members. At least two of the required members must be KAUST faculty. The chair plus one additional faculty member must be affiliated with the student’s program. This membership can be summarized as:

Member Role Program Status
1 Chair Within program
2 Faculty Within program
3 Faculty or approved research scientist Outside program
4 Additional faculty or research scientist Inside or outside KAUST

Notes:

  • Members 1-3 are required, member 4 is optional
  • Co-chairs may serve as member 2, 3, or 4, but may not be a research scientist
  • Members 2 and 3 must use primary affiliation only
  • Adjunct professors and professors emeriti may retain their roles on current committees, but may not serve as chair on any new committees
  • Professors of practice and research professors may serve as members 2, 3 or 4 depending upon their affiliation with the student’s program, they may also serve as co-chairs
  • Visiting professors may serve as member 4

View a list of faculty and their affiliations here.

M.Sc. Non-Thesis

Students wishing to pursue the non-thesis option must complete a total of 12 research/capstone credits, with a minimum of 6 credits of directed research (299).

Students must complete the remaining credits through one or a combination of the options listed below:

  • Broadening experience courses: courses that broaden a student’s M.Sc. experience
  • Internship: research-based summer internship (295) – students are only allowed to take one internship
  • Ph.D. courses: courses numbered at the 300 level
  • Additional directed research