Frequently Asked Questions
Regarding Admission to the BME Programs

How many students do we admit each semester?
There is no set number of students that we admit into our program every semester. As the text below about the “Process used to offer Admission and financial support” explains, the number of students whom we admit varies from semester to semester depending on the openings that are available in individual faculty members groups.

If one does not have an undergraduate degree from an accredited engineering program, is the student eligible for admission into our program?
Please see the information under “Guidelines for Students with Non-Engineering Backgrounds” for more information about this issue.

Is it necessary to have completed an MS degree to be admitted into the PhD program?
No. Exceptionally qualified individuals can be admitted directly into the PhD program without having to have completed an MS degree first.

How long does it take to complete MS and PhD degrees?
Our programs are research intensive, therefore, the duration within which these degrees can be completed can vary considerably and largely depends upon the productivity of the students.  In general, we expect our students to complete MS degrees in about two years and PhD degrees in about four to five years. As stated before, these durations are very difficult to predict because of our program’s heavy emphasis on original research so prospective applicants should use these durations as general estimates and not guaranteed time frames.

If an applicant meets all minimum requirements for admission, is an admission guaranteed?
No. Please see the following text about the “Process used to offer Admission and Financial support”.

Does one need to apply for a research assistantship when applying for admission?
No. All applicants who are candidates for admission are automatically considered for a research assistantship, which is our primary source of offering financial support.

Does an admission into the program mean that financial support will be available?
No. Admission and financial support do not always go together. It is possible to be admitted into our program without any financial support from us.

If one is admitted without financial support, is it possible that support may be offered at a later time?
It is possible but not guaranteed. Admitted students should contact their prospective advisors to obtain further information about this question.

Can we provide an assessment of the chances of securing admission and financial support?
It is difficult to provide assessment of chances of securing admission with or without financial assistance in our program because of the way our admission process works.  See the section below for more information.

Process used to offer Admission and financial support:
Each and every incoming student has to have at least one faculty member who is willing to serve as an advisor for that student. If no faculty member agrees to advise a particular applicant, either because they have no openings, or there is not a good match between the applicants’s background and the faculty member’s research or if the applicant does not have competitive academic background and scores, the applicant is not offered admission. Therefore, we often refuse admission to several very good students because there is no faculty member who has an opening for them in their group. Regarding financial assistance, please note that we are a graduate degree granting program. Therefore, we do not have teaching assistantships that we can offer, almost all support is offered as research assistantships. Decisions regarding research assistantships are made by individual faculty members who use their research funds to support students.  It is difficult, therefore, to provide assessment regarding admission and financial assistance as these decisions are made by individual faculty members based on their evaluation of an application.  The range of GPA’s and GRE scores of students who are admitted into the program varies a bit, primarily because we consider all aspects of an application in making a decision rather than just these two scores. However, admission into our program is competitive and we select only those with excellent academic background.

What is required to complete an application?
Please visit the Graduate School web site, for details about the application process. The Graduate School requires an application and fee, official transcripts, official GRE scores, and official TOEFL scores.
 
In addition, we require a statement of purpose describing your reasons for wanting to pursue graduate education in Biomedical Engineering, and letters of recommendations from three (3) faculty members who are familiar with your academic record. We prefer that the letters be from faculty who are in the applicant’s academic area, however, letters from professionals in industry or other fields who can comment on your professional accomplishments and potential as a graduate student and researcher will be acceptable. We do not have a specific form or particular format for these letters, but the letters should comment on an applicant's past accomplishments and potential as a graduate student and researcher.  The statement and letters should be sent to:

Director of Graduate Studies
Center for Biomedical Engineering
Wenner-Gren Research  Laboratory
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY  40506-0070
Or via e-mail to cbmedgs@uky.edu

In your statement of purpose, please also indicate which area(s) of biomedical engineering interests you most and therefore is/are the area(s) you would like to pursue your graduate studies in. You may refer to our website at http://www.cbme.uky.edu/primary.htm to determine the areas of research of our current faculty. We will use information about your areas of interests in determining which faculty would review your application.