Biomedical Engineering

Course Overview

The MSc in Biomedical Engineering at Keele is a multidisciplinary course that will prepare you for an exciting career across a wide range of areas of engineering in medicine, be that in academic or industrial research, the medical devices sector or in the clinical arena. The course is professionally accredited and suitable for people with both engineering and life science backgrounds, including medicine and subjects allied to medicine.

Mary Njai, Biomedical Engineering MSc graduate

"Biomedical Engineering gives me a bit of both worlds. Keele University was my best option as it gives students with no engineering background, like myself, a chance to pursue the engineering course due to the introductory modules. Due to the expertise of teaching staff, I was made to think and work like an expert. "

Overview

The course will cover the fundamentals of engineering in medicine, introduce you to the latest developments in medical technology and expose you to the challenges of working with patients through clinical visits. Learning and teaching methods include lectures and demonstrations from medical and engineering specialists, practical classes using state-of-the-art facilities and seminars with leading national and international researchers.

Graduate destinations for our students could include: delivering non-clinical services and technology management in a hospital; designing, developing and manufacturing medical devices in the private sector; working for a governmental regulatory agency for healthcare services and products; undertaking further postgraduate study and research (PhD); pursuing a university-based, academic research career; or providing technical consultancy for marketing departments.

Accreditations

The course is accredited by the Institute for Physics and Engineering in Medicine, whose aims are to ensure that graduates of accredited programmes are equipped with the knowledge and skills for the biomedical engineering workplace, be that in industry, healthcare or academic environments. Accreditation gives you confidence that the course meets strict suitability and quality criteria for providing Masters-level education in this field.

Teaching Facilities

Housed within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the course was established in partnership with Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics at the University Hospital. Most teaching takes place in the Guy Hilton Research Centre, a dedicated research facility located on the hospital campus. The medical school is one of the top-ranked in the UK, and the research institute has an international reputation for world-leading research.

The centre offers state-of-the-art equipment for translational research including newly-developed diagnostic instruments, advanced imaging modalities and additive manufacturing facilities. Its location adjacent to the university hospital ensures that students experience real-world patient care and the role that technology plays in that. Students also have access to advanced equipment for physiological measurement, motion analysis and functional assessment in other hospital and campus-based laboratories. The School embraces specialists working in UHNM and RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital Oswestry, covering key medical and surgical subspecialties.

Course structure

How the course is taught

The course is taught through subject-centred lectures and seminars, supported by tutorials and practical exercises. Collaborative learning and student-centred learning are also adopted giving widespread opportunity for group work and individual assignments. Students are required to conduct extensive independent study, and this is supported by full access to two libraries, online journal access and a suite of dedicated computers for exclusive use by MSc students on the course. In addition, students are supported by the guidance of a personal tutor within the department, as well as having access to university-wide support services. This includes English language support where appropriate.

Course Content

For the MSc route, students are required to successfully complete 120 credits of Core and Elective modules and a 60-credit research dissertation.

Assessment

Modules will be assessed by a mixture of assessment methods, including lab reports, essays, and presentations, and final examination. This ensures the development of a range of transferable employability skills such as time management and planning, written and verbal communication and numeracy as well as technical and subject-specific knowledge. The project dissertation forms a major component of the student’s assessed work.

Taught Modules

Core Taught Modules

ENGINEERING FOR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS*

This module will cover the fundamentals of mechanics, electronics and electromagnetism necessary to understand the application of engineering principles to medicine and biology. This will enable students from varying backgrounds and career paths to transition into the advanced topics covered in the core and specialist modules in biomedical engineering. In addition to the lectures, you will take part in a workshop-based project to apply the theory you have learned to practical measurement.

HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY*

This module givesyou the fundamental knowledge in human physiology and anatomy allowing them to understand structure and function of major tissue types and organs. Students from differing backgrounds will be brought up to a basic level of understanding such that they can progress onto more advanced topics in future studies. The module is intended to set the foundation in a biological context to support the advanced topics in other modules.

PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT

This module draws on the basic principles of biological sensing within the research and clinical environments. Demonstrations and hands-on use of devices commonly used within clinical practice for physiological measurement will be included in this module. You will also gain an appreciation for sensor device and/or biological test selection. A number of anatomical structures will be evaluated focusing on their use to measure physiological properties, such as the heart and lungs. Instrumentation used by medics to assess such systems will be discussed in detail, as well as instruments and technology used for physiological measurement in biomedical research.

MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY SERVICES MANAGEMENT

This module will give you insight into the technology management processes used in clinical settings that allow healthcare provider to make the best use of their resources. You will learn about the role of clinical engineers in ensuring the safe and effective management of medical equipment and the benefits and obligations of the various stakeholders operating within the clinical governance framework.

MEDICAL DEVICE DESIGN PRINCIPLES

You will gain an understanding of the systems engineering approach to medical device design, including the role of ergonomics in the design of safe and reliable medical devices. You will learn the importance of standards and regulations for medical device design and gain an overview of aspects of the mechanical, electrical and software components of medical devices.

BIOMEDICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING

In this module you will learn the fundamentals of signal and image processing and learn to apply theory to practical examples of biomedical signals. You will use an advanced software package to assist in the analysis of biomedical signals, and learn to interpret complex signals in the context of physiological function.

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This modules gives you the skill set that is required for your development in a scientific career; from learning how to take notes in research seminars allowing you to write a comprehensive literature review in that area, to making sure you are efficient with your time in written examinations by giving you the chance to mark practice questions and decide where the marks should be given. This module includes a range of seminars, workshops and taught classes. Classes on statistics will further support you in other theoretical and practical aspects of your course.

*Students may be able to gain a waiver if a sufficient level of prior learning can be evidenced.

Elective Modules

BIOMECHANICS

This module offers an applied perspective on biomechanics at an advanced level. To support the theoretical concepts taught within the module across a number of different tissue types, a practical understanding will be given through an experimental workshop. You will be assessed through a write-up of the practical session and a final unseen written examination.

BIOMATERIALS

This module encompasses a multidisciplinary approach to the field of biomaterials, with a view of materials from their physical and chemical properties to how they interact with biological tissues during implantation. You will learn how assessment of materials is made within the clinic and how material properties can be altered/ engineered to produce better biomaterials.

NANOMAGNETICS IN NANOMEDICINE

Within the emerging field of nanomedicine a sub-field of nanomagnetics is playing a major role in the development of new technologies for the assessment and therapeutic treatment of biological tissues. This module delivers a series of lectures from multidisciplinary experts working at the interface of physics and biology. Theoretical concepts of nanomagnetism are given, through to the discussion of state-of-the-art research.

CELL BIOMECHANICS

You will gain systematic knowledge on the interrelationship between mechanics and cell biology, as well as insight into the application of cell biomechanics in cell/tissue engineering and biomedical engineering. You will have the opportunity to apply constitutive models to experimental data and be given an overview of modern techniques for both clinical and in vitro cell biomechanics.

STEM CELLS: TYPES, CHARACTERISTICS & APPLICATIONS

This module draws upon the research within the field of stem cell biology to build a knowledge-base from basic principles to therapeutic use of stem cells. As this is a fast-paced field with research being competitively conducted worldwide, you will get the most recent up-to-date information being supported by basic concepts. It is delivered by leading academic researchers, with practical laboratory work cementing the delivery of taught elements.

BIOREACTORS AND GROWTH ENVIRONMENTS

This Module is delivered as an intensive course which covers the design and functionality of all bioreactor aspects for use in regenerative medicine. This includes the construction and different methods used to assess different sorts of tissue types grown within the bioreactors. You will learn about the growth environments for engineering tissues for transplantation, as well as being introduced to the subject of quality standards for growth environments in tissue production.

CELL AND TISSUE ENGINEERING

In an expanding area of research and industrial interest, cell and tissue engineering promises to change the way clinicians deliver therapies and treat disorders of various kinds. You will gain evidence based knowledge in cell and tissue engineering concepts, and learn current techniques for applying and evaluating stimulus to cells. You will be introduced to current concepts and methods in cell and tissue engineering.

MOLECULAR TECHNIQUES: APPLICATIONS IN TISSUE ENGINEERING

This covers all major aspects of current methods used for the analytical assessment of biological tissues. State-of-the-art techniques are taught, from the basic principles through to a laboratory-based practical. You will be given advanced training from academic researchers who have links into clinical evaluation of patient samples. This will allow you to appreciate the complexity and diversity of methods used within both research laboratories and clinical pathology.

Please Note that elective modules are offered subject to sufficient student demand and in some cases it may be necessary to withdraw a module from the offer.

Project Dissertation

PROJECT DISSERTATION

The dissertation is an opportunity for students to undertake laboratory based research in their chosen topic and should demonstrate their understanding of the field via applications in healthcare. During the dissertation period, the student will be assigned a project supervisor, having agreed a research project in discussion with research institute staff. The location for the project may be the research institute, hospital or with an industrial partner.