2013–2014 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

Curriculum
The program requirements include two required and three core
courses from the list below for a total of 15 semester credit hours.
The remaining 15 credit hours can be electives selected in consultation
with the academic advisor (nonthesis option) and may include
six credit hours of thesis (thesis option).
Students enrolled in the master’s degree program are expected to successfully
complete the following:
Required Courses
BIO 5210 Applied Physiology ................................................................. 3
BME 5702 Biomedical Applications in Physiology .................................. 3
Core Courses (choose three)
BME 5103 Transport Processes in Bioengineering ...................................... 3
BME 5259 Medical Imaging ........................................................................ 3
BME 5710 Orthopedic Biomechanics ......................................................... 3
BME 5720 Biomedical Instrumentation .............................................. 3
BME 5569 Biomaterials and Tissue Regeneration ............................... 3
Electives (nonthesis) or ....................................................... 15
BME 5999 Thesis (thesis option) ....................................................up to 6
Electives (thesis option) ................................................up to 9
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED.......................................... 30
Biomedical Engineering, Ph.D. _________________
Major Code: 9058 Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy
Age Restriction: N Admission Status: graduate
Delivery Mode/s: classroom only Location/s: main campus
Admission Materials: 3 letters of
recommendation, résumé, objectives, GRE
Biomedical engineering applies engineering and science methodologies
to the analysis of biological and physiological problems and the
delivery of healthcare. The biomedical engineer serves as an interface
between traditional engineering disciplines and living systems,
and may focus on either applying the patterns of living organisms to
engineering design or engineering new approaches to human health.
A biomedical engineer may use their knowledge of engineering to
create new equipment or environments for such purposes as maximizing
human performance or providing noninvasive diagnostic tools.
Degree Requirements
The degree of doctor of philosophy is conferred primarily in recognition
of creative accomplishment and the ability to investigate scientific
or engineering problems independently, rather than for completion
of a definite curriculum. The program consists of advanced studies
and research leading to a significant contribution to the knowledge
of a particular problem. A student’s research may have analytical,
computational or experimental components, or some combination of
these. Each student is expected to complete an approved program of
study beyond that required for a master’s degree as determined by the
dissertation committee, pass the comprehensive examination (written/oral),
present a dissertation proposal acceptable to the student’s
committee, complete a program of significant original research, and
prepare and defend a dissertation detailing the research.
The program consists of a minimum of 42 credit hours of study
beyond the master’s degree, of which at least 18 shall be for dissertation
registration. The comprehensive examination is given when, in
the judgment of the student’s advisory committee, the student has
completed significant coursework in the major area and mathematics
and initiated doctoral research. The examination must normally
be taken before the end of the student’s fourth academic semester
after admission into the doctoral program. The written portion of the
104 Florida Tech 2013–2014
examination consists of individual parts given by each member of the
advisory committee. The written portion of the comprehensive examination
is followed by an oral component that provides the advisory
committee an opportunity for a more in-depth assessment of the student’s
readiness for doctoral candidacy. Subsequent to completion of
both written and oral components of the comprehensive examination,
a dissertation proposal must be submitted to the student’s advisory
committee for evaluation. Upon determining the proposed research is
of doctoral quality and completion is feasible, the student is advanced
to candidacy for the doctoral degree.
Curriculum
The doctoral program of study must be approved by the student’s
advisory committee and the program chair. Considerable latitude is
allowable in course selection, although appropriate advanced courses
are expected to form a part of the student’s program. Dissertation
credits and coursework below represent a minimum and the committee
may require additional credits if they believe sufficient work
has not been completed.
Coursework and Dissertation Summary
Doctoral coursework beyond master’s degree (minimum) ........................ 18
Doctoral research and dissertation (minimum) ........................................ 18
TOTAL MINIMUM BEYOND THE MASTER’S DEGREE .................. 42
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Manolis M. Tomadakis, Ph.D., Head
Degree Programs
Chemical Engineering, B.S.
Chemical Engineering, M.S.
Area of Specialization:
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology
Chemical Engineering, Ph.D.
Professor
Manolis M. Tomadakis, Ph.D., computational studies of transport, reaction
and nuclear magnetic resonance in porous, composite and biological media;
materials characterization through computer simulations; polymer electrolyte
membrane fuel cell modeling.
Associate Professors
Paul A. Jennings, Ph.D., P.E., biological reactor engineering, membrane
separation, waste recycling, alternative energy sources.
Jonathan E. Whitlow, Ph.D., P.E., multivariable process control, adaptive
control, process modeling and simulation, renewable energy conversion
systems.
Assistant Professors
James R. Brenner, Ph.D., self-assembly or aggregation of nanomaterials,
electrochemical and fluorescence-based sensing using modified gold
nanoparticles, 3-D printing of biological scaffolding, combined cyclic fatigue
and cryogenic embrittlement under controlled atmospheres.
Maria E. Pozo de Fernandez, Ph.D., diffusion in polymers, properties of
polymer systems, thermodynamics, fluid phase equilibria at high pressures,
supercritical fluids.
Adjunct Faculty
Justin. J. Hill, Ph.D.; Stephen A. Perusich, Ph.D.
Mission Statement
In support of the mission of the university, the Department of Chemical
Engineering provides: undergraduate and graduate curricula that offer
students the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills required
to enter the chemical engineering profession; an atmosphere that