School of Engineering and Digital Sciences
School of Engineering and Digital Sciences
School of Engineering and Digital Sciences
The MSc in Biomedical Engineering Degree Program is a specialized degree program by the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences (SEDS) at Nazarbayev University (NU). Students are required to complete 120 ECTS credits within 4 semesters. This satisfies the requirements as stipulated by the Bologna Process and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) for Academic master’s degrees. The program is designed to provide a graduate-level educational experience that will prepare individuals to undertake design and research in the area of Biomedical Engineering. The program is genuinely multidisciplinary, since it integrates knowledge from engineering, the life sciences, and medicine.
All students in the Biomedical Engineering program are required to complete five advanced core courses (30 ECTS) in life sciences and key applied areas in biomedical engineering areas such as Bio-materials Science and Engineering, Biosensors, Advanced Tissue Engineering, Anatomy and Physiology for Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Applied Mathematics. Three additional core
courses, Research Methods and Ethics, Research Seminar, and Technical Communication (18 ECTS) will be offered to provide students with the general knowledge that is necessary for them to design or present their research in an effective way. Students will also be able to select four elective courses (24 ECTS), from a list of possible options, based on their research interests. Student can
choose an elective course from other Departments in SEDS or Schools per approval of the advisor and the Head of Department. At least two electives should be taken from the MBME Program. Students will be enrolled in Master Thesis I (24 ECTS) and Master Thesis II (24 ECTS) courses in the third and fourth semesters to carry out an independent research study.
In the second year, students will be actively engaged in a research project that will be concluded with a thesis that must be defended in public. A faculty member will actively supervise the project. A wide variety of research topics will be offered by the SEDS in areas as diverse as biosensors; biomaterials and biocompatibility; tissue engineering; development of drug delivery systems; fundamental characterization and applications of biofilms; 3D bioprinting; biomedical imaging etc. The research hypothesis must be tantalizing and in line with contemporary scientific/technological insights. Approaches and techniques must meet international standards; one of the explicit aims will be to write not only a thesis, but also to publish manuscripts on the basis of the project’s outcome.
Aims and Objectives
The mission of the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences at Nazarbayev University is to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan in terms of:
The MSc in Biomedical Engineering program aims to reflect the mission of the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences and accomplishes this by pursuing the following aims:
1. Establish a thorough grounding in the life sciences and mastery of analytical/conceptual and critical thinking and problem-solving capacities, which are typical for engineering professionals.
2. Familiarize with the problems of making and interpreting quantitative measurements of living systems.
3. Develop capacity to set-up and conduct scientific experiments, and to analyze and interpret data from such experiments.
4. Able to formulate and solve problems with medical relevance, including the design of devices, systems, and processes to improve human health.
5. Able to communicate effectively with other scientific and technical experts, and –particularly- with physicians/clinicians.
6. Able to run or set-up a new enterprise in the field of biomedical engineering or medical device technology.
All students in the Biomedical Engineering program are required to complete five advanced core courses (30 ECTS) in life sciences and key applied areas in biomedical engineering areas such as Bio-materials Science and Engineering, Biosensors, Advanced Tissue Engineering, Anatomy and Physiology for Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Applied Mathematics. Three additional core
courses, Research Methods and Ethics, Research Seminar, and Technical Communication (18 ECTS) will be offered to provide students with the general knowledge that is necessary for them to design or present their research in an effective way. Students will also be able to select four elective courses (24 ECTS), from a list of possible options, based on their research interests. Student can
choose an elective course from other Departments in SEDS or Schools per approval of the advisor and the Head of Department. At least two electives should be taken from the MBME Program. Students will be enrolled in Master Thesis I (24 ECTS) and Master Thesis II (24 ECTS) courses in the third and fourth semesters to carry out an independent research study.
In the second year, students will be actively engaged in a research project that will be concluded with a thesis that must be defended in public. A faculty member will actively supervise the project. A wide variety of research topics will be offered by the SEDS in areas as diverse as biosensors; biomaterials and biocompatibility; tissue engineering; development of drug delivery systems; fundamental characterization and applications of biofilms; 3D bioprinting; biomedical imaging etc. The research hypothesis must be tantalizing and in line with contemporary scientific/technological insights. Approaches and techniques must meet international standards; one of the explicit aims will be to write not only a thesis, but also to publish manuscripts on the basis of the project’s outcome.
Aims and Objectives
The mission of the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences at Nazarbayev University is to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan in terms of:
- Educating students with graduate level engineering expertise to lead organizations and provide innovative solutions for complex technical issues of enterprises.
- Conducting innovative and pioneering basics of applied research that evolve the body of knowledge in Engineering through interdisciplinary collaboration with other schools and research centers at Nazarbayev University and leading universities worldwide.
- Advancing the professional development in engineering through our service to the professional community and providing lifelong learning opportunities for practitioners.
The MSc in Biomedical Engineering program aims to reflect the mission of the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences and accomplishes this by pursuing the following aims:
1. Establish a thorough grounding in the life sciences and mastery of analytical/conceptual and critical thinking and problem-solving capacities, which are typical for engineering professionals.
2. Familiarize with the problems of making and interpreting quantitative measurements of living systems.
3. Develop capacity to set-up and conduct scientific experiments, and to analyze and interpret data from such experiments.
4. Able to formulate and solve problems with medical relevance, including the design of devices, systems, and processes to improve human health.
5. Able to communicate effectively with other scientific and technical experts, and –particularly- with physicians/clinicians.
6. Able to run or set-up a new enterprise in the field of biomedical engineering or medical device technology.
Total Number of Credits: 120 ECTS
Year 1: Fall Semester (Semester 1)
Year 1: Spring Semester (Semester 2)
Year 2: Fall Semester (Semester 3)
Year 2: Spring Semester (Semester 4)
Program Core Courses
This course addresses the primary need for graduate students to undertake formal training that will help them in understanding how to conduct their research. The course will develop students’ understanding of research planning and engender skills enhancement for reading, interpreting, writing about and presenting key ideas. The course will also instill an understanding of a variety of research methods and ethics, as well as implementation of appropriate strategies in lecture and workshop settings.
This graduate level course combines the application of rhetorical analysis to stylistic conventions of writing in engineering, with a focus on clarity, conciseness, and coherence. Students will employ process writing to produce genre specific writing familiar to Engineers, including research reports scientific papers designed for specific audiences. This course also trains students to deliver effective and appealing professional and scientific presentations, with attention to best practices in the use of technical English and oral communication.
This course reviews and deepens the advanced analytical and numerical methods to solve ODEs and PDEs. The whole course, lectures and tutorials, will be delivered through a mathematical software package capable to perform symbolical calculations. The module is designed for graduate students to cover their research needs concerning mathematical modeling via analytical, semi-analytical or numerical techniques.
This course enables students to gain and apply basic research knowledge and skills to select their re- search projects in Biomedical Engineering. Course will provide to students a series of presentations intended to broaden their understanding of Biomedical Science and Engineering and to provide them with opportunities to interact with scientists and engineers in the field. Presentations will also be given relating to the development of the studentsʼ academic and professional careers. In addition to lectures, each student will prepare a research proposal (assessed by Lead Supervisor, Co-Supervisor and External Examiner) and present one seminar with her/his intended topic of research in front of panel of faculty (Supervisors and extra faculty) and MSc students’ audience.
This course intends to give students the opportunity to develop their Master Thesis research proposal and to develop a thorough literature review on their research topic in Biomedical Engineering. Student will prepare a research proposal (assessed by Lead Supervisor, Co-Supervisor and External Examiner) and present research progress report with her/his intended topic of research in front of panel of faculty (Supervisors and extra faculty).
This course intends to give students the opportunity to fully implement the research proposal and bring it to a conclusion. The course develops the knowledge and skills about planning and conducting independent research at an advanced level, critically analyzing research results, effectively presenting results to a wide audience, and effectively compiling the results in the form of an authoritative thesis.
The course “Biomaterials Science & Engineering” will present an overview of synthetic and natural materials, which are currently used in different areas of biomedical engineering. Structure and function of these materials will be discussed. Special emphasis will be laid on polymeric biomaterials such as poly-olefins, poly-urethanes, biodegradable poly-esters and poly-peptides, and crosslinked hydrogel systems. Polymer biomaterials are nowadays encountered in almost all medical subdisciplines such as dentistry, orthopedic surgery, vascular surgery, gynecology, oncology and ophthalmology. Specific examples in these fields will be highlighted. The use of metals in biomedical applications (e.g., titanium and shape-memory alloys) will also be discussed. Furthermore, the concept of “biocompatibility” will be covered with regard to in-vitro and in-vivo applications of biomaterials.
The Biosensors course will provide an interdisciplinary view of biosensors, focusing on the technological aspects, as well as on implementation and applications, with elements of electronics, photonics, surface chemistry, and biology. The course will present electronic biosensors, optical biosensors, bio-recognition and functionalization, and applications of biosensors.
This course is designed to cover the most recent advancements in different areas of applications of tissue engineering. The topics in this course will include tissue engineering strategies such as i) compositional, structural and functional analysis of different tissues in human body, ii) design, fabrication and utilization of scaffold biomaterials and iii) cellular engineering including cell therapy, drug delivery; as well as cell-biomaterial interactions. Recent advances and major problems relevant to tissue engineering will also be presented and discussed. Instructor will present relevant topics in the class and guide students when needed. The students should appear in the class as they will be presenting/discussing topics with their classmates. Each student will choose an area of application and advance her/his knowledge in the particular area of tissue engineering. More specifically, the topics in this course will include Research methodology, Recent Progress in Tissue Engineering, Biomaterials, Scaffold design and Manufacturing, Controlled Release, Bone Tissue Engineering, Cartilage Tissue Engineering, Tendon/Ligament Tissue Engineering, Dental Tissue Engineering, Skin Tissue Engineering, Cartilage-bone interface regeneration, Tendon-bone interface regeneration, Tissue Engineering Products in the Market.
This course is designed to cover the basics of human anatomy and physiology including anatomical terminology, cells and tissues, body parts, the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system, special senses, the cardiovascular system, ECG, the respiratory system, and urinary system. The course provides a foundation in human anatomy appropriate for biomedical engineering professionals. Learning objectives will be achieved through a combination of lecture and practical (on models) approaches, reinforced by clinical examples and analysis of how biomedical devices interface with anatomical structures. Students will participate in small group discussions of clinical case studies, make group presentations of topic and prepare a term paper on the subject of their choice selected from a list of topics generated by the instructor.
Program Elective Courses
The course will discuss the most important contemporary strategies and methods for controlled topical delivery of drugs in clinical practice. The course will focus on the use of advanced devices and biomaterials to achieve the aim of supplying drugs in adequate quantities to target tissues, during an extended time interval. Examples will be abstracted from oncology (e.g., local delivery of cytostatic and/or angiogenic agents to solid tumors), ophthalmology (e.g., delivery of drugs to anterior and posterior parts of the eye), pulmonary drug delivery, etc. Methods to achieve long-duration contraception will be discussed as well. Evidently, emphasis will be put on technical/engineering aspects, such as the use micro-pump technologies, use of synthetic hydrogel biomaterials in systems for controlled local drug delivery, use of drug-releasing micro- and nanoparticles, transdermal drug delivery, nasal/pulmonary drug delivery, and drug delivery from implanted devices, such as endovascular stents, subcutaneous contraceptive devices, and injected microparticles carrying and locally releasing antineoplastic cytostatic drugs. Master students will be expected to study, in depth, 5-6 recent scientific papers in the field of controlled drug delivery and to present the content of these works in a mini-seminar.
The course will discuss contemporary medical devices including innovation and advanced technologies for healthcare, challenges and future opportunities. The focus of the course is on a design and fundamental technologies from both the medical and engineering perspectives. Course will present an introduction of medical devices (electrical and mechanical device) and procedures including. The topics include understanding the needs for specific medical devices, physiology, risks and benefits of medical device design and ethical issues. Examples will be abstracted from sensors, pacemakers, heart valves, implantable cardio devices, mechanical ventilators etc. This course will also cover biocompatibility testing and accelerated age testing of the devices. Course will consist of lectures, case studies and class discussion. There will be a brief oral presentation complete with PowerPoint® slides to the class.
This course will introduce the students to biofilm and its role in infectious diseases and outline the current antimicrobial strategies for biofilm control in health setting and biomedical devices. Part 1: Fundamentals of biofilm science; Introduction to biofilm formation; methods for determination of biofilm structure and activity, including confocal laser scanning microscopy, micromechanics methods and electrochemical biofilm sensors; biofilm matrix and molecular mechanism of quorum sensing. Part 2: role of biofilms in infection and transmission of infectious diseases; biofilms in infectious disease in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Part 3: Introduction to antibiotic and antimicrobial structure and function, particularly for biofilm control and mitigation in health settings. Examples will include biofilm control in Cystic fibrosis and biomedical devices. Basics of antibiotic resistance mechanism in biofilms and their evolution. Design and testing of novel antimicrobial strategies will be also outlined. The course will include guest lectures by infectious diseases specialist.
This course will introduce the physical principles of in vivo bioimaging modalities including X-ray computed tomography (CT), Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), clinical applications of nuclear medicine, ultrasonic imaging (US), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This course will provide how existing physical principles transduced into bioimaging and correlated to an important event in life sciences, illustrating the contributions physics can make to life sciences. For the better understanding of the principles and applications, in the lectures, practical demonstrations will be presented to illustrate the corresponding imaging modality, its usage, promise and limitations, and biological safety will be discussed. Considering the contribution of materials engineering in this particular research field, bioimaging contrast agents improving imaging quality in a specific in vivo environment will be introduced. The student will develop a good understanding of the mechanisms working on generating tissue contrast of the bioimaging modalities covered in this course, including the fundamental of the transducer and how they define the range of possible biomedical applications, and potential requirements of contrast agents. Based on this course, the student can get knowledge about imaging modalities, the way how to decide which modality is adequate for specific life science needs and a basic understanding of design principle of contrast agents.
This course is designed to cover the basics and applications of biomechanics principals (i.e. kinematic, dynamic, static). The topics in this course will include skeletal muscle system, biomechanics of lower and upper extremity bones, spine biomechanics as well as cell biomechanics. More specifically, the students are expected to learn about biomechanics of tissues including bone, articular cartilage, tendons and ligaments, skeletal muscle, knee, hip, foot and ankle, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand, fracture fixation, and gait. Recent advances and major problems relevant to cell/tissue/organ biomechanics will also be presented and discussed.