The Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has established a new master’s degree program that will prepare students for careers of biomedical data science, a fast growing engineering specialty.

Those with expertise in biomedical data science are already in high demand, and that demand will  continue to rise in the future, said Juergen Hahn, Ph.D., head of the Biomedical Engineering Department.

“Data science has a big role to play in many fields, including engineering. People working with data in biomedical research, health care, and similar fields need to understand biology and the human body to properly analyze that data and draw accurate conclusions. Our program will graduate students ready to do that,” Hahn said. 

Biomedical data includes everything from health records and diagnostic images to clinical trial results and the human genome. As technology continues to advance, the volume and complexity of biomedical data will only increase, as will the need for professionals who can make sense of it. 

The Master of Engineering in biomedical data science is a two-semester program covering a broad range of data science techniques related to biostatistics, advanced multivariate statistics, and machine learning and artificial intelligence. 

The curriculum includes several core biomedical data science courses as well as electives on topics ranging from computer vision to big data policy.  In their final semester, students will complete a project in which they work on solving a biomedical engineering challenge. 

Visit the Department of Biomedical Engineering website to learn more about biomedical engineering at RPI. Applicants and prospective students can also contact Elizabeth Harwood, senior student services administrator, for more information about degree programs in the department.