Educational goals

The Master’s in Bio-engineering aims to produce professionals with advanced knowledge of basic engineering theory and practice as well as knowledge concerning the specific disciplines that come under this degree class. Graduates will also be able to identify, analyze, formalize and solve, even in an innovative fashion, the main problems of biomedical engineering. The curriculum focuses on methodological aspects and is organized to also provide cutting-edge engineering competencies for highly qualified activities in the following professional fields:- the conception and development of biomedical instruments;- the characterization, development and use of biomaterials;- methodologies and instruments for managing health-sector technology;- methodologies and instruments for processing biomedical data, signals and images;- methodologies to be applied in genomics, proteomics, and biotechnology;- project-related methodologies and technologies for developing health information systems and systems for the joint management of treatment and rehabilitation processes;- project-related methodologies and technologies for the development of telemedicine systems.In treating the engineering topics the focus will be on providing a general theoretical and practical background, including what was learned during the previous degree programme, so that the students’ preparation does not become quickly outdated, the students can confidently deal with new problems, and they are provided with the conceptual tools to keep up to date in future. At the same time the curriculum will allow the student to gain personal experience in the use of tools for theoretical research and experiments, a goal which is typical of the current approach to biomedical engineering problems. Finally, the Master’s seeks to provide the knowledge necessary for more advanced studies (second-level Master’s and research doctorate). The curriculum will also provide proper consolidation of mathematics and life science knowledge as well as develop the students’ personal abilities and capacities, which will especially reveal themselves during the preparation of the Master’s thesis, which will involve almost the entire final semester.

Career opportunities

Without overlooking free-lance activities, for example, as a consultant for the local health authorities and hospitals, the job market for Master’s graduates in Bio-engineering involves above all the various health institutions, and biomedical instrumentation, medical information technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. In particular, there is continued significant growth in the number of clinical engineers in health institutions and service companies that deal with the management of health technology; in the demand for specialists in the management and basic use of medical-health data; in the development of computer tools to support medical-clinical activities; and in the demand for biomedical engineers by biomedical instrument and biomedical technology companies, which for some time now have tended to hire engineers with a specific biomedical background rather than graduates from other engineering sectors.

Admission requirements

For admission to the master's degree program, the candidate, in addition to possessing the required academic degree as per the law, must have: Adequate knowledge of mathematical analysis and physics, such as that typically acquired in a first-level degree program in engineering or physics. Sufficient knowledge regarding the fundamental subjects and applications of information engineering and/or industrial engineering. These competencies are specified by the Didactic Regulations of the master's degree program in terms of curricular requirements, through the definition of the minimum number of University Educational Credits (CFU) that the candidate must have acquired in their academic career, referring to the various educational activities provided for by current regulations and to individual scientific-disciplinary sectors and/or groups of scientific-disciplinary sectors, recognized as suitable by the Didactic Council. To access the master's degree program, the student must also be able to fluently use the English language, both in written and oral form, also with reference to disciplinary vocabularies. The required level of proficiency will be specified in the Didactic Regulations of the master's degree program and will refer to the levels of competence indicated in the Common European Framework developed by the Council of Europe. Admission to the master's degree program is also subject to verification of the candidate's personal preparation adequacy, with criteria and methods set by the Faculty Council upon proposal of the Didactic Council.