Master Program

The foundation of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) program is rooted in the identified needs and demands of Vietnam, as discerned through surveys conducted by our faculty. The program aligns with directives outlined in Decree 130/2002/QĐ-TTg, issued by the Prime Minister in 2002, and Decree 01/2003/CT-BYT, issued by the Vietnam Ministry of Health in 2003. These decrees underscore the imperative prioritization of the development and local production of medical devices, as well as the education of a workforce specializing in this domain. In accordance with these imperatives, the BME-IU has actively forged connections with local medical device distributors, medical schools, hospitals, and international universities and companies. These collaborations have resulted in significant outcomes, including the establishment of the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB). Comprising representatives from healthcare companies, medical centers, and hospitals, the board plays a pivotal role in guiding educational objectives, strategic curriculum development, research, fundraising, and outreach. Crucially, based on the Biomedical Engineering undergraduate program, in addition to comprehensive discussions with IAB members and esteemed education experts such as Professor Phan Thanh Bình (then President of VNU-HCM), Professor Nguyễn Đình Hối (former President of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in HCM City), and Professor Hồ Thanh Phong (then IU’s Rector), the needs for workforce in Biomedical Engineering at the graduated level are identified. Drawing upon the insights of these educational experts and the IAB, the Program Objectives were meticulously formulated.

The Master's program in Biomedical Engineering (MBME) is crafted to provide students with a robust foundation in science and engineering, placing a particular emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach to practical skills in scientific research. Successful completion of the BME Master's program is expected to equip graduates with the advanced knowledge and research skills in Biomedical Engineering, complemented by a commitment to professional integrity. As integral members of the national workforce, these graduates are encouraged to actively contribute to the expansion of scientific knowledge, enhancement of healthcare, and the advancement of both the country's economic growth and global progress in the life sciences.

Vision

• The vision of the School of Biomedical Engineering is to promote integrative research, education and entrepreneurship at the forefront of biomedical science and engineering while maintaining the following characteristics in our activities: high quality, sustainability and usefulness

Mission

1. 1. Educate engineers committed to the innovative and ethical application of science and technology in addressing the most pressing societal needs.
   2. Develop synergy between traditional engineering, life sciences and medicine, and nurture twenty-first century leadership qualities, perspectives, and skills in our students, faculty, and alumni.
   3. Develop and disseminate transformational new knowledge and technologies that further the well-being and sustainability of society.
   4. Provide national leadership in enhancing the role and visibility of the engineering profession in the education of our youth and the development and implementation of public policy.

Objectives

• The School of Biomedical Engineering offers the Master of Biomedical Engineering program.

Program

• Language: English
• Types of Program: The Biomedical Engineering Master program requires students to spend two years of study at IU, and it offers students a degree awarded by IU-VNU once completing the program. (IU program))

Qualification

• The Master Degrees are awarded by IU-VNU
• Degree title: Master of Biomedical Engineering

1. Knowledge: Training advanced and solid knowledge about Biomedical Engineering (BME). Equipping graduates with a strong theoretical foundation, engagement skills, advanced practical skills, and effective team leadership skills so that they can quickly adapt to the constant development of high technology worldwide and have the ability to effectively solve both new and existing technical problems.
2. Skills: An ability to research important technical and scientific problems. Skilled in working effectively in multidisciplinary research and team development. Graduates are trained in effective communication skills as a leader of a team in which members may have different expertise, and having knowledge of project management, business, and the impact of technical solutions in different social and environment contexts.
3. Professional qualifications and competencies: Training to develop a workforce with high theoretical and practical qualifications, an ability to disseminate knowledge and publish research results, an ability to be creative and apply multidisciplinary knowledge into practice, and an ability to function effectively in interdisciplinary research and group development
4. Working position: Lecturers and researchers in the field of biomedical engineering at universities and colleges; Lecturer, researcher, in the Universities of Medicine and Pharmacy in the field of pharmaceutical technology, medical technology, medical equipment, imaging diagnostics and functional exploration; Principal researcher, project director, manager, technical director, sales director in manufacturing and trading medical equipment companies, domestic and foreign drug factories; Head of medical equipment management department, clinical engineer (clinical engineer) at domestic and foreign hospitals.

1. ILO 1. An extensive advanced knowledge of mathematical-scientific and engineering principles of biomedical engineering and their interdisciplinary expansion; as well as a critical awareness of the latest findings in their disciplines
2. ILO 2. An ability to analyze and solve problems scientifically which are unusual and/or incompletely; define and show competing specifications; abstract and formulate complex problems arising from a new or emerging field of Biomedical Engineering; apply innovative methods to a problem-solving process based on fundamentals and to develop new scientific methods.
3. ILO 3. An ability to develop concepts and solutions for fundamentally orientated and partially unusual Biomedical Engineering problems under broad consideration of other disciplines; use their creativity to develop new and inventive products, processes and methods; apply their scientific ability to judge in order to work with complex, technologically impure or incomplete information.
4. ILO 4. An ability to identify, find and procure necessary information; plan and carry out analytic, model and experimental investigations; critically assess data and draw conclusions; investigate and assess the application of new and emerging technologies in their discipline
5. ILO 5. An ability to classify and systematically combine knowledge of different fields and handle complexity; familiarize themselves speedily, methodically and systematically with the new and unknown; assess applicable methods and their limits; reflect non-technical effects of engineering activities systematically and integrate them into their actions in a responsible manner
6. ILO 6. An ability to function effectively as an individual and as a member of a team, including where relevant coordination of the team; use diverse methods to communicate effectively with the engineering community and with society at large; demonstrate awareness of the health, safety and legal issues and responsibilities of engineering practice, the impact of engineering solutions in a societal and environmental context, and commit to professional ethics, responsibilities and norms of engineering practice; demonstrate an awareness of project management and business practices, such as risk and change management, and understand their limitations; recognise the need for, and have the ability to engage in independent, life-long learning; work and communicate effectively in national and international contexts.

Lecturers, researchers in the field of Biomedical Engineering at universities and colleges; Lecturers, researchers at Medical Universities in pharmaceutical engineering, medical engineering, medical devices, imaging diagnostics, and functional exploration; Principal researchers, project directors, supervisors, technical directors, business directors in manufacturing companies, medical equipment trading businesses, pharmaceutical factories domestically and internationally; Head of medical equipment management department, clinical engineers in hospitals domestically and internationally.

1. Awarding body/institution: International University HCMC
2. Teaching institution: School of Biomedical Engineering
3. Accreditation:
   Institutional level: none 
   Program level: none
4. Name of the final award: Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering
5. Program Title: Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering
6. Admission criteria of the program:
   Admission based on Academic Records of the Candidates during their Bachelor program

Teaching and learning activities are constructively aligned towards the achievement of the expected learning outcomes

In order to ensure that students can entirely meet the programme expected learning outcomes, each course is designed to meet certain learning outcomes.

In the Master's program, the emphasis is primarily on imparting specialized knowledge and providing deeper direction for graduate students in the field of biomedical engineering. This involves equipping students with the knowledge and skills to devise solutions within the realm of medical technology. Graduate students are encouraged to further explore and develop appropriate solutions independently. Additionally, graduate students dedicate significant time to researching a specific direction within biomedical engineering (at least 1 semester to 3 semesters) to complete their thesis and publish their findings in international journals. Moreover, at the master's level, there is an expectation that graduate students can independently explore additional topics, knowledge, and skills introduced during the course. Consequently, self-study time is greater than classroom time, and assignments are more specialized. Tasks that may have been condensed into a final project for undergraduate students could become weekly assignments for master's students. Graduate students are also guided towards specific research directions, so when studying skills such as Research Methodology, they not only learn the skills but also apply them to develop ideas and arguments for their projects.

Overall, the Master's program in biomedical engineering is designed to foster a deeper understanding of the field, encourage independent exploration and research, and equip students with the necessary skills to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of biomedical engineering through their theses and potential publications.

The student assessment is constructively aligned to the achievement of the expected learning outcomes

Every ILOs is assessed and evaluated at least by two different courses and methods. Courses throughout the MBME program have different activities to help the students achieve the ILOs and assessments for such activities vary by courses and instructors.  Thus, we develop performance indicators (PIs) as the common measurement of ILOs attainment across different courses of the program as presented in Table ...  Every ILO has 2-4 PIs and thus is assessed by 2-3 different courses and/or methods.

Table 1: Performance Indicators and corresponding course activities

As shown in Table, all MBME courses support the ILOs achievement. As a regular assessment process, once a year the Quality Assurance Team of BME school held a seminar to inform faculties about ILOs, PIs of the program. In this seminar, all faculty members were clarified on the supporting relationship between PIs and SOs; then they considered which of their courses support achieving the ILOs, whether the PIs existed and assessment data could be collected. After the seminar, faculty members receive the Assessment data collection form in which they identify their courses supporting ILO and PI, indicate whether the courses have assessment data, and provide details on the assessment method and data.  The faculty then discusses with the Quality Assurance Team to validate the appropriateness of assessment method and data. 

The instructor selects the most appropriate graded work that measures achievement of the ILO.  As the instructors have different rubrics and scales when grading different activities in different courses, we cannot directly use the grades of the course work as the measurement for ILO attainment.  Therefore, we use one common scale that divides the attainment of ILO into four ordinal levels: 1-below standard, 2-meets standard, 3-exceeds standard, and 4-exemplary.  Depending on the requirements and difficulty of the course work, the instructor converts his/her own scale for the course work into the common scale used to evaluate ILO attainment level.  For example: for a course work, an instructor categorizes students with grade ≤50/100 into 1-below standard, while in another course work, another instructor categorizes students with grade ≤16/40 into the same group 1-below standard.

Starting in 2022, the program underwent significant revisions in alignment with Ministry of Education and Training regulations. From 2022 onwards, all students are now required to complete the 60-credit curriculum. The adjustment was made with a heightened emphasis on practical work. This shift was prompted by the recognition that all previous and ongoing admitted students have consistently shown a preference for research-based programs. The current MBME program features two research-based modes: research program 1 and research program 2 that are structured into four integral modules, each contributing to the holistic development of students: (I) General Knowledge, (II) Basic and specialized knowledge, (III) Specialized research projects, and (IV) Thesis.

• The General Knowledge module: serves as the foundation, the Philosophy course is required for further study in the school of BME.
• Basic and Specialized Knowledge Module: Focused on building a solid foundation, this module delves into the core principles of Biomedical Engineering. Students engage with essential courses that cover the breadth of the field, ensuring a robust understanding of fundamental concepts and methodologies.
• Specialized Research Projects Module: This module caters to the specialized interests and career aspirations of students. Students have the opportunity to explore areas such as Biomechanics, Medical Imaging, Biomaterials, and Bioinformatics, tailoring their academic journey to align with their passions.
• Thesis Module: The culmination of the MBME program is the Thesis module, where students apply their acquired knowledge and skills to undertake advanced research. This final module allows for independent exploration and contribution to the field of Biomedical Engineering. Under the guidance of experienced faculty, students conduct in-depth research, showcasing their ability to address complex challenges and make meaningful contributions to the evolving landscape of Biomedical Engineering.

Both Research Program 1 and Research Program 2 share common conditions for graduation, underscoring the rigorous academic standards of the Biomedical Engineering Master's program. These shared requirements contribute to ensuring a comprehensive and high-quality education for all students. However, a notable distinction lies in the publication criteria:

Research Program 1: Requires students to have publications in reputable journals indexed in Web of Science/SCOPUS. This criterion underscores the program's commitment to scholarly excellence and the dissemination of research findings through prestigious academic outlets.

Research Program 2: Given the higher emphasis on coursework and fewer thesis credits, this program mode requires students to have publication in international conference’s proceeding.

Current curriculum versions are illustrated as below:

Research Program 1:

Research Program 2:

Update soon

Specialization selection

the programs offer 5 orientations:

1. Medical Instrumentation focusing on the telemedicine, and the design of homecare devices for outpatients and advanced medical equipment providing rapid, automated and reliable diagnostics for healthcare professionals to satisfy the great and urgent needs of the country, and to bring synergy between traditional engineering technologies, the life sciences and medicine;
2. Biomedical Signal and Image Processing focusing on the applications of medical devices and developments of new research methodologies and algorithms to investigate human biological processes and provide an early detection of diseases;
3. Pharmaceutical Engineering focusing on the investigations of the mechanism of drug delivery using nanotechnology to enhance the efficacy of the treatment of tumors and the imaging diagnostics as well as the development of new drug delivery devices;
4. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative in Medicine focusing on the development of new biological and bioinductive materials, and the use of stem cells, genes to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs and to use in biological implants;
5. Entrepreneurship in Biomedical Engineering focusing on the developments of clinical engineering and practice of effective methods to bring into the market medical devices newly developed in academic laboratories, to build a medical device industry appropriate for Vietnam and developing countries, and to manage healthcare settings.

Thesis registration

Students must fulfill the criteria prior to registering for doing thesis, including (1) have chosen a specific orientation and been accepted for supervision under academic advisor, (2) complete all the credits for General Knowledge, Supplementary (if needed) and Foundation courses, and (3) have a study proposal that has been approved by the advisor. Upon enrolment in the Master’s program, students will receive counseling for research orientation options to pick the suitable one that meets their desires. The lecturers working in each field are also introduced, and students can actively contact the one of interest to ask for supervision. If they cannot decide, the faculty will help them find an appropriate advisor who can guide them to conduct a study in their desired orientation. The students work with their advisors to find research ideas and build a study proposal. After getting approval from the advisors, the thesis/project proposal is evaluated by the School’s thesis proposal committee. The student then will get final approval from the University to get the studies started

Graduation criteria

Defined in the Master's Degree Training Regulations of the International University.

Students following Research Method 1 will be considered for graduation if they meet the following conditions:

Comply with the regulations and training rules of the International University - Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.

Have English proficiency, IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL from 550 or equivalent.

For students following research method 1: Be the main author or corresponding author of at least one scientific article accepted for publication or published in a journal listed in the Web of Science (WoS)/Scopus during the training period and related to the content of the thesis (according to regulation 14 of the Postgraduate Training Regulations – Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City No. 1393/VNU-HCM dated November 3, 2021).

Accumulate enough compulsory credits of the training program with an average score of 50/100 or 5/10 for each subject (see section 8 Content of the Training Program).

Complete the Master's thesis and have it assessed as meeting the requirements by the thesis evaluation board (including external examiners). The Master's thesis score will be calculated as follows:

1. Score awarded by the defense board (up to 80/100) accounts for 80% of the average score.
2. Score for the scientific article or patent (up to 20/100) with the following details:
3. International journal articles in the ISI system or international patents are awarded 20 points.
4. International journal articles outside of ISI or domestic patents are awarded 18 points.
5. Domestic journal articles or international conference papers are awarded 15 points.

The graduation score will be the weighted average (credit points of courses and the Master's thesis) of all final scores of courses within the specialized training program (including courses that are exempted or recognized) and the Master's thesis.

Upon meeting the graduation requirements, students must submit a graduation application to the graduate office with the following instructions:

Graduation application file includes:

• Application for graduation consideration
• Scientific Research Work (LLKH)
• 4 photos (3x4 size)
• Copy of university degree
• Copy of birth certificate
• English certificate

Note:

• Students are primarily responsible for preparing the file.
• ­­­The academic secretary of graduate office is responsible for guiding students to complete the forms using: MBME.Form06a, MBME.Form06b, MBME.Form06c.

Scholarship information

For master program, IU has its own scholarship eligibility criteria at 3 levels: 100%, 50%, and 25% tuition waiver for the entire course. This policy is one of the factors that attract excellent and highly qualified students to the programs at IU.

Table 3: Scholarship levels of MBME

1. After every semester, the students receiving scholarships are reviewed to determine whether they meet the requirements to maintain the scholarships:
2. (1)   GPA of each semester ≥ 75/100, with no grade below 55/100;
3. (2)   Participation in at least one promotional activity related to the major or sharing relevant information about the major on social media platforms;
4. (3)   Completion of tasks regarding working hours at the School/Department (if applicable).

COURSE SPECIFICATION