Development and Approval of a Master's Program in Clinical Engineering at Miami University

Abstract

In Brief In order to meet the growing needs of the healthcare industry, which includes hospitals as well medical device companies, a targeted master's program in clinical engineering at Miami University was developed. The program has been approved by the State of Ohio and has begun enrolling students. The master of science in clinical engineering is rigorous with 34-semester credit hour, post–bachelor's degree, which provides a comprehensive understanding of the hospital-related medical equipment and facilities as well as best practices for project management and leadership facilities in the clinical and medical device manufacturing industry. It includes all aspects of the design and implementation of technologies toward improving the practice and delivery of healthcare. The coursework reflects 3 important components: (i) clinical engineering, which includes experiential training in addition to the fundamentals; (ii) hospital- based biomed instrumentation, and its design and regulatory approval process; and (iii) a management skill. The program structure sets it apart from a traditional biomedical engineering curriculum. The culminating experiences are the research thesis for the thesis option and the industrial practicum for the nonthesis option.