The College of Engineering announces the establishment of the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering Program.

Approved Jan. 30 by the Board of Governors, the interdisciplinary program is designed to prepare graduates - both engineers and life scientists - in the science and technology of bioengineering methods to address problems of pain, disability and death that result from trauma and aging.

Bioengineering is one of the fastest-growing disciplines in engineering. The new program will be truly interdisciplinary, College of Engineering officials say, involving faculty from engineering, medicine, science and related fields. A bioengineer views the human body as a complex system; its diseases and injuries as breakdowns in this system; and medical interventions as design alternatives for repair of the system.

Wayne State is uniquely positioned, they believe, because for several years the university has offered courses in bioengineering as a concentration with a special focus on automotive safety and transportation-related trauma. Additionally, the university's Bioengineering Center is an interdisciplinary entity engaged in biomedical research using principles of mechanical, chemical, electrical and computer engineering.

The university's expertise in transportation-related trauma will make it the only program in the country to offer lecture and laboratory classes about impact. WSU's concentration on age-related injury and engineering neurophysiology also separate the new program from others in the Midwest, while the biomaterials area will include the new field of tissue engineering.

The new program, college officials say, will prepare students not only for careers in automotive safety, but in orthopedic and pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, federal regulatory agencies and academia. It also will offer more flexibility for students with non-engineering backgrounds.