Two new 4+1 BS/MS programs within the College of Engineering have gained approval from the Faculty Senate: a 4+1 Accelerated Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering and a 4+1 Accelerated Master’s Degree in Manufacturing Engineering. 4+1 programs enable students to earn their MS and BS degrees in a combined effort, graduating with both in as few as five years.
Launched in 2017, Biomedical Engineering (BME) is a fast-growing ABET-accredited engineering discipline at UMass Amherst..
Approximately 58% of the biomedical engineering workforce has an MS degree, and the 4+1 BME program will allow interested students to gain a competitive edge by graduating with an MS faster and accelerating their career paths.
Through the 4+1 BME program, students will learn to apply advanced technology, computational techniques, and engineering principles to biomedical systems, analyzing and addressing an array of biological and physiological problems, including the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
In recent years, UMass has made significant investments in state-of-the-art shared facilities and research laboratories in the Life Science Laboratories—which houses the BME department and research labs—in recognition of the growth and importance of the life sciences sector in Massachusetts and throughout the country.
The 4+1 program in Manufacturing Engineering (MfE) is open to UMass Amherst students enrolled as majors in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, as well as students in related fields.
Through this 4+1 program, students will learn to analyze and design manufacturing processes and systems, gaining skills and knowledge in areas such as equipment, tooling, material science and engineering, industry 4.0, mechatronics, statistical methods, supply chain and logistics, and manufacturing competitiveness.
The education provided by the 4+1 program in MfE will be applicable to companies ranging in size from innovative startups to mature multinational corporations.
These two new programs join existing 4+1 programs in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Management, and Materials Science and Engineering. Learn more about the curriculum and requirements of all 4+1 programs offered by the College of Engineering here.
In addition to the new 4+1 programs, a new Graduate Certificate in Decision Analytics was recently approved. This certificate will be offered by the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department and will consist of three courses in its graduate curriculum: MIE 621: Descriptive Analytics; MIE 622: Predictive Analytics and Statistical Learning; and MIE 623: Prescriptive Analytics.
By completing these courses, students will gain data analytics and decision-making skills so that they can understand, visualize, project, and use large amounts of data to optimize system performance. These skills can benefit a wide range of potential employers, and projects within each of the three MIE courses will provide hands-on experience to help students develop the skills they will need in the field.
Current MS students in Engineering Management (MSEM) or Industrial Engineering (MSIEOR) may apply for this certificate program. Non-matriculating students with STEM undergraduate degrees and sufficient technical backgrounds, as determined by the MSEM Program Director, are also invited to apply.
(July 2023)
Originally published: https://www.umass.edu/engineering/news/new-41-programs