School of Medicine 

Departmental E-mail:  RMAT@iu.edu

Departmental URL:  https://medicine.iu.edu/research-centers/regenerative-medicine-engineering/Graduate-Program

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.) 

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered 

Ph.D.  and M.S. in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies 

Special Departmental Requirements 

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.) 

Ph.D. in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies 

Students must complete a minimum of 90 credit hours for the Ph.D. degree in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies. The majority of coursework will be in the form of didactic classroom lectures and research seminars. 16 credit hours must be completed from the list of Core Courses. 3 credit hours must be completed from the list of Elective Courses. Students will complete at least one approved Ph.D. minor. The remaining credits will be laboratory research credits (SURG-R800) and will be supervised by their Graduate Faculty mentor and an advisory/research committee selected by the student and their mentor. Less than 30% of the curriculum will be available as online courses. Course grades must, overall, result in a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Please refer to the University Graduate School Bulletin for additional requirements for Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Confirm commitment to professional and ethically responsible research practices
2. Appraise the use of different biomaterials for use in regenerative medicine treatments and technologies.
3. List the components needed for FDA regenerative medicine advanced therapy designation and critique past and current products in the FDAs regenerative medicine advanced therapy pipeline.
4. Identify relevant government policies on regenerative medicine and technologies that guide design of treatments and technologies.
5. Apply course, research, and interpersonal skills to perform key internship tasks outlined in the internship plan in a manner consistent with a professional at the internship site.
6. Identify and combine principles of developmental biology, molecular biology, clinical research, data science, materials science, manufacturing science and technologies, and other disciplines into an original research proposal (other relevant disciplines are determined by the student’s committee).
7. Generate a comprehensive data management plan including provisions for electronic record keeping, electronic lab notebooks, paper lab notebooks, data integrity, reproducibility considerations, machine learning and artificial intelligence, ethical considerations, protected or confidential information, and other elements relevant to the individual research as determined by the student’s committee.
8. Explain and discuss individual research cases and the broader field of regenerative medicine to diverse communities (surgeons, biomedical researchers, business administrators, the non-technical public, etc.).
9. Design clinical-grade treatments or technologies of translational relevance that solves a problem in regenerative medicine.
10. Design and perform independent research projects on regenerative medicine treatments and technologies.

Admission Requirements 

Bachelor’s degree, preferably with a strong background in the sciences. Candidates should have a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The Graduate Record Examination General Test or Medical College Admission Test is optional. Test of English as a Foreign Language is required of international applicants. It is preferable that graduate study be started in the fall semester. 

Grades 

Students must maintain an average overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in course work and earn no less than a B- in any required or elective course. 

Advisory Committees

Each student will meet with the Graduate Advisor to form their Academic Advisory Committee to advise and approve the student's Plan of Study and administer the Candidacy Examination. This committee must comprise a minimum of three Surgery graduate faculty or affiliated members and a faculty member from the student’s chosen minor subject area. 

After successful completion of the Candidacy Examination, the student will solicit faculty members to serve on their Doctoral Advisory Committee. The Doctoral Advisory Committee advises the student during their final course of study and administers their Defense Examination. The student's Primary Advisor serves as the chair of the Doctoral Advisory Committee. The selection of the Primary Advisor requires the advisor’s consent and the approval of the Graduate Advisor. The student's research interests should align with the Primary Advisor’s specialties. 

In addition to the Primary Advisor, the Doctoral Advisory Committee will be composed of at least two additional Surgery or affiliated graduate faculty, and at least one faculty member representing the student's Minor area. Additional members may be included at the student's request. Inclusion of individuals without graduate faculty standing may be included but cannot supplant the other four members with graduate faculty status. 

Examination Requirements 

Students must pass the Candidacy Examination and the Defense Examination. 

Candidacy Examination Requirements 

The Candidacy Exam is composed of a written and oral portion intended to test a student’s preparation to undertake an original research project. The student is evaluated based on their performance in the formulation, presentation, and defense of a hypothesis-driven scientific proposal. The written proposal presents a plausible, hypothesis-driven thesis project following the NIH guidelines for a F30 (M.D./Ph.D. or other dual doctoral degree program), F31 (predoctoral students), or F32 (medical residents and postdoctoral students) grant. Unlike the NIH grant, the documents will be double-spaced, a total of 14 pages in length, and contain only four sections: 1) Specific Aims - 3 pages, 2) Significance - 1 page, 3) Approach - 10 pages, and 4) References - not included in overall length limits. Proposals longer than these page limits (excluding references) will not be accepted and will be returned immediately to the student. 

The Specific Aims section must demonstrate a clear understanding of the research problem and an approach to work toward a defendable solution. It should include at least three Specific Aims, a Graphical Abstract, and an Impact Statement. The Significance section must demonstrate knowledge of pertinent background literature and current efforts in the research area of interest. The Approach section must include sufficient detail to demonstrate initial progress toward solving the research problem and a plan to execute the remainder of the dissertation research. The plan should include a Simple Budget and a Timeline. 

Defense Examination Requirements 

The Defense Exam determines if the student’s research warrants granting the Ph.D. degree. A written original research document must be approved by the Doctoral Advisory Committee in a public defense as described in the Graduate School Bulletin. Doctoral research must be original and merit publication in the scholarly literature. 

Course Requirements 

A total of 90 credit hours are required. Students must confirm the plan of study with their Academic Advisory Committee and the Graduate Advisor. 

Core Courses (16 credit hours) 

Students must take all of the following courses:

• GRDM-G505 Responsible Conduct of Research (1 cr.)
• GRDM-G507 Reagent Validation as a Means for Enhanced Research Reproducibility (1 cr.)
• SURG-R711 Regenerative Medicine, Biomaterials and Therapeutics (2 cr.)
• SURG-R712 Regenerative Medicine Technology Development and Manufacturing (2 cr.)
• SURG-R720 Research Rotation in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies (3 X 2 cr. = 6 cr.)
• SURG-R791 Industry/Clinical Internship (4 cr.) 

Minor Courses (variable credit hours) 

The student must select an appropriate minor with the Academic Advisory Committee’s recommendation. The number of hours to be included in the minor will be consistent with the requirements of the unit granting the mi­nor. 

Elective Course(s) (3 credit hours required) 

• SURG-R780 Advanced Topics in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies (3 )
• BME 52700 Implantable Systems (3 )
• BME 58200 Advanced Biomedical Polymers (3 )
• BME 59500 Biomolecular Engineering (3 cr.)
• BME 59500 Cellular Mechanotransduction (3 )
• BME 59500 Tissue Engineering (3 )
• GRDM-G661 Clinical Trials (3 cr.)
• GRAD-G715 Biomedical Science I (2 cr.)
• The student may use additional electives in their plan of study with the approval of the Academic Advisory Committee. 

Research (59+ credits) 

• SURG-R800 – Research in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies (variable cr.)

M.S. in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours for the M.S. degree in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies. The majority of coursework will be in the form of didactic classroom lectures and research seminars. 18 credit hours must be completed from the list of Core Courses. 3 credit hours must be completed from the list of Elective Courses. The remaining credits will be laboratory research credits (SURG-R800) and will be supervised by their Graduate Faculty mentor and an advisory/research committee selected by the student and their mentor. Less than 30% of the curriculum will be available as online courses. Course grades must, overall, result in a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Please refer to the University Graduate School Bulletin for additional requirements for Master of Science degrees.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Confirm commitment to professional and ethically responsible research practices.
2. Appraise the use of different biomaterials for use in regenerative medicine treatments and technologies.
3. List the components needed for FDA regenerative medicine advanced therapy designation and critique past and current products in the FDAs regenerative medicine advanced therapy pipeline.
4. Identify relevant government policies on regenerative medicine and technologies that guide design of treatments and technologies.
5. Apply course, research, and interpersonal skills to perform key internship tasks outlined in the internship plan in a manner consistent with a professional at the internship site.
6. Identify and combine principles of developmental biology, molecular biology, clinical research, data science, materials science, manufacturing science and technologies, and other disciplines into an original research proposal (other relevant disciplines are determined by the student’s committee).
7. Generate a comprehensive data management plan including provisions for electronic record keeping, electronic lab notebooks, paper lab notebooks, data integrity, reproducibility considerations, machine learning and artificial intelligence, ethical considerations, protected or confidential information, and other elements relevant to the individual research as determined by the student’s committee.
8. Explain and discuss individual research cases and the broader field of regenerative medicine to diverse communities (surgeons, biomedical researchers, business administrators, the non-technical public, etc.).
9. Design clinical-grade treatments or technologies of translational relevance that solves a problem in regenerative medicine.
10. Design and perform independent research projects on regenerative medicine treatments and technologies.

Admission Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, preferably with a strong background in the sciences. Candidates should have a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The Graduate Record Examination General Test or Medical College Admission Test is optional. Test of English as a Foreign Language is required of international applicants. It is preferable that graduate study be started in the fall semester.

Grades

Students must maintain an average overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in course work and earn no less than a B- in any required or elective course.

Advisory Committee

Each student will meet with the Graduate Advisor to form their Academic Advisory Committee to advise and approve the student's Plan of Study and administer the Thesis Defense Examination. This committee must comprise a minimum of three Graduate Faculty in the Department of Surgery. The student's Primary Advisor serves as the chair of the Thesis Advisory Committee. The selection of the Primary Advisor requires the advisor’s consent and the approval of the Graduate Advisor. The student's research interests should align with the Primary Advisor’s specialties.

In addition to the Primary Advisor, the Thesis Advisory Committee will be composed of at least two additional Surgery or affiliated graduate faculty. Additional members may be included at the student's request. Inclusion of individuals without graduate faculty standing may be included but cannot supplant the other members with graduate faculty status. The Advisory Committee must meet a minimum on one tie each Autumn, Spring, and Summer term to discuss the academic and research progress of the student.

Thesis

A student must complete one of the following options in addition to the 30 credits hours of approved coursework:

• prepare and defend a Master's thesis OR
• first-authorship on a peer-reviewed publication and defense of the publication in the oral examination

Examination Requirements

The Thesis Defense Exam determines if the student’s research warrants granting the M.S. degree. A written original research document must be approved by the Advisory Committee and defended in a public defense as described in the Graduate School Bulletin. The completion and passing of a combined written and oral exam is required. The format of the exam will follow University Graduate School Requirements. The required format of the Thesis document will be determined by the student’s Advisory Committee.

The M.S. in RMAT is a research-oriented degree and is committed to training MS students in this context. Therefore, all of our M.S. students write a research document, which is expected to be the product of original and at least partially independent research, ideally leading to a peer-reviewed publication for which the student is first author. If the student is able to publish a first-author publication the Advisory Committee can elect to use the publication in lieu of the written Master’s thesis. If the thesis includes a manuscript for which the student is not the sole first author, the student must write a stand-alone document detailing their research contributions including Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.

Course Requirements

A total of 30 credit hours are required. Students must confirm the plan of study with their Academic Advisory Committee and the Graduate Advisor.

Core Courses (18 credit hours)

Students must take all of the following courses:

• GRDM-G505 Responsible Conduct of Research (1 cr.)
• GRDM-G507 Reagent Validation as a Means for Enhanced Research Reproducibility (1 cr.
• SURG-R520 Regenerative Medicine and Technologies Journal Club (2 cr.)
• SURG-R711 Regenerative Medicine, Biomaterials and Therapeutics (2 cr.)
• SURG-R712 Regenerative Medicine Technology Development and Manufacturing (2 cr.)
• SURG-R719 Regenerative Medicine and Technologies Thesis (6 cr.)SURG-R791 Industry/Clinical Internship (4 cr.)

Elective Course(s) (3 credit hours required)

• SURG-R780 Advanced Topics in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies (3 cr.)
• BME 52700 Implantable Systems (3 cr.)
• BME 58200 Advanced Biomedical Polymers (3 cr.)
• BME 59500 Biomolecular Engineering (3 cr.)
• BME 59500 Cellular Mechanotransduction (3 cr.)
• BME 59500 Tissue Engineering (3 cr.)
• GRDM-G661 Clinical Trials (3 cr.)
• GRAD-G715 Biomedical Science I (2 cr.)

Research (11+ credits)

• SURG-R800 – Research in Regenerative Medicine and Technologies (variable cr.)