Admitted Students Live Q&A Session - Biomedical Engineering Master's Programs

Welcome to today's Live Q&A session on Dukes Masters programs and bio medical engineering for admitted students congratulations on your admission will get started in just a minute to allow all add minutes to log on do you want to know we have a few questions that were submitted during the registration process and will start with those but this is the chat box where you see these words where you will enter your questions live. Please don't worry if you don't see your question immediately. We will see it and we will respond will be right back.

Alright let's get started. I'm Susan Brown and I'm here with doctor fan you on today. Hello fan how are you great?

I'm a directory for the master programs in the Department biomedical engineering.

Congratulations again, yeah congratulations.

Yeah.

We are really excited to talk to you today and we hope that these the chat today and all the other resources that were giving you will help you decide of Duke's the right place for you alright let's get started with these questions.

A few students asked this question.

How possible is it to start in either the master of engineering or the Master of Science and go on and get a PhD at Duke? How likely is that or how was the path for that.

I think they passes.

There's no direct transfer from the master program to the PhD you have to apply for the PhD program directly so you are going to compete with 600 applications. We receive each year for about 50 spots.

The event that you have is you can work. In fact, it slap so people. In fact, it can know you better than other application.

You know the faculty right so if you perform very well. You have a higher chance to get admitted.

But if you don't perform very well. You got lower chance than other applicants to be admitted.

Absolutely and students have asked you know if I if I'm admitted to the Master of engineering should I transfer to the Master of Science to have a better chance of going on to a PhD. I don't think necessarily that that's true. Yeah, yeah, you can go to a PhD from both programs.

From the undergrad program you can that's right? That's why I've often told students that that.

Program from the undergrad, yeah, they don't necessarily have a Masters degree in there. Thank you. Thank you good. Thank you for that question. Let's start that was kind of a one off question. But other questions kind of came in. In groups so let's talk about courses for awhile for the image degree here. Students able to choose whatever concentration. They want to focus on or are they restricted in choosing a focus area. They are not restricted. They can choose whatever they want to concentrate arm, but they have to focus on one thing they have to choose a concentration.

And I think you offer guidance an advising on helping to choose the classes that fit into the heart.

Love vaccinated, he usually have it made decision in the second semester, OK alright good excellent.

I don't know which image OK, roughly how many students in the BME Department are in the Master of Engineering program versus the Master of Science do you know your split? Yeah, I think?

We have, maybe 20 image students per year about 60s.

MSDN spray year, OK and one thing I want students to understand when they're thinking about do I need to switch to one or versus the other. The Master of engineering requires an internship, but nothing is stopping a Master of Science student from doing the same thing. You can go out and do internships as well. It's not it's not the Master of engineering has a moratorium on completing internships.

The only difference is the required preparation course for massive engineering wise, the course called business.

The other one is the management so the Master of engineering has 2 business courses business fundamentals and management in high tech industries and there's also an internship course image 550 is the internship itself in 551, is the internship this summer.

Required for Ms the initial is optional.

We have live questions will go ahead and address that do we have the option to defer entry instead of fall Tony Tony to fall 2021?

That's a question for me in the Master of engineering. Yes, you do have the option to defer your admission for up to one year for any reason. The Master of Science. I would encourage you to ask the grad school that question 'cause. I don't think it's I don't think they have the same policy.

And the question goes on do you have work any work opportunities for us. I don't really know what you mean there so if you would post a little bit more information. I'll be able to answer that question students do work while they're in the program and on campus jobs. There are few of them so you can work anywhere on campus and also the Department provide graders and TST ara.

But we actually just had another Live Q&A. We talked about the difference between a TA position for a PhD student in which tuition is attached. A master's student Masters student is not eligible for that, so they earn an hourly rate.

For our Department in fact, for PhD did not get paid it's a required this requirement of their right right right part of teaching requirement, but Master of students are paid an hourly rate, and all students. All Masters students can't work more than 20 hours per week, yeah, OK good good excellent good question.

On.

We talked about that. We talked about now this is a core specific question.

Are there any courses offered regarding regulatory and product development of medical devices?

That's a good OK, so I think that if you have course questions go to the BME site go to graduate.

And there, I think that in most departments. There's a 4 students section for current students. Actually, you can actually see the course is listed in the Department.

Exactly of course, with the same name with that exact title right so good so good. I want to share kind of the difference between the Master of engineering curriculum with the 2 core business courses and the 8 classes in a discipline. The internship requirement and the Master of Science, which is made up of 10 courses technical course work, maybe a thesis or project and optional certificate programs alright great.

Let's see let's see we talked about that was the structure of the program internships.

Does Duke help with the placement of the required internship? How to students generally find good summer opportunities within bio medical companies that is a career services question.

Yeah, so for example, we are working with the office of licensing and venture. So all the companies will try to lessons technology from us, we ask them to provide internships Ah.

Recently I got 3 companies sign in in biomedical engineering field so As for all this information to the students and also so far. We have a list of 70 companies who accepted BME students in the past to do internships.

Available to all the seasons that's great also career services can help with finding an internship as well. They have specific career events for internships in the in the early part of the spring semester right. So so there are 4 career fairs. So we can do. Other companies come either here, so they come here to do toy at toys.

In the far and then 1, two times in the spring, yeah, and then they also come to our neighbors University USC. NC State Yeah.

And then In addition to that we have dinner with people from industry so you can talk to those people from industry usually their alumni's from Duke and also we have among 3 Alumni Seminary, so there every month an alarm comes back and write gives us something that's right from industry so, so there's a one this week this Friday.

I think one of the key components that a student should be looking for in a graduate program is the ability to build a good network and it sounds like your Department gives a lot of good opportunities for that right right right right excellent excellent.

Let's talk about outcomes. I'm going to share a slide with the with BME outcomes. 40% of your Master of Science. Students go on to a pH D on average. Every year not necessary Duke. But at other schools to in most of our Masters students go on to careers in the biomedical industry right.

We have a lot of information on career outcomes on our website, ifyougottabeme.duke.edu, and search stored outcomes. You'll find the master square outcomes page with statistics and a link to our data visualization tool where you can toggle on a Nov degree options and see where bmis are going. You can filter years of graduation. You can see domestic versus International, it's a really great resource that I hope you will check out.

That address is a few of these questions. What types of positions do image graduates usually take up an industry that site will have both master of engineering and Master of Science and also the percentage of students who have jobs in the months after graduation. You can find that on the website as well.

Um and

Duke's careers services provides a lot of resources to students like practice interviews resume review cover letter review, they bring on their own kind of like night with industry events. Alumni round tables. That kind of thing, so I guess my number one piece of advice to students is read your email.

Because you're gonna get emails from the Department you're gonna get emails from career services and.

Career services does a nice thing they send out a weekly capsule of everything they've gotten during the week so you only get one. But if you're only going to read one that's the one to read write excellent.

Uh.

We eat a lot of people asked about.

Academic fees information on financial aid scholarships and assistantship. So we talked a little bit about students working as a TA in your Department. We are entering financial aid scholarships as?

We're going through the month of February into March. I have a list that I'm working on for you right now. Actually, we will notify you if you are given a scholarship, but I do want to note. You don't have to apply specifically for financial aid at Duke. Instead, department's will look at information in your application and make an award based on that right right? Yeah.

Good good, um let's see.

We are happy to answer any live questions, you have and we have a few.

Other Master of engineering programs and be me or one year and Dukes is about 1.5 years. What makes it better and what is the added benefit of this longer program?

I think the key to understanding a one year, Master of Engineering program versus a 1.5 year is what the school how the school puts its classes together? Is it on a semester basis isn't on a term basis. We require 10 classes for RB me. Masters programs and taking 5 classes in a semester full of BME classes.

It could be done, but it's really hard.

As for the one year program, they have a summer semester, they do they do?

I think that one of the key components of going to a master's program is building up building a community building a network that you're going to have in taking full advantage of that. Everything that that University has to offer. I think it can be hard and a one year program to fully take advantage of those things.

Well, in the big career fairs typically happen in September. So so if you're here for only one year.

You're here and then that that event happens immediately in the in the year and a half model year here full year before the 2nd one.

Chance to to get it up. Exactly Yeah, but also I think that Dukes being made curriculum offers a phenomenal chance to study with faculty who are leaders in their fields to really focus on an area that you are interested in.

And 2.

Really have a great experience here in the Department on Dukes campus in Durham, NC.

So I think that one thing I would tell students is to really take advantage of of career services. 'cause I see too many students kind of weight and push that off to the end. No start talking to them, the day you get on campus right.

Right but but really a year and a half program really ensures that you will have the advantage. You will be able to take advantage of all the things that Duke has to offer. Thank you for the question.

Um somebody asks what about the duration of the image program and how each semester might pan out. I can handle that so the Master of Engineering is 10 courses Master Sciences, too. But most students are going to take that in 3. Semesters and they might they might arrange their courses in 4. Classes then 3, then three over the three semester period. Or they might go 343334. I think the most popular is probably 3.

43 think it's a good idea to start out with just three classes in the first semester to ease into things you're going to have a lot of activities that are happening alongside those classes and so that's a good way to balance what should international students do can you share a little bit more information about that?

Some have to take English courses right so in that case. They have to take more than 10 courses. They will they will so they might take an English class in a semester? When they're only taking 3 be me. Classes right right right. We have a phenomenal communications team that offers classes on presentation skills on.

Bing speaking small talk small talk people hate small talk, but it's it's a good skill to have.

So that is a great opportunity for students but we have some simple curriculums on the image well. Do we I can't remember we move there or not? But if you have any questions about how to arrange your?

Program we've got some Contacts here for you, Babe.

You start we're going to help you individually individually to layout. The plan so like advising advising Yeah, so I do that. In August, before the semester starts starts so you know the plan for the whole.

You map the map it out a path to completion that's really important so do you service on their advisor in that initial time period all the time you're there advisor? He's a good one. He's a good one. Ohm someone asked. When will be notified about scholarships were just talking about?

This week, yeah, yeah for image for image.

Master of Science has said is going to take a little bit longer.

The Grad School, it's weird weird structure here Master of engineering belongs to the frat School of engineering. The Master of Science belongs to the grad school. One so we have totally different systems for them, so this week, hopefully for Master of engineering.

OK are there any chances such as an interview or an exam that an image student could switch to the Ms program? I really hope to spend more time on research so if a student wants to complete research. What is the best possible degree for them an Ms? Can you talk a little bit more about that because?

We have a more flexibility to take more research course right right right so if you are an image student and you've been admitted to the master or you want to be admitted to the Master of Science. I think you should make that change, now you should go ahead and apply to the Master of Science. We can expedite your decision but you don't want to do that, especially if you're an international student. You don't want to do it in the summer because your visa won't be valid right so in that case you need to do it here in the first semester.

So you can either do it before you get here well before you get here or in the first semester when when you're here in the fall and guess what? I'm the transfer advisor.

Hey.

So I've got some Contacts up here. Dev is bad viruses are Masters program coordinator for being a she's a great research ship source and I'm a member of the admissions and recruiting team, there. We are friendly bunch. You can always email us at Pratt underscore Masters at duke.edu to learn more about that.

So someone asked about the link of possible concentration Anbieten, Ian required courses so JD. Hastings is on the other end. In another office handling our chat function and he posted a link for that as well. Thank you JD.

We are happy to answer your live question.

But we have some that were submitted beforehand. Here's alive. When do require deposit for accepting the offer. No no no. Duke has done away with deposits. They just didn't make sense JD will share some information about visa processing. But I would hope that you would attend our other admitted student events. We have Live Q&A session.

Focused on career services life in Durham and steps to securing AUS student visa. That's a great question for that. One go to pratt.duke.edu/grab/masters/admitted you will see all the information sessions and you can register for those.

Excellent.

Here's a question.

What housing recommendations do you suggest for graduate students when's the last time you lived in a dorm fan now just getting?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so um so you live in Durham Yeah. I would suggest that if you want to talk about housing attend the event called a vibrant community life and Durham Bridget Fletcher, who was our resident. Durham expert will be on hand. We're going to talk about we've got a map of Durham and where you should live buses safety. We're going to talk about all of those issues, and the key to remember if you can't attend an event live.

You can still register for the event submit your questions will talk about your questions and then will send out the recordings at the end. This is being reported on if I don't do that.

And also I would like to mention their large number of apartments around the campus just across across the street from the campus. So we have a lot of students, leaving those apartments. We do, and they can absolutely walk to campus or they can take a bus. I think the difference is going to be cost? How much how much an apartment cost if you are budgeting. Those may be out of your reach but we're going to talk about all of that in the life in the compass.

Unless you want to stay in the new buildings, yeah, the newer ones are really expensive.

They are cheaper than other places, Yeah 'cause, they haven't been yeah, yeah, yeah, there's there's an option for your budget here in Durham, NC.

All right uhm someone missed the question in the beginning of the process of deferring admission again if you are master of engineering. You can submit a request to defer your admission for any reason and we will grant it for the Master of Science. You'll need to contact the grad school email me at prattunderscoremasters@duke.edu and I will give you exactly the information. You need where to submit your request for Master of Engineering, an whom to contact.

If you want to differ from Master of Science, it's not guaranteed.

Um.

Great hope I answered all those questions.

What what other questions? Can we answer for you we are happy to address your questions live someone has submitted?

Oh, I saw only admitted students web page website. There is an admitted students day March 26 through 27th is there anymore info. On that the schedule. It is coming this week. We will send admitted students a specific invitation to the admitted student day when we have the?

The schedule short up and all the locations. I know that we just got the Emmys time frame for when they're going to be spending time with their students admitted student day is a great opportunity for you to really see yourself at Duke will have events for all master students and then you'll have a chance to spend time with your Department specifically so we hope to see you there excellent.

Let's see.

He turned around.

Let's talk about financial aid a little bit more if you are a domestic student go ahead and complete the FAFSA.

Even if you haven't done it in the past. I would do it now because our financial aid office will be able to look at that and pull together a package for you, it may include loans. It may not. But sometimes she's able to find other other little things that she can apply but she can only do that. If you've completed the Fasa so that's a hard word for me.

But yeah, definitely do that, so for domestic students complete the Fasa for international students. The next steps will be if you accept your offer of admission our team. The Pratt admissions and recruiting team will start working on your visa process with you. When will guide you through that process.

Alright somebody asked about tuition and fees for image. JD is posting that thank you. JD.

What other questions can we answer for you?

I'll give you a minute or 2 will take a break for water and will be right back.

Alright, we have a great question given that the programs are relatively small does this limit the amount and variety of courses offered this is.

The large program, it's pretty large it's funny largest in engineering at Duke.

So so, give me is in terms of number of students. We have more than 8800 students, 800, yeah, so we have 150 students, which is one of the biggest master program in the country in the me and we have 250 PhD PhD students so we have, we offer.

More than 100 classes per year so this is a huge program. Yeah, I think maybe Duke is a relatively small engineering school, but by me is a powerhouse within that small school I think that that gives you a lot of one on one attention with faculty and staff support staff and we do have a wide variety of courses offered you mentioned earlier that you help every student outline their plan.

So that that is definitely something that you can look forward to to kind of mapping out your progress to get to the degree. You want, yeah, I think I look at it.

My other universities.

We can almost offer everything offered by other places you offer everything that any other program offers very, very special.

Only by one two faculty members in the country right right.

As I said that is, yeah, and you do have the option, you can take classes at local universities through enter.

Enter something transfer, but I don't think that's I don't see a lot of the Emmys doing that they get what they need here offer.

Hey do tuition then.

It's a free for you to take courses in other universities. Yeah, that's a good option for like chemical engineering. We don't have chemical engineering at NC State does.

When should one start looking for a job and how does that process work?

I would say that career services has a year round effort into preparing you for industry so you know, and companies come to Duke on a set schedule starting in the fall.

They come they come in waves.

So I think you can be.

Looking for an internship during that first year in the program that may parlay into a full time job offer or really you're going to be going to have looking for a job in mind throughout the program and you're really going to focus on that I think in your 2nd fall.

The company they do not want to wait for more than 3 months. Once they give you the job. You have to take it. Yeah, they want you if they offer you a job in September. They want you in January. Exactly yeah, yeah, so that's great.

Someone asked is it possible to speak with a current student in the mid image program. Angadi is saying. Yes, we have student ambassadors in every Department annuar BME ones are fantastic, Jenny Ann Lydia. I love them so JD, saying, you can email us at underscore Masters at duke.edu if you'd like to connect with our student ambassadors excellent well, we will wait for.

Just a little bit to see if more questions come through, but I do hope that this information is helpful that all the information. We have on our admitted student page is helpful and we hope that you will choose to come to Duke University.

Yeah.

All right.

Let's see.

Jimmy said thanks.

Yeah.

Well, if we don't have other questions. I want to give one more plug for my other events career services for Masters students. We had one yesterday. But we're going to have another one in March. So you can sign up for that life in Durham, a vibrant community that's really fun. One you should definitely attend that and of course, steps to securing AUS visa as well as some other them student services ones that we're going to have.

There is there is so we're hoping to have one with gzip or graduate communications in intercultural programs group. We have phenomenal services for graduate students.

Excellent.

You have anything else, no, I think we have another one next month right. We do have another one next read my mind, we're also going to have another one of these.

In March, where we will answer your questions live so if you if you think of a question later. You're welcome to email us. Of course, but you can also save it for our lives and in March. I can't wait all right great well here again is the link to sign up for other events. Please let us know if we can help with anything or email addresses underscore Masters at duke.edu. Thank you so much for your time today and we hope you'll come to Duke.

Yep.