Graduate Certificate or Diploma of Biomedical Engineering overview
Graduate certificates and diplomas allow students to gain insight into the fundamentals of biomedical engineering. They take six months to a year of full-time study or one to two years part-time respectively. Bother to offer a similar selection of units, the only difference being duration and thus the capacity for taking them. Institutions like James Cook University offer so many options it’s simply not possible to do them all in either the certificate or diploma. Some of these include:
- Advanced bioengineering
- Biomedical epidemiology
- Advanced marine microbiology
- Advanced immunology
- Systemic pathophysiology and therapeutics
Employment options
The employment opportunities detailed here are a great way of fulfilling the many numbers of uses for biomedical engineers. Working for companies like SCMedical in consulting, equipment design and maintenance or research are all excellent uses of the skill. Joining the Biomedical College of Engineers Australia is also a way of gaining valuable connections and further employment opportunities.
Scholarships and funding
There are a variety of scholarships available to students of biomedical engineering with varying levels of specificity. That said, most are at the master and PhD level. Students in graduate certificates and diplomas still have some excellent options, however.
- Endeavour Scholarships and Fellowships are worth $69,500 pa. They have no subject discipline requirements, which makes them exceptionally competitive.
- General Sir John Monash Scholarships are similar, offering $65,000 pa to students planning to commence postgraduate study overseas. Entry requirements are similar to Endeavour, with the same level of competition. They require students to argue for why their overseas institution of choice is worthy of their attention.
- The Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship provides $120,000 to students directing their studies toward one of three areas:
- Technology and innovation
- Strengthening Australia-Asia ties
- Enabling positive social change
Students of biomedical engineering are clearly best suited to the first option, as developing new technology and innovating is their bread and butter. It is recommended to, therefore, argue for the pursuit of this option when applying.
Prerequisites and selection process
These programs require students to have completed a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. Failing this, a bachelor’s degree in a cognate discipline can also suffice given the approval of faculty. In the case of James Cook, applicants also ought to be prepared for hepatitis B immunisation should they be admitted. This is mandatory prior to commencement of study.