MS Biological Design at Arizona State University

Programme overview

In the Master of Science degree in biological design, you become an expert in the intersection of life and machinery by participating in a flexible training program. You take one program core course (Principles of Biological Design), one course from a suite of biotechnology courses, and one course from a suite of statistics courses.

What you will study

30 credit hours and a thesis, or 30 credit hours including the required applied project course (BDE 593) Required Core (3 credit hours) BDE 502 Research Methods in Biological Design (3) Statistics (3 credit hours) CHE 598 Topic: Six Sigma Methodology/Engineering Experimentation (3) IEE 572 Design Engineering Experiments (3) IEE 578 Regression Analysis (3) IEE 670 Mathematical Statistics (3) Biotechnology (3 credit hours) BME 598 Topic: Bioenergy and Microbial Biotechnology (3) BME 598 Topic: Cellular and System Modeling (3) BME 598 Topic: Chimeras and Recombinant Organisms in Medicine (3) CEE 565 Advanced Environmental Biotechnology (3) CEE 567 Environmental Health Microbiology (3) CEE 598 Topic: Bio-inspired Design (3) CHE 579 Microbial Bioprocess Engineering (3) CHE 598 Topic: Nanobiotechnology (3) CHE 598 Topic: Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering (3) Electives (12 or 15 credit hours) Other Requirements (3 credit hours) BDE 591 Seminar (3) Culminating Experience (3 or 6 credit hours) BDE 593 Applied Project (3) BDE 599 Thesis (6) Additional Curriculum Information BDE 591 Seminar is a one credit hour course to be taken once per semester for three semesters.

Career pathways

Opportunities for graduates include positions in the broader biotechnology industry, including biopharmaceutical processing, biomanufacturing, sustainable biotechnology, and food and agribusiness industries. Career examples: clinical laboratory technologist, environmental engineer, environmental scientist and specialist, epidemiologist, health and safety engineer, microbiologist.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in a related field, including physical sciences, biological sciences, or engineering, from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search; the application opens almost a year before the start term. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S. Apply with ASU's graduate application (Law applicants use the law college's site); GRE/GMAT requirements vary by programme.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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