Graduate Program Details

Admissions, FAQs, and Program details

We welcome both domestic and international applications from well-qualified students. Applications from recent and future graduates, as well as working professionals are encouraged.

Below are the details you need to apply to our graduate programs, application requirements and deadlines, graduate funding availability, and frequently asked questions.

Admissions Requirements
How to apply
Graduate Funding
Why Colorado State University?
Frequently Asked Questions

Admissions Requirements

For full consideration into any of the our graduate programs, competitive applicants will have:

An undergraduate degree in chemical, biological, or biomedical engineering or a closely related engineering or science discipline.
An undergraduate GPA of 3.5/4.0 or higher is preferred.

Applicants with a GPA between 3.0/4.0 and 3.5/4.0 can also be considered for admission. A minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 is required by the Graduate School.

GRE scores are no longer required.
Apply now on the CSU Graduate School website

After initial screening of applications by faculty, candidates for our M.S. and Ph.D. programs will be invited to campus to interview for admission.

Graduate Interview Days provides an opportunity for candidates to tour campus, meet current and other prospective students, visit with faculty, and learn more about the program.

If accepted into our graduate program, learn more about next steps by visiting this link.

English language proficiency requirements for international applicants

Students are exempted from demonstrating English language proficiency if the official language of their country is English or if they have recently earned a degree at an American university.

For all other international applicants to graduate programs, Colorado State University requires that proficiency in English language be demonstrated either by the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic tests prior to admissions.

Official scores, taken within two years prior to admission, must be submitted directly from the testing agency.

The minimum TOEFL score for admission without condition is 550 (paper -based), or 80 (internet-based).
The minimum IELTS score for admission without condition is 6.5.
The minimum PTE Academic score for admission without condition is 58.

How to Apply

All applications to the graduate program must be made online through the graduate school website. We welcome both domestic and international applications from well-qualified students.

Apply now

All application materials must be received by the following dates.

Fall semester:

M.S. and Ph.D. programs:
January 5
M.E. program:
June 1
PSM and Grad Cert. programs:
August 1

Spring semester:

M.S. and Ph.D. programs:
September 15
M.E. program:
December 1
PSM and Grad Cert. programs:
December 15

Check your application status

All applications to the graduate program must be made online through the graduate school website.
Grad Admissions Status Page

After submitting your online application and paying your application fee, begin submitting your supporting materials to complete your application.

Upload a variety of supporting documents directly to your application.
For any documents that cannot be uploaded, submit paper copies directly to:

Graduate Admissions
Colorado State University – Office of Admissions
1062 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1062

To submit test scores:

Contact the testing agency to request that scores be sent to Colorado State University (use institution code 4075).

To submit official transcripts:

Contact your previous institutions to request they submit official transcripts to Colorado State University (use institution code 4075).

Graduate Funding

We understand the importance of financial support to your success as a graduate student and provide a number of funding opportunities for Ph.D. and M.S. students. Most of our Ph.D. students and many of our M.S. students have full funding (including tuition and a monthly stipend) from the School or a specific core faculty member and their lab.

The Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering pays differential tuition for all graduate students on a research assistantship (GRA), teaching assistantship (GTA), or other assistantship (GSA).

How funding is awarded

Financial support is competitive and awarded based on your completed application. When you submit an application to the M.S. or Ph.D. programs, you are automatically considered for most funding awarded by the School.

Additional CSU-sponsored resources and financial aid opportunities are available, including additional fellowship and scholarship resources available online. The Office of Financial Aid can assist you. Types of financial aid include:

Grants and Research Centers
Graduate Teaching Assistantships
Graduate Research Assistantships
Graduate Research Assistantships for First Year Lab Rotations
Male student in laboratory using pipette.

Frequently Asked Questions

We offer Ph.D., M.S., and M.E. degrees.

  • The Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degree is the highest academic degree offered by the University.
  • Both the Ph.D. and the M.S. (Master of Science) degrees involve coursework and research components.
  • Students in these degree programs produce a research document (e.g. dissertation or thesis).
  • The M.E. (Master of Engineering) is a coursework-only degree, requiring 30 credit hours of coursework. No research or thesis are required for the M.E. degree.

The Master of Engineering degree is a course work only degree program that provides students a foundation in biomedical engineering and is often used for professional development and advancement in the field. The Master of Science (M.S.) degree is a research-based degree which requires the student to complete a research project leading to the successful defense of a thesis. The M.S. is often pursued by students who wish to do research in industry or continue on to their Ph.D.

Graduate students will select an advisor based on their research interests. You can learn more about faculty research areas by searching and reviewing our Faculty Directory. Two to three Ph.D. students will have an opportunity to complete lab rotations, allowing them to work with three different professors before choosing an area of study and faculty advisor.

The committee must consist of at least three faculty members for a Master’s of Science degree program. The members are as follows:

  1. The advisor who serves as chairperson of the committee and who must hold academic faculty rank as a professor, associate professor, or assistant professor of any appointment type within the department or program (Core Faculty Member) granting the degree;
  2. One or more additional members from the department (Core Faculty Member);
  3. One member from an outside department who, appointed by the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies, represents the Graduate School. The outside committee member appointed by the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies must hold a regular, special, transitional, joint, or emeritus/emerita faculty appointment at Colorado State University. (The outside member cannot be a Core Faculty Member.)

Individuals who are not academic faculty but who have special expertise may serve on committees in addition to the prescribed members, but may not vote regarding examination results.

Please see the Admissions Requirements information on this page. To be considered for admission, applicants must formally apply to a degree program through the Graduate School, and send required materials to the School. Application deadlines are listed on this page.

Please do not request that faculty members review your qualifications before applying, as we cannot consider applicants who do not apply to the University, nor can faculty offer their evaluations of applicants’ potential outside of our formal application and admission process.

Students who are interested in ultimately earning a Ph.D. degree should apply to the Ph.D. degree program. Many students are admitted to (and later graduate from) the Ph.D. program without a Master’s degree. Others are admitted to the Ph.D. program, and earn an M.S. degree at CSU while working towards their goal of obtaining a Ph.D.

Since we admit only the number of students corresponding to the funded positions we have available, highly qualified students who desire a Ph.D. but apply to the M.S. program might be overlooked when we evaluate our Ph.D. applicants for those positions.

We do admit international applicants to all of our graduate degree programs. Applicants from international students are reviewed in the same process as applicants from domestic students. We have no quotas for admission of either international or domestic students.

All applications received by the deadline (see below) are evaluated shortly after the deadline. However, available funding for new students might not be clear at that time. The Department usually begins making offers of admission within two weeks of the application deadline. Some well-qualified applicants may receive offers as late as several weeks following the application deadline as positions become available.

If you are waiting to hear from the Department and you have other offers you are considering, feel free to email the Graduate Adviser requesting an update of the status of your application.

If you are planning to be in the Northern Colorado area and would like to schedule a visit, contact a graduate advisor by email to make arrangements. Students in the U.S. who are admitted usually will receive an invitation to visit the School, and all applicants are welcome to visit.

Other questions about our graduate programs?

We're ready to help!

Do you have a question that’s not featured on our website? Graduate Advisors Megan Hollis and Sara Neys are happy to help! Email your questions to either advisor below.

Email Megan
Email Sara