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Department of Bioengineering

Welcome to the UIC Department of Bioengineering! We are delighted that you have chosen to pursue your graduate education in Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Your admission to our graduate program demonstrates a high level of academic achievement. You will find that the Bioengineering Department's faculty has a broad range of interests with a strong commitment to research and to high quality graduate education. We are committed to helping you achieve your professional goals beginning with the successful completion of your graduate degree.

Bioengineering Program
• Masters: 20FS0408MS
• Ph.D.:     20FS0408PHD

Bioinformatics Program
• Masters: 20FD1909MS
• Ph.D.:     20FS1909PHD
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Bioengineering Department Home Page
Bioengineering Graduate Student Handbook

Graduate Program Orientation Session

Graduate student orientation is held on the Friday before the first day of classes. You are encouraged to attend the orientation to familiarize yourself with important BioE departmental policies, Graduate College policies, and with the faculty and staff.

Advising

All admitted students are assigned a temporary academic advisor. Your temporary advisor is not your thesis advisor but available to answer questions that are not addressed on the web or on the FAQs. Contact information of your academic advisor is on the admission letter that has been mailed to your by the department. You may also contact the
BioE Graduate Program Coordinator at gradbioe @ uic.edu for advising.

Registration Information - Student Self-Service

You may register for classes after advising. Sometime after you receive your official admission letter from the Office of Admissions and Records you will receive, usually via email, information on when you may register and instructions, if not included with your admission letter.
Registration, including changes to any existing registration, begins several months before the term and continues through the first official ten days of the term (first official five days for summer session). During the registration period, all registration activity is done by the student using Student Self-Service, which may be accessed from UIC Web For Student. When attempting to register, if you receive an error message directly pertaining to the class or section you are requesting, consult with the department offering the course as an override may need to be input into the system to allow you to continue to register. Once the override has been added you still have to register for the course in Student Self-Service. If you receive an error message that you do not understand, consult the Registration Help Line at (312) 996-8600.

i-Card

The i-Card is the official identification card of the University for students, staff and faculty. It is important to obtain the i-Card and carry it with you at all times. The i-Card is needed to enter certain labs and buildings, for access to certain student-related events and services, and to check material out of the library.
Once you have registered for a course you may obtain your i-Card. This should be done as soon as possible following your registration. You will need to bring a print-out of your registration and either a driver's license, state ID card, or passport to the i-Card Office. Complete information, including locations, is available from the
i-Card Office.

Medical Immunization Requirement

Illinois state law requires proof of certain immunizations for students in most cases. The policy and contact information are available at the
Office of Medical Immunization Records. It is important that you read this information carefully since registration for future terms is not allowed if you are not in compliance at that time.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees are set by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. The tuition and fee schedule at UIC is fairly elaborate so it is important to understand what your charges will be, as well as your payment obligations. This information is available from the Office of Admissions and Records website.

Definition of Full Time Study for Graduate Students

Graduate students may be required to maintain full time registration. Full time status may be required for financial aid purposes, external benefits such as insurance, and University Services such as the UPASS. As such, the Graduate College at UIC has defined full time enrollment as 9 hours each fall and spring term and 5 hours in the summer.

Important Notes:
International Graduate Students must maintain one of the following registration options to meet SEVIS requirements and be considered full:

- 12 hours of registration during the fall and spring semester
- 8 hours of registration during the fall and spring semester and a 50% graduate assistantship
- 10 hours of registration during the fall and spring semester and a 25% graduate assistantship.

For questions regarding immigration and SEVIS requirements, please contact the Office of International Services Recipients of Graduate College Fellowships must maintain the following registration requirement to be in compliance with the fellowship:
University Fellowship, Deans Scholars, Diversifying Faculty in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln Fellowships recipients must be enrolled for 12 hours in the fall and spring semester and 6 hours during the summer term.
Graduate College waiver recipients must register for a minimum of 12 hours in the fall and spring semester and 6 hours in the summer to be eligible for a tuition and fee service waiver.

Continuing Student Status

Graduate students are considered to be in good standing in the Graduate College if they:
Have removed all limited status admission conditions;
Have a minimum Graduate Degree GPA of 3.00/4.00; and
Are making satisfactory progress toward degree requirements, including a project or thesis if required.

Probation

Academic probation is the Graduate College's mechanism for warning students that their Degree GPA has fallen below the minimum standard of 3.00 (A=4.00). Students have two terms of enrollment (including summer, if registered) after the term in which their Degree GPA falls below 3.00 to remove themselves from probation. Departments may enforce stricter limits on probation, provided the student is informed in writing prior to being placed on probation.
Students who fail to raise their average to 3.00 or to otherwise fulfill the terms of their probation within the deadline will be dismissed from the University. The Graduate College issues probation and dismissal notices to students and their program directors. However, failure to receive notice does not change the student's probation or dismissal status, since students are expected to monitor their own progress in light of Graduate College policies.
Students must be on good academic standing in order to graduate, even if all other requirements have been met. Students on probation (Degree Grade Point Average less than 3.0) will not be allowed to graduate unless good academic standing is achieved by raising the Degree GPA to 3.0 or greater.

For any additional information, please contact
Maria Francia G. Goluch,
Graduate Program Coordinator at gradbioe @ uic.edu.