View the contact page for more contact and location information
Email academic.registry@tcd.ieThe M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering provides advanced training and education to the next generation of biomedical engineers. The course brings students to exciting new developments in biomedical engineering, ranging from development of new materials for use in cardiac therapeutics, designing innovative next generation medical devices, in silico design and modelling, to growing and regenerating new tissues for tissue replacement and in vitro disease modelling.
The Biomedical Engineering programme equips candidates with the education, problem-solving and creative skills, and training necessary to address important clinical needs in the medical devices industry, or research and clinical institutes. Students receive lectures from international experts in biomedical engineering subjects, specifically tailored to the current needs of industry and carry out research in internationally recognised, state of the art research laboratories and facilities.
One of the most unique courses of its kind in Ireland, the M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering has received a number of awards, including Engineers Ireland: Excellence in Education Award (2012) and Best Postgraduate Course of the Year in Engineering (Winner 2012, Runner up 2016).
The M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering at Trinity College Dublin is a postgraduate course designed for students who have a background in engineering or a related discipline and are interested in applying their knowledge and skills to the field of biomedical engineering. This course is suitable for individuals who wish to pursue a career in the biomedical engineering industry, academic research or further study at Ph.D. level. It may also be of interest to practicing engineers who want to develop their expertise in the field of biomedical engineering.
Overall, the M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering is a rigorous and challenging programme designed for students who are passionate about using their engineering skills to make a positive impact on society.
The success and impact of this course makes our highly skilled graduates employable in the medical device industry in Ireland and around the world. Our graduate biomedical engineers work in the design and manufacture of medical devices with market leading companies. Recent graduates are currently working in Medtronic, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson, Schivo Group, Carl Zeiss Meditec and Stryker. Many pursued further research at Trinity, other leading universities such as Stanford and Harvard, as well as in hospital and clinical environments, on the regulatory practice of medical devices with the Irish Medicines Board.
The Masters programme is worth 90 ECTS. Candidates take 50 ECTS in taught modules and must complete a research dissertation worth 40 ECTS. A Postgraduate Diploma may be awarded where a student has completed 60 ECTS of taught modules.
The M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering offers four distinct streams tailored to the background and previous experience of entrants.
The General Stream is designed to provide a solid and broad basis in biomedical engineering for entrants with no previous background in biomedical engineering. Core modules include: Biomaterials; Biomechanics; Design and Innovation; Experimental & Research Methods in Biomedical Engineering; and a Research Project. Elective modules may include: Basic Medical Sciences; Deep Learning and its Applications; Finite Element Analysis; Form and Function of the Nervous System; Medical Device Design Fundamentals; Tissue Engineering; Active Implanted Devices and Systems; Advanced Medical Imaging; and Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robotics.
The Medical Device Design specialisation is designed to bring together clinicians, researchers and the medical device industry to produce new solutions for clinical needs. The field of medical device research is a fast-moving area which can offer students a rewarding career in the global medical device market. Students will gain a specific education of the key topics in medical device design process and a knowledge of medical device regulation.
The Neural Engineering specialisation is focused on signal processing of neuroimaging and electrophysiological data to solve specific clinical problems. Modules include: Active Implanted Devices and Systems; Data Science in Neuroimaging; Design and Innovation; Experimental & Research Methods in Biomedical Engineering; Form and Function of the Nervous System; Neural Engineering; Neural Signal Analysis; and a Research Project.
The Tissue Engineering specialisation provides students with a critical understanding of stem cell biology and its therapeutic applications. Core modules include: Biomaterials; Current Topics in Cell and Tissue Engineering; Design and Innovation; Experimental & Research Methods in Biomedical Engineering; Laboratory Techniques in Cell and Tissue Engineering; Research Project; Tissue Engineering. Elective modules may include: Basic Medical Sciences; Biomechanics; Finite Element Analysis; Medical Device Design Fundamentals; and Advanced Medical Imaging.
Click here for further information on modules/subjects.
Dr. Michael Monaghan gives an overview on the M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering, which aims to provide engineers and scientists with the education and creative skills needed to practice in the medical devices industry and focus on important clinical needs.
September 2025
Dr. Mark Aherne
31st March 2025
Applicants must hold a minimum of an upper second-class honours degree (2.1) or higher in Engineering, Biomedical Technology, or a cognate discipline.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an online interview with the Course Director. Outcomes of the interviews will be made known to candidates shortly after the interviews.
English Language Requirements
All applicants to Trinity are required to provide official evidence of proficiency in the English language. Applicants to this course are required to meet Band B (Standard Entry) English language requirements. For more details of qualifications that meet Band B, see the English Language Requirements page here.
Click here for a full list of postgraduate fees
To apply, click on the relevant Apply Link below
+353 (0)1 8962359
+353 (0)1 8963393
Dr. Mark Aherne (course director): ahearnm@tcd.ie
Register your interest in studying at Ireland’s leading university, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.
The opportunities that were made available to us as students, from research project topics to community engagement in our courses, made the program very hands-on and facilitated our learning and development as researchers. The M.Sc. program definitely made my current position — a Ph.D. researcher in Professor Caitriona Lally's Lab in the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering — possible. The taught Master's is a great combination of multidisciplinary coursework and a full research project.
Graduate
I would definitely recommend this course to other Engineering graduates. I really enjoyed getting relevant theory classes which could be applied in several real-life interdisciplinary projects. The M.Sc. gave me the opportunity to learn how to work on a scientific project which I'm applying now as a Ph.D. candidate developing a bone tissue engineering scaffold for critical bone defects at Ghent University in Belgium.
Graduate
The M.Sc. in Bioengineering programme at Trinity was perfect because it helped me use my mechanical engineering background and mindset to transfer into the biomedical field. Along the way, my engineering knowledge grew immensely, and it was amazing learning about the bioengineering field and the medical device designing process.
Graduate
I really enjoyed the M.Sc. course. I specialised in the Medical Device Design stream and it was everything I had hoped it would be entering the course. It involves thorough detail from device design to all steps and processes required for getting a device to market. It is very clear now that every aspect of the course is tailored to be extremely relevant for industry. I am now an R&D engineer in Boston Scientific Galway working in the structural heart division. The M.Sc. absolutely helped me secure this position as my entire thesis was about improving the durability of transcatheter heart valves for the treatment aortic valve stenosis, which is the type of device I am now working on. I couldn't recommend the course enough for anyone considering. It opened a lot of career paths I didn't know existed prior to completing the programme.
Graduate
The course had the perfect balance of engineering fundamentals, advanced theories in biomedical engineering and gave students the ability to develop laboratory and clinical research skills. The lecturers were engaging and willing to guide students when needed. I found an amazing friend group, worked with top researchers in their field for my thesis and it gave me all the necessary tools I needed for my job as a Research Assistant in RCSI where I’m working on a novel medical device.
Graduate
