Coterminal Program
Coterminal Program in Bioengineering
The coterminal degree program allows Stanford undergraduates to study for a master’s degree while completing their bachelor’s degree(s) in the same or a different department. Coterms are both undergraduate AND graduate students at the same time for at least one quarter prior to undergraduate degree conferral. The degrees may be granted simultaneously or at the conclusion of different quarters, though the bachelor’s degree cannot be awarded after the master’s degree has been granted.
The university minimum requirements for the coterminal bachelor’s/master’s program are 180 units for the bachelor’s degree plus 45 unduplicated units for the master’s degree. Students admitted to the Bioengineering coterm program are eligible to apply to transfer applicable coursework from quarters after and including the first quarter of the Sophomore year of the undergraduate career.
Please carefully review the registrar’s coterm degree page for detailed information on university policies that apply to coterm degrees.
What We Look For
Students who meet the below eligibility requirements with a compelling purpose for pursuing a masters degree in Bioengineering and a strong technical background in engineering, mathematics or physical sciences are encouraged to apply. An undergraduate major in Bioengineering is not required.
Students will be expected to have completed or have plans to complete the below courses in math, biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, and engineering prior to starting the coterm program. Typically a GPA of at least 3.5 in these courses is expected.
Math 51, 53 or CME 100, 102
Biology 82 or 83, and 84
Physics 41, 43
Chemistry 31, 33
Computer Science 106A
Engineering 14, 15, 40, 50 or 80
University Coterm Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for admission to a coterm program at Stanford, applicants must meet all of the following conditions:
- Completion of 120 units towards graduation as shown on the undergraduate transcript, including credit earned from transfer credit, Advanced Placement exams, and other external test credit.
- Completion of six non-Summer quarters at Stanford; or two non-Summer quarters at Stanford for transfer students.
- Declaration of an undergraduate major.
- An admitted coterm student must have a minimum of one quarter overlap between the undergraduate and graduate programs. If this is not possible, students should consider applying as an external candidate via the annual general admissions process. Such applicants are not coterm students and coterm policies do not apply.
- Students may apply to one coterm program per quarter, and may not apply to another coterm master’s program until the admissions process for the initial application has been completed, including the student’s response to the offer of admission (if admitted).
Funding and Financial Aid Opportunities
The Bioengineering program does not provide department funding for the coterm program. We encourage all BioE coterm applicants to review the below websites for more information on funding and financial aid opportunities:
Engineering Coterminal Fellowship program
Eligibility: Students must be admitted to an engineering coterm program.
Bioengineering TA Opportunities
Eligibility: Students must be in their graduate tuition group and have completed 180 units