General syllabus - Medical and
Health Engineering
- Reg.no: 2024/0593
- Decision maker: The Faculty Board (until 2025-12-31) thereafter The Dean of faculty
- Date of descision: 2024-10-24
- Date of entry into force: 2024-11-01
- Responsible for review and revision: Head of Department, Department of Health Sciences, Innovation and Design
This is a translation of the Swedish version. In the event of discrepancies, the Swedish version will take precedence.
Third-cycle subject - Medical and Health Engineering
The third-cycle subject Medical and health engineering includes knowledge of development of new systems and methods to, through the help of technology, enable diagnosis, monitoring, treating, relief and prevention of disease, injury or disability in addition to promotion of health.
The research has an engineering perspective and is based on health-related needs. Medical and health engineering is a system-oriented subject, which includes applications within the subareas sensors and measurement technology, signal processing, computer communication, artificial intelligence, and human system interaction. In order to meet health related needs, also knowledge within Medical engineering and Medicine and health is required.
The education includes advanced knowledge in one or a few of the subareas mentioned above and will provide a broad understanding of the rest of the subareas, which leads to researchers with a competence to address interdisciplinary research challenges.
Purpose and objective of the third-cycle studies
The purpose of third-cycle studies is that the doctoral student will develop knowledge, generic skills and an approach that is needed in order to independently plan, implement and report scholarly studies in the third-cycle subject area Medical and Health Engineering both orally and in writing.
Third-cycle courses and study programmes can lead to two different qualifications; Degree of Doctor (240 credits equivalent to full-time study of four years) and Degree of Licentiate (at least 120 credits equivalent to full-time study of two years).
Through active participation in courses and work with the thesis, as well as active participation in seminar activities conducted in each third-cycle subject, the following qualitative targets are supported at third-cycle studies level in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance, Appendix 2 (SFS 1993:100):
Degree of Licenatiate
Goals – knowledge and understanding
For the Degree of Licentiate the doctoral student shall:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the field of research including current specialist knowledge in a limited area of this field as well as specialised knowledge of research methodology in general and the methods of the specific field of research in particular.
Goals – competence and skills
For the Degree of Licentiate the doctoral student shall:
- demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues with scholarly precision critically, autonomously and creatively, and to plan and use appropriate methods to undertake a limited piece of research and other qualified tasks within predetermined time frames in order to contribute to the formation of knowledge as well as to evaluate this work.
- demonstrate the ability in both national and international contexts to present and discuss research and research findings in speech and writing and in dialogue with the academic community and society in general, and
- demonstrate the skills required to participate autonomously in research and development work and to work autonomously in some other qualified capacity.
Goals – Judgement and approach
For the Degree of Licentiate, the doctoral student shall:
- demonstrate the ability to make assessments of ethical aspects of his or her own research.
- demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
- demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.
Degree of Doctor
Goals – Knowledge and understanding
For the Degree of Doctor, the doctoral student shall:
- demonstrate broad knowledge and systematic understanding of the research field as well as advanced and up-to-date specialised knowledge in a limited area of this field, and
- demonstrate familiarity with research methodology in general and the methods of the specific field of research in particular.
Goals – Competence and skills
For the Degree of Doctor, the doctoral student shall:
- demonstrate the capacity for scholarly analysis and synthesis as well as to review and assess new and complex phenomena, issues and situations autonomously and critically
- demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues with scholarly precision critically, autonomously and creatively, and to plan and use appropriate methods to undertake research and other qualified tasks within predetermined time frames and to review and evaluate such work
- demonstrate through a dissertation the ability to make a significant contribution to the formation of knowledge through his or her own research
- demonstrate the ability in both national and international contexts to present and discuss research and research findings authoritatively in speech and writing and in dialogue with the academic community and society in general
- demonstrate the ability to identify the need for further knowledge and
- demonstrate the capacity to contribute to social development and support the learning of others both through research and education and in some other qualified professional capacity.
Goals – Judgement and approach
For a Degree of Doctor the doctoral student shall:
- demonstrate intellectual autonomy and disciplinary rectitude as well as the ability to make assessments of research ethics, and
- demonstrate specialised insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used.
Structure of third-cycle studies
Individual study plan
For each doctoral student, an individual study plan must be drawn up in accordance with Chapter 6, Section 29 of the Higher Education Ordinance. The individual study plan must clarify the commitments of each party (the University and doctoral student) and the timetable for the education, as well as specific goals for the doctoral student. The individual study plan must define activities that provide prerequisites to reach the national as well as subject-specific qualitative targets.
The individual study plan shall be reviewed regularly and after consultation with the doctoral student and their supervisor may be changed by the University to the required extent.
Courses
An important aspect of third-cycle studies in Medical and health engineering is the requirement to take courses. Courses are selected in consultation with the principal supervisor and are documented in the individual study plan and can be taken at the University or at another higher education institution.
For the Degree of Doctor in Medical and health engineering a course component of at least 60 higher education credits is included. Of these 60 credits, 22.5 credits must be distributed as described below.
The block of courses in medical engineering should consist of broad courses in medical engineering of at least 10 higher education credits of which 5 credits consist of the compulsory courses listed below:
- Research ethics in medical and health engineering 2.5 credits
- The regulatory framework on medical engineering and Ethics and clinical trials 2.5 credits.
The block of courses in Medicine and health should include at least 10 higher education credits that can be classified within any of the area’s anatomy, physiology, medicine, pathology, and health.
In addition, one compulsory course is included:
- Research methodology 2.5 credits.
For the Degree of Licentiate in the third-cycle subject Medical and health engineering a course component of at least 45 higher education credits is included from which at least 12.5 credits are following the structure given in the text below.
The block of courses in medical engineering should consist of broad courses in medical engineering of at least 5 credits.
The block of courses in medicine and health should include at least 5 credits that can be classified within any if the areas anatomy, physiology, medicine, pathology, and health.
In addition, one compulsory course is included:
- Research methodology 2.5 credits.
Other credit-bearing components
The doctoral student also has the opportunity within the scope of third-cycle studies at MDU to include other credit-bearing components. In the third-cycle subject medical and health engineering the following components can be included which may provide credits:
- Seminar series
- Preparation of ethical application
- Preparation of ethic application and application to the Swedish Medical Products Agency.
Review of ongoing studies
Within the framework of third-cycle studies at MDU, a doctoral student shall present the ongoing studies internally but also at public seminars/reviews to provide the research community and the public insight into the research being conducted at the University.
The purpose of the review is to allow the doctoral student to discuss the ongoing work and have it reviewed by internal and external senior researchers.
In the third-cycle subject Medical and health engineering four compulsory reviews / seminars are included for the doctoral student (when aiming for a doctor’s degree:
- 30% seminar
- 50% seminar (alternatively a licentiate seminar)
- 80% seminar
- 90% review of the thesis.
Doctoral thesis
A doctoral thesis in the third-cycle subject Medical and health engineering will be designed as a compilation thesis and must be written in English.
A compilation thesis consists of papers and a compilation part (introductory chapter of a compilation thesis - known as a kappa in Swedish). The papers will meet the quality requirements for publication in international peer reviewed journals.
The compilation part will highlight the different papers, how they are interrelated and what information they generate together. The thesis must include summaries in both Swedish and English.
Licentiate thesis
A licentiate thesis in the third-cycle subject Medical and health engineering will be designed as a compilation thesis and must be written in English.
A licentiate thesis written as a compilation thesis consists of papers and a compilation part. The papers must meet the quality requirements for publication in international peer reviewed journals.
The compilation part will highlight the different papers, how they are interrelated and what information they generate together. The licentiate thesis must include summaries in both Swedish and English.
Degree
Third-cycle courses and study programmes are concluded with a doctoral degree or a licentiate degree. The doctoral student who has a doctoral degree as their goal has the right, but no obligation, to graduate with a licentiate degree as a stage in the doctoral studies education.
Degree of Doctor
For a Degree of Doctor, a total of 240 completed higher education credits are required, consisting of:
- approved courses and other credit-bearing components of at least 60 credits
- an approved doctoral thesis whose scope corresponds to studies of at least 165 credits.
Public defence
The doctoral student must independently defend their doctoral thesis orally at a public defence.
The thesis is examined by an examining committee, who will decide a grade of Pass or Fail.
Degree of Licentiate
For a Degree of Licentiate, a total of 120 completed higher education credits are required, consisting of:
- approved courses and other credit-bearing components of at least 45 credits
- an approved licentiate thesis whose scope corresponds to studies of at least 65 credits.
Licentiate seminar
The doctoral student must independently defend their licentiate thesis at a seminar where the public can attend.
The licentiate thesis is examined by an examining committee, who will award a grade of Pass or Fail.
Title of degree
For a doctoral degree:
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
For a licentiate degree:
Degree of Licentiate
Additional information
Further information can be found in Mälardalen University's Guidelines for third-Cycle studies. Information is also available on the University's website.
Entry requirements
General entry requirements
A person meets the general entry requirements to third-cycle studies, according to the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 7, Section 39, if they:
- have been awarded a qualification at second cycle,
- have fulfilled course requirements comprising at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 were awarded in the second cycle, or
- have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in or outside Sweden.
The University may grant an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant if there are particular grounds, according to Chapter 7, Section 39 of the Higher Education Ordinance.
Specific entry requirements
Specific entry requirements to be admitted to third-cycle subject Medical and health engineering] are met if you have:
- fulfilled course requirements of at least 45 credits awarded in the second cycle in medical engineering, electronics, computer engineering, computer science, robotics, information technology or equivalent technology subject.
- have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in or outside Sweden.
Selection
Selection among applicants who fulfil the entry requirements is made by an assessment of the applicant’s ability to be able to benefit from the education.
Especially assessed are:
- relevant previous knowledge with respect to the project
- collaborative skills and incentive, and
- ability to express oneself in written language.]
Coming into effect and interim regulations
The existing syllabus will come into effect on 2024-11-01.