A practical, hands-on lab rotation course giving students exposure to cutting-edge research methodology in a number of different areas, with a balance between biomedical engineering and biotechnology areas. A team approach is encouraged as students employ various laboratory techniques to carry out short-term projects. Students will either rotate through a number of different experimental procedures within a single investigator's laboratory or rotate through multiple faculty laboratories, learning a particular type of methodology for which the laboratory may be noted and uses frequently. The course may also provide laboratory experiences/demonstrations at sister campuses and industrial sites where faculty members have affiliations.

A culminating experience in which the student synthesizes his/her course knowledge and experimental skills into a brief but detailed experimental study, which also involves cross-field interdisciplinary cooperation. Although in some cases this project may be done individually under the supervision of one faculty member, it is expected that students will join in a team-based, collaborative effort involving students from a number of different disciplines, post-doctoral fellows and industry representatives and with intercampus participation.

Investigations of a fundamental and/or applied nature. Independent Research is often work on a future dissertation undertaken before the student has satisfied the qualification steps for BMB 720. With approval of student's graduate committee, up to 15 credits of BMB 630 may be applied to the 30-credit requirement for dissertation research.