New bachelor’s degree positions students for success in growing medical device industry

University of Arizona undergraduate students will soon be able to earn a degree in one of the hottest health care fields in the country thanks to the Arizona Board of Regents’ June 12-13 approval of the Bachelor of Science in Medical Device Development and Application.

The degree, housed in the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson, will be delivered as a collaboration between physicians, basic scientists, engineers, business professionals and lawyers, with a focus on medical field devices and technology. Graduates will be well prepared for corporate, government, research and private sector jobs, including in fields related to medical device sales, regulation and approval of medical devices, medical device development and more. 

“Our first priority in establishing this new bachelor’s degree is to educate students who will be ready to join the workforce upon graduation,” said Michael M.I. Abecassis, MD, MBA, inaugural Humberto and Czarina Lopez endowed dean of the College of Medicine – Tucson. “After four short years, these graduates will be fluent in the languages of medicine, engineering, business and law as these relate to medical devices. According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a predicted shortage of 10,000 workers per year for the next 10 years in the biotech space, and entry level salaries for these jobs are quite high, especially given the demand.”

Students in the Bachelor of Science in Medical Device Development and Application program will take introductory medical school courses, including simulation training, to become fluent in anatomy, physiology and medical terminology. From there, they will learn about the design, creation and application of medical devices at the U of A College of Engineering, gain business acumen at the Eller College of Management, and become familiar with legal and regulatory issues at the James E. Rogers College of Law. Additionally, Tech Launch Arizona, the U of A’s commercialization arm, will give students real-life exposure to ongoing technology transfer activities.

By the end of the program, students will be able to apply specific health sciences knowledge to the evaluation of disease therapies; use core business principles of organizational behavior, accounting, economics, management, ethics and human relations; and employ knowledge of emerging medical technologies to evaluate risk and rewards.

“This highly collaborative program, based in the Department of Surgery at the College of Medicine – Tucson, will offer practical exposures to the development and implantation of medical devices and technologies across a spectrum of disciplines,” Abecassis said. “There is nothing quite like this in the country.”

In the U.S. alone, the medical devices industry is responsible for the creation of more than 2 million jobs. A rapidly aging population, the shift toward delivering in-home health care, and the increasing prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases are key developments expected to boost medical device sales in the next decade.

Simultaneously, technological advances are revolutionizing the medical device industry, not only increasing the number of connected, patient-centric medical devices going to market, but also strengthening their role in health care.

The College of Medicine – Tucson will start enrolling students in the Bachelor of Science in Medical Device Development and Application program in spring 2026.