GW will offer a master’s degree in regulatory biomedical engineering starting through the engineering and medical schools in January, the University announced Monday.

The degree will prepare students on how to go through the regulations process that brings new drugs to the market, according to the release. With an eye on time and efficiency, the degree will help students expedite the approval process for biomedical inventions.

Igor Efimov, the chair of the department of biomedical engineering, said in the release that the degree is key in “getting technologies into the market, where they actually can improve healthcare and save lives.”

“Ultimately, product approval is key to getting the technologies into the market and this program is designed to prepare engineers to understand the product approval process and the process of translating their research to the bedside,” Efimov said.

Efimov arrived at GW in January to lead the newly formed biomedical engineering department, and said at the time that he would like to launch a program similar to the one announced Monday.

Daniela Drago, the director of the regulatory affairs program in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, said in a statement that there has been a “three-fold increase in enrollment” over the past year and a half in the medical school’s regulatory affairs degree program.

“The growth of the medical device industry is resulting in an increased demand for engineers who understand the regulatory landscape,” she said.

The 30-credit degree will include courses centered around biomedical engineering, regulatory processes and patent law for engineers, according to the release.