Overview
Mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the interaction of forces on a physical body and its environment. Biomechanical engineering focusses on the effects of physical forces on biological structures and materials in the areas of fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, dynamics, and manufacturing, and the application of these to human health. In the Department of Mechanical Engineering, our specialization in bio-fluid mechanics includes blood flow in cardiovascular health, and microfluidics in the development of “organ-on-chip” and “lab-on-chip” devices for drug discovery, medical / environmental diagnosis and drug delivery. The area of dynamics covers how the body responds to forces including injuries to impact forces, and how to design protective measures (e.g., padding and helmets) to prevent injuries or to improve human performance. Concepts in solid mechanics are used to examine the transmission of forces through tissues in the body to help understand tolerance limits (e.g., fracture and failure limits), how biological adaptation to mechanical loading occurs, and how to develop tissue replacements such as orthotics, artificial implants, or engineered biological tissues. The area of manufacturing covers development and use of advanced manufacturing methods to build biomedical microdevices, metal and polymer implant devices, tissue constructs and scaffolds as well as artificial organs.
Admission Requirements
Admission to either the B.H.Sc. (Honours) Health, Engineering Science and Entrepreneurship (HESE) specialization or the B.Eng.BME Biomedical Engineering (BME) specialization requires successful completion of all non-elective Level I IBEHS courses with a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.0.
All students who successfully complete the first year of the program will have a space in one of the two degree options. As enrolment is limited in each of the two degree options (HESE or BME), where there is more demand than spaces, competition will be based on first-year academic achievement.
Students seeking admission to the BME specialization will be admitted to one of eight Level II Engineering programs (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Engineering Physics, Materials, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or Software). Admission to a Level II Engineering program is guaranteed for all students who meet the general progress requirements. All engineering programs have limited enrolment; should there be more applicants than the limiting number in any program, admission to that program will be based on GPA.
Students who do not meet the requirements to proceed to Level II in May will have a Pending flag put on their allocation. The Pending flag will be removed in August if the student completes the requirements over the summer.
Notes
As well as completing the academic requirements as specified in this Calendar, students in a Co-op program must complete IBEHS 1EE0. IBEHS 2EC0 will be added to the academic record for each 4 month work term.
Co-op and Experiential Learning
Students enrolled in either the BME or HESE stream at McMaster will have the opportunity to apply for co-op positions.
Co-op placements are flexible and can be taken up at any time.
- Co-op is offered for both degree options
- Students are able to add co-op at any time up to the end of their penultimate year of studies
- A minimum of 12 months of relevant work experience is required to receive your co-op designation
For maximum flexibility, options include:
- 4 month summer work-terms
- 8 to 16 month continuous internships
iBioMed students have landed co-op placements within the following industries:

Healthcare

Education

Finance

Government

Tech
Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering – Related Courses
Code | Title | Instructor | Outline | Info |
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CHEMENG 3BM3 Technical Elective | Bioseparations Engineering |
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CHEMENG 4T03 Technical Elective | Applications of Chemical Engineering in Medicine |
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ELECENG 4BB3 Technical Elective | Cellular Bioelectricity |
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ENGPHYS 4I03 Technical Elective | Introduction to Biophotonics |
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IBEHS 1P10 A/B Undergraduate | Health Solutions Design Projects I: Introduction to Engineering Fundamentals and Design |
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IBEHS 2P03 Undergraduate | Health Solutions Design Projects II: Introduction to Genetic Engineering |
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IBEHS 3A03 Undergraduate | Biomedical Signals and Systems |
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IBEHS 3H03 Undergraduate | Research Project |
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IBEHS 3I06 A/B Undergraduate | Research Project |
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IBEHS 3P04 Undergraduate | Health Solutions Design Projects III: Analysis and Decision Making |
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IBEHS 4A03 Undergraduate | Biomedical Control Systems |
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IBEHS 4B03 Undergraduate | Biomechanics |
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IBEHS 4C03 Undergraduate | Statistical Methods in Biomedical Engineering |
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IBEHS 4D03 Undergraduate | Introduction to Medical Imaging |
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IBEHS 4F04 Undergraduate | Biomedical Instrumentation and Measurement |
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IBEHS 4P04 Undergraduate | Health Solutions Design Projects IV: Economics and Project Management |
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IBEHS 4QZ3 Undergraduate | Modelling of Biological Systems |
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IBEHS 5P06 A/B Undergraduate | Integrated Biomedical Capstone Design Project |
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MATLS 4B03 Technical Elective | Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering |
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MECHENG 4CC3 Technical Elective | Experimental and Computational Biomechanics |
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