IBEHS 1 and Admissions

At McMaster University, we’re transforming healthcare challenges into a new learning experience with the Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences (iBioMed) program. We’re bringing together the best of our top-ranked health sciences and engineering programs into a hands-on, project-based program with a strong focus on entrepreneurship and learning to solve real-world problems by doing. 

The iBioMed program is the first program in Canada to offer a truly interdisciplinary 5-year biomedical program that integrates Engineering with Health Sciences. It is the only Health Sciences program in health, engineering and entrepreneurship. There are applied learning opportunities with a strong emphasis on inquiry and problem based learning (PBL).

Admission for the iBioMed program is by selection. Students will be assessed based on their top 6 grade 12 U/M courses including:

• ENG 4U – English
• MCV 4U – Calculus
• SBI 4U – Biology
• SCH 4U – Chemistry
• SPH 4U – Physics

For full admissions information - please refer to the admissions website which can be found here. 

Students must also complete the mandatory supplementary application as well to be considered for admissions. Please see here to learn more about our supplementary application! 

Students presenting only 2 of the 3 sciences must notify the Admissions Office (macdocs@mcmaster.ca) upon application. The office will then consider students on a case-by-case basis. Students are encouraged to complete the third science through night or online class.

The minimum average required for consideration is 90%, however to be a more competitive applicant students will need to be at least a few percentages higher. The supplementary application will be used in combination with the student’s academic performance. This holistic assessment will help us decide who we will welcome to our McMaster community in September.

We will be admitting approximately 140 students for September entry. Beginning in second year, students will pursue more specialized courses of study in the:

• Bachelor of Engineering and Biomedical Engineering (B.Eng.BME) degree or
• Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences (B.H.Sc.) degree in Health, Engineering Science and Entrepreneurship

Students will indicate their preferred stream upon application to the program on the OUAC website, however, official program selections are made at the end of your first year.

90 spaces are available in the B.Eng.BME stream and 50 spaces are available in the B.H.Sc. stream.

Offers of admission for the iBioMed program will go out in Early May.

No. The iBioMed program is a separate direct entry program that will not guarantee acceptance into Engineering I or the Bachelor of Health Sciences. Students interested in the Engineering I or the Bachelor of Health Sciences programs must apply separately on the OUAC website.

If you are granted free choice, it will be stated on your offer of admission (if determined based on grades presented at the time of admission) or on Mosaic (if determined based on final grades).

Free Choice is granted to incoming iBioMed students with a high admissions average. With Free Choice, you are guaranteed your first choice of program after first year. iBioMed students with free choice can select both their second year degree (Heath, Engineering Science and Entrepreneurship OR Biomedical Engineering) and their second year engineering discipline, if choosing Biomedical Engineering.

The iBioMed Free Choice average for Fall 2021 is 98%. 

The supplementary application will consist of 4 questions (3 video response and 1 written response) and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete.  Unlimited practice sessions are available for video responses, however, once you begin your formal video interview, you will only get one opportunity to answer each question.

How you respond to these questions is an opportunity for you to show us how you project yourself in person and in written formats under a time restraint.You will receive an invitation by email to access the supplementary application portal after completing your application through OUAC. Once you have access, you can practice as many times you want before you start your actual interview. Please note that once you begin your actual interview, you will have 20 minutes to complete the entire process.

You are encouraged to see here for full details on the supplementary application! 

Students only need to complete the supplementary application once (and pay one $50 fee) regardless of how many Faculty of Engineering programs they apply to. This is due to the fact that the supplementary applications are same. However, the questions are drawn from a large bank so everyone will be answering unique questions.  

It is highly recommended that the students’ responses be recorded using a webcam and microphone. Responses can be recorded using other methods (i.e. phone) but it is not recommended. If the student does not have access to a webcam and microphone, the student should somehow find access to them. Please email thinkibiomed@mcmaster.ca for further support! 

Please contact KIRA Talent, the company who will be administering the supplementary application. They can be contacted at support@kiratalent.com. Please be sure to include your full name when you email the Kira Talent team!

The system allows for unlimited practice sessions but once the student starts the formal interview questions, they will only get one chance. This allows us to see a student's candid responses.

Students must apply to iBioMed directly on OUAC by January 13th, 2022. You will receive an invitation by email to access the supplementary application portal after completing your application through OUAC. The deadline for September 2022 entry, is Friday, January 28th, 2021 @12:00PM (noon). 

Students will be a part of a dual faculty of Engineering and Health Sciences, which makes it a very unique program within Canada.

The iBioMed program shares a common integrated first year curriculum for both degree options.

• IBEHS 1P10 - Health Solutions Design Projects I
• CHEM 1E03 - General Chemistry 
• HTHSCI 1I06 - Cellular and Molecular Biology 
• MATH 1ZA3 - Engineering Mathematics I 
• MATH 1ZB3 - Engineering Mathematics II-A 
• MATH 1ZC3 - Engineering Mathematics II-B 
• PHYSICS 1D03 - Introductory Mechanics 
• PHYSICS 1E03 - Waves, Electricity and Magnetic Fields 
• ONE ELECTIVE - Complementary Studies

Students will take a 10 unit course that spans two semesters. This course integrates fundamentals from first year engineering (ENG 1P03, ENG 1D04, ENG 1C03 & MATLS 1M03) as well as health sciences to design and create a device that has real world applications in the health field.

Unfortunately, this class will only be offered during the fall and winter terms.

As enrolment is limited in each of the two degree options, where there is more demand than spaces, competition will be based on first-year academic achievement. All students who successfully complete the first year of the program will have a space in one of the two degree options. Students will be notified of this process towards the end of their first year. 

iBioMed and Engineering 1 both start with a common exploratory first year. In this first year, both programs have a project based design course that features prominently in the curriculum. Where in iBioMed this course focuses on health related topics (ex. design a longer lasting hip replacement, construct a less expensive MRI machine, create a more durable prosthetic arm), in Engineering the topics are broader and may or may not touch on health related topics. In both courses, students work in teams to develop their working knowledge of contemporary issues related to society, ethics, and professionalism. At the end of year 1, both Engineering and iBioMed students must make a decision about program specializations. Engineering students can choose from 10 disciplines and can add on "& Society" and "& Management" options to 9 of these. iBioMed students first choose between an engineering focussed degree (B.Eng.Biomedical, with a specialization in one of 9 engineering options - not including 5 year options) vs B.H.Sc. in Health, Engineering Science, & Entrepreneurship.

Absolutely! Each specialization in this program is also offered with a co-op option, providing students the opportunity to complete at least 12 months of paid industrial/practical experience prior to graduation. 

Our world-class and flexible co-op program allows you to gain valuable work experience and career connections. You get to decide when you want to complete your co-op terms - we have 4, 8, 12, and 16-month placements. International students are eligible for co-op both in Canada and internationally, with an average annual salary of $50,000. There are 4,000+ jobs posted every year, and services available include mock interviews and resume critiques, career and employer fairs, professional development workshops, and one-on-one career advising. 

An Internal Transfer refers to a current student registered in a program at McMaster University who is looking to transfer in to the iBioMed program.  Please refer to our Academic Advising page for more information.

There is no guarantee an internal transfer into the iBioMed program will be possible. There may be a small amount of seats for transfer, but will be prioritized based on the student’s GP

Please refer to the "Application Procedures" in the Academic Calendar.

Admission to the iBioMed program is very competitive as enrolment is limited. University transfer students would need strong grades at the University level and the course requirements at either the equivalent university or Grade 12 level and minimum 90% high school average. Applicants also need to have strong high school grades. As well, all of our programs have enrolment limits, and so achieving the required grades will not guarantee admission to a program, as competition is keen for the limited spaces available in the program.

There is no guarantee of a transfer from the B.Eng.BME stream into the B.H.Sc. stream, or vice versa. Transfer requests will be reviewed based on available seats in the desired program, and prioritized based on the student’s GPA.

There are over $1,000,000 in scholarships and research awards available! ONLY ONE APPLICATION is required to be considered for all eligible Faculty of Engineering entrance scholarships. 

Scholarship Application Deadline: February 14th, 2020 @ 11:59PM. 

Learn more here!

Students will have unique combination of skills and knowledge that the iBioMed program will provide, graduates will not only be uniquely positioned for career in the biomedical engineering, biotechnology, and health and biomedical science sectors of the economy, they will also remain well-positioned for careers that fall within the spectrum of their parent discipline (ex. Civil, Electrical, Software etc). Health, Engineering Science and Entrepreneurship graduates will have skills to develop new private sector opportunities. Furthermore, graduates will be well equipped to pursue further studies in graduate research or professional health sciences careers, such as medicine.

It is encouraged to participate in our co-op program throughout your undergraduate degree! You can learn more about co-op here.