Biomedical Engineering - PhD – Faculty of Engineering

Biomedical Engineering – PhD

The PhD degree is a thesis-based program where students are required to complete courses in addition to writing and defending a thesis.

Length
4 years
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering (Co-op Available)
Type
Thesis-based
Options

Co-op

Overview

The requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering can be satisfied through full- or part-time study.

The minimum course requirements are:
– Two (2) half-term courses at the 700 level beyond a Master’s degree from McMaster University,
– Three (3) half-term courses if the Master’s degree was completed at another university, or
– Five (5) half-term courses, at least three at the 700 level, beyond a Bachelor’s degree for direct-to-Ph.D. entry with a bachelor’s degree

Half of the required courses must have “BIOMED” in the course code or be cross-listed with SBME. One of the courses must be the core course:

  • Students with an engineering background must take BIOMED 706
  • Students with a health or life science background must take BIOMED 701

Students must also complete at least one 700-level course from the complementary discipline to their background (e.g., Engineering students must take a Health Sciences course; Health/Life Science students must take an Engineering course).

Course selection depends on the student’s undergraduate degree and must be made in consultation with their supervisor. All graduate-level courses require supervisory approval.

A PhD student is also required to pass a Comprehensive Examination designed to assess breadth of knowledge and the ability to synthesize and integrate ideas. Additionally, a PhD candidate must complete a doctoral thesis that demonstrates original research and mature scholarship. General University requirements for the thesis and oral defense will apply.

Students entering the program from a Bachelor’s degree are expected to begin at the Master’s level. Exceptionally strong students may be transferred into the Ph.D. program without completing the Master’s degree, subject to the approval of the School of Biomedical Engineering and the School of Graduate Studies (SGS).

Admission requirements

Academic Prerequisites

Master’s Degree (MAsc, MSc, or equivalent) in a related field.

Find English language requirements here.

Anticipated Admission Range
Minimum B+ (77-79%)
How to Apply Biomedical Engineering PhD degree requirements (Opens in new window)

Admission is very competitive, so meeting/surpassing the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to this program.

  • Many variables are considered when the School of Biomedical Engineering is making a decision to recommend an applicant for admission, some of which include: research fit; available funding; the applicant’s statement of interest; the applicant’s specific industry/research experience outlined in their resume/CV; and the applicant’s reference reports.
  • If all minimum requirements are met for admission to the Biomedical Engineering program, your application will be made available to all faculty currently accepting students.
  • Students showing outstanding potential and high academic standing may transfer from the Masters program without completing the Masters degree. They must have completed at least one year of the Masters program and must have completed the Masters course requirement with an average of at least B+. Transfer will be approved following success in an examination consisting of the preparation of a written report describing the student’s research since entering the Masters program, as well as an oral presentation of the report before a faculty committee to be appointed by the program Director.
  • Additional undergraduate coursework may be required for the Masters or Ph.D. programs on a case by case basis at the discretion of the Director and prospective Supervisor.
Female student in Chem Eng Lab

Program checklist

A complete application is required for review; applications deemed incomplete will not be reviewed. To ensure that your application is complete, please review this checklist of the required documents that you must upload into your application before you apply.

Transcripts must be submitted electronically  (scanned final or in-progress transcripts that are uploaded to your online application); and

Documents from recognized international institutions

1. Electronic transcripts, degree certificates and ELP (TOEFL/IELTS) results must be uploaded to your application. **Please ensure that scans of all original documents AND translations are included in your application; otherwise, your application may be deemed incomplete.
2. Official, FINAL hard copies of transcripts, degree certificates and ELP results are not required until your arrival to McMaster University. Please do not mail incomplete or unofficial documents to the University.
Your official, hardcopy documents must meet the following conditions in order to secure your study at McMaster University:

  • Original degree certificates and/or transcripts produced in English MUST include the date of degree conferral;
  • **Original degree certificates produced in another language MUST be issued by the previous institution, bearing the appropriate seal/signature, and be delivered to our office (ETB-406) in a sealed envelope when you arrive; additionally
  • **Original degree certificates produced in another language MUST be translated into English by a certified translator and include the date of degree conferral and the name of degree conferred, along with the translator’s seal;
  • **Original transcripts produced in another language MUST be issued by the previous institution and be delivered to our office (ETB-406) in a sealed envelope when you arrive; additionally
  • **Original transcripts produced in another language MUST be translated into English by a certified translator and include the translator’s seal.

**International students: If you are offered admission to the School of Biomedical Engineering you should be prepared to provide one original degree certificate (only if transcripts do not indicate a date of degree conferral) and one set of original, final transcripts to McMaster University when you arrive, along with a separate translation package; the translation package will NOT satisfy admission conditions on its own. Failure to provide all required documents upon arrival will jeopardize your study at McMaster University.

The statement of interest should be uploaded to your application as a PDF file; without it, your application will be deemed incomplete. This document should be a maximum of 2 pages and clearly communicate:

  • your research interests/focus, especially within the context of Biomedical Engineering.
  • how your education and experience aligns with research areas in the School of Biomedical Engineering;
  • any contributions you hope to make to research initiatives during your study and how you plan to make them (methods, approach); and
  • evidence of your ability to work collaboratively and independently.

Like with the statement of interest, your resume/CV should be uploaded to your application as a PDF file; without it, your application will be deemed incomplete.

Your ELP scores should be uploaded to your application as a PDF file. If you are an international student who would NOT be eligible for admission without these scores, your application will be deemed incomplete if these scores are not included. (Please refer to the Admission Requirements tab if you are unclear about your eligibility.)

For permanent residents/landed immigrants only: if your VISA STATUS lists “Permanent Resident of Canada” or “Landed Immigrant”, you must upload a scan of your permanent residence card (front and back) or Record of Landing (IMM1000), respectively, to your application.

Before beginning your application, you should obtain the consent of two instructors who are familiar with your academic work to provide confidential reference reports. You are not required to submit reference letters as part of your application; however, you must list your references and their contact information on your application. By entering the email address of your references through your online application, McMaster’s Electronic Referencing (e-Reference) system will send your references an e-Reference request on your behalf.

IMPORTANT: the system will send the e-Reference request to your references ONLY AFTER YOU SUBMIT your online application. This means that you will need to have completed AND uploaded your scanned transcripts, degree certificates (if applicable), Statement of Interest, CV/resume, ELP results (if applicable), and proof of permanent residence (if applicable) to your online application BEFORE you can click “Submit”. 
References may require 3-4 weeks to complete a reference report. References should be allowed time to complete their reference report. Please keep this in mind when you are working on your application.

If for some reason, you are unable to use the Electronic Referencing System, you can email biomedg@mcmaster.ca and request a copy of the form. Downloaded reference forms must be sent by the reference DIRECTLY to through e-mail (biomedg@mcmaster.ca).

There is an application fee of $110 by credit card through the online system.

Application deadlines

Please refer to the McMaster University Graduate Studies application portal to view the program open dates and deadlines.

Application status

After you successfully submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email from The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) within a few days. (If you do not receive this email, please email biomedg@mcmaster.ca for assistance.)

The confirmation email will contain important information about how to access Mosaic so that you can follow the status of your application and your checklist of required documents. Typically, documents in the “Initiated” stage indicate that your application has not been marked as complete. This should not be immediate cause for concern, as Mosaic checklist updates are performed manually (not automatically); therefore–given the volume of applications received–you may need to wait up to a month to see a status update.

If after a month from your application submission you notice that some documents have remained in the “Initiated” stage, you should understand this to mean that your application is incomplete. Prior to the application deadline, you may email the graduate administrator (biomedg@mcmaster.ca) to gain clarity on any documents in the “Initiated” stage; however, any arrangements to receive supplementary documents are at the discretion of the graduate administrator (as all supplementary documents are supposed to be submitted together). 

Programstructure

Seminar requirement

Students must attend all seminars in the Biomedical Engineering Program seminar series. They must present one seminar on the research they have carried out while enrolled in the program.

Students will be encouraged to present their research at appropriate conferences in Canada and internationally. Faculty support of students for this purpose will also be encouraged.

Interaction with industry will be an important aspect of the School of Biomedical Engineering. Students will benefit considerably from these interactions. Some students will work on projects in collaboration with industrial partners with whom the School of Biomedical Engineering has research agreements.

Thesis requirement

PhD candidates must present a thesis that embodies the results of original research and mature scholarship. Before preparing the final version of the thesis the student must be authorized to do so by the supervisory committee. When a majority of the supervisory committee has approved the final version of the thesis, it may be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for examination. The oral defense will not be set-up until the report from the supervisory committee has been received and the date of the defense established.

The examining body will consist of the following members: the student’s supervisory committee, an external examiner, and two representatives of the faculty at large. The examiners will report to the Dean of Graduate Studies as to whether the thesis, and the student’s defense of it, are satisfactory or not.

If major revision is not required by the external examiner, an oral defense will be convened by the Dean of Graduate Studies, chaired by himself or his designate and conducted by all members of the examining committee.

PhD comprehensive examination requirement

PhD candidates are required to complete a comprehensive examination in the form of a research proposal on a topic related to but distinct from the student’s thesis topic. The written proposal will be prepared by the student and must include: 1) a critical survey of the directly related literature in the field, 2) an explanation of the relevant background, and 3) a research proposal related to the topic. The student will present the proposal at an oral examination conducted by an examining committee appointed by the Director of the program, consisting of the members of the student’s Supervisory Committee and at least one additional faculty member.

Academic advisor talking to student

Frequently asked questions

Visit the Office of the Registrar website for more information.

Pending Board of Governors approval. All fees are subject to change.   2019/2020 Tuition

MASc – under “Graduate Programs – Master’s”, Canadian – $6307.20; Visa – $17,096.22 per year

PhD – under “Graduate Programs – PHD”, Canadian & Visa – $6307.20 per year

Full time MASc students receive funding from the department/supervisor in the form of scholarships and/or teaching assistantships (funding is for 24 months). Full time PhD students receive funding from the department/supervisor in the form of scholarships and/or teaching assistantships (funding is for 48 months). 

Yes, M.A.Sc and Ph.D students need to have a supervisor.

Applicants are not required to find a supervisor themselves however it is necessary that you reach out to them yourself.  All faculty members are able to see all completed applications.  If a faculty member is interested they will reach out to you.

Your completed application is sent for review and available to all our faculty members. You will be notified as soon as possible, but in peak periods, this review can take up to 12 weeks.

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