Biomedical Engineering - MASc – Faculty of Engineering

Biomedical Engineering – MASc

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

Length
2 years
Degree
Master of Applied Science (Co-op Available)
Type
Thesis-based
Options

Co-op

Admission requirements

Academic Prerequisites

Honours Bachelor’s Degree (4 Year) in Engineering, Sciences, or equivalent.

Find English language requirements here.

Anticipated Admission Range
Min B+ (77-79%) in final 2 years
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

Academic TermApplication OpensDomestic Application DeadlineInternational Application Deadline
JanuaryFebruary 15October 31July 1
SeptemberOctober 1June 30March 15

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). 

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

Students must complete a thesis to be examined by a committee of no fewer than three members (supervisor(s) plus two additional faculty members, one of whom may be from a department other than Biomedical Engineering).

The thesis will be defended by the candidate in an oral examination before this committee and such other members as may be appointed by the Director. The time of the defense will be set typically 2 weeks after the submission of the completed thesis.

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.

How to apply

Understand every step, from applying, to accepting your offer and joining us on campus!

Request more information

Thank you for your interest in our Graduate Studies. Please fill out the form below, and we will connect with you to answer all of your questions.

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