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%
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.
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.
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 BEngBME stream into the BHSc 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.
Students interested in transferring to iBioMed from another program at McMaster are encouraged to submit their application request before registration. All transfer requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.