McMaster Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences I- Discovery Track

McMaster University

The published admission average for Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences I- Discovery Track at McMaster University is 90% for September 2027 entry, under OUAC code MID. This program also requires a supplementary application.

You study engineering and health sciences together, focusing on how biology and chemistry apply to medical devices, treatments, and health problems. Unlike a standard engineering program, you're embedded in health sciences from day one, and you'll do paid work terms in hospitals, biotech companies, or medical device firms. This suits people who want to solve real health challenges through technology but aren't sure yet whether they prefer the engineering or health science side.

Plain-English summary. The universities publish requirements but not an explanation of the program, so this one is written for you and checked against the official listing above. Read the university’s own page before you decide.

Admission average

90%

OUAC code

MID

Study options

Co-op

McMaster University publishes this as “A minimum of 90% is required for consideration. Admission is by selection.” — and notes the average actually needed can sit above the published figure.

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Supplementary application requiredCo-op available

What’s the McMaster Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences I- Discovery Track acceptance rate?

McMaster University doesn't publish an acceptance rate for Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences I- Discovery Track, and no Ontario university publishes one for any program. What it publishes is the admission average: 90% for September 2027 entry. McMaster acceptance rate, program by program

Admission requirements

Required: ENG4U, MCV4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SPH4U

McMaster’s own wording

English 4U
Calculus & Vectors 4U
Biology 4U
Chemistry 4U
Physics 4U
See Ontario high school course codes.

How many other programs require these outright:

Also required

OUAC application deadline: January 15, 2027.
Admission is by selection and applications will be required to complete a mandatory
supplementary application
by January 28, 2027, at 11:59 pm (ET). Applicants will be notified of details.
Alternative Offers
If you are interested in specific alternative programs, include your choice(s) on your OUAC application (up to the maxiumum of 3). McMaster will give full consideration to each program selection.

Degrees

Bachelor of Engineering, BEng · Bachelor of Health Sciences, BHSc

What it costs

First-year tuition at McMaster is $6,163.20 for an Ontario student in arts and science in 2026–27. Engineering and iBioMed, Level 1 ($12,694.70) and Integrated Business and Humanities ($10,293) cost more. McMaster tuition, program by program

Source: McMaster University on Ontario Universities’ Info. Grade ranges change year to year and are not guarantees — confirm with the university before you apply.

What this leads to

The picture for biotechnology as of 2026-08-17, not a description of this particular program.

Biotechnology graduates work as research associates, laboratory technicians, quality assurance analysts, or assay developers in pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and biotech companies. Some move into manufacturing roles, technical sales, or research support in academic institutions.

In its favour

Growing sector: Canada projects 65,000 new biotech jobs by 2029, with the industry already employing over 200,000 people.
Skill flexibility: Your degree works in healthcare, agriculture, environmental sustainability, and diagnostics—not locked to one path.
Salary growth: Entry-level is modest but experienced specialists earn CAD 120,000+, especially in research hubs and pharma.
Hands-on science: You spend time in actual labs doing real work with biological systems, not sitting at a desk.

Worth knowing

Four years for work that many employers will hire for with a two-year college diploma—longer education than the job market actually requires.
Routine bench work is being automated now: sample prep, liquid handling, data analysis are already being done by robotic systems and AI. Entry-level technician tasks are what's most exposed.
Modest starting pay: Entry-level roles start around CAD 43,000, and the average salary range only reaches CAD 55,000–82,000 before you move into management or specialized research.
You'll likely need specialized experience or a graduate degree (Master's or PhD) to move beyond entry-level technician work into actual research scientist roles.

How AI is changing this work

Traditional manual benchwork is being augmented or replaced by robotic systems and cloud-based platforms, and this is happening right now in 2026, not as a future threat. AI-enabled robots are being deployed to streamline sample prep and analysis while freeing scientists to carry out higher-value work. By the time you graduate in 2031, the routine tasks you'd do as an entry-level technician—pipetting, sample preparation, running basic assays—will likely be more automated. The field won't disappear, but the jobs waiting for new graduates will demand either (1) advanced skills in AI, data analysis, and lab informatics, or (2) a willingness to move quickly out of bench work into project management, quality assurance, or graduate-level research. The demand for biotech talent is real, but the shape of that work is shifting away from hands-on bench tasks.

Where this came from (6 sources)

Deadline reminders

This program needs a supplementary application, and those close before the January OUAC deadline — some in early December. We’ll email you before the ones that apply to Integrated Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences I- Discovery Track.

We send your email address and the programs you’ve starred, so the reminders are the right ones. Your marks and your average are never sent — they stay in this browser. Deadline emails only, and you can reply to stop them.

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