Bio-Medical Science

Why Study Bio-Medical Science at U of G?

The Bio-Medical Science program at the University of Guelph provides a broad and integrated foundation in human and animal health, including through the study of physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, epidemiology, immunology, pathology, and nutrition, as well as opportunities to build the practical skills you’ll need after graduation.

With flexibility built in, you can tailor your studies to the areas that interest you most, choosing from courses in human and animal health and disease.

This major prepares you to meet the entry requirements for professional programs such as medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, or physiotherapy, as well as advanced studies. It also equips you with the knowledge and skills to pursue diverse careers in government, industry, business, education, and health-related research.

Broaden Your Knowledge of Human and Animal Health

This joint program offered through the Department of Human Health Sciences and the Department of Biomedical Sciences provides students with a broad and integrated foundational overview of human and animal health through the study of function, structure, and paraclinical sciences.

Unique Hands-on Experience

Bio-Medical Science students study human and animal anatomy through hands-on dissection courses. In the Human Anatomy Lab, they learn directly from human body donors, an opportunity available to few undergraduates in Canada. A comparative anatomy course includes dissections of small and large animals, providing valuable preparation for future veterinarians.

Forge Your Biomedical Career

The program prepares students for professional programs, such as medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, veterinary medicine, advanced studies, and a wide range of careers, including in research, industry, government and education. The Bio-Medical Science major will help you meet the entry requirements for medical school or veterinary school in Ontario.

To see all courses offered in the Bio-Medical Science program, visit our Academic Calendar.

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Top Comprehensive University: in Canada (Maclean’s)
Top 150 in the World: for Life Sciences (Times Higher Education 2025)
Top 20% in the World: for Biological Sciences (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)
Top 6 in Canada for Life Sciences: Top 4 for Life Sciences Teaching (THE 2025)

Careers in Bio-Medical Science

Bio-Medical Science graduates enjoy challenging careers in human and veterinary medicine and health care, including dentistry, physiotherapy, and pharmacology, as well as industry, government and research.

Here are a few careers our graduates have successfully pursued:

Physician
Dentist
Veterinarian
Pharmacist
Professor

Medical sales
Physiotherapist
Quality control officer

Hear From a Bio-Medical Science Student and Graduates

Joining the Bio-Medical Science program has been one of the best decisions I've made. The diverse course options and labs have greatly enriched my academics. I love the program's flexibility, allowing students to explore different paths. My favourite experience was taking a comparative mammalian anatomy course, where I got to study the anatomy and later dissect species like horses, sheep, dogs, and cats!

Jeeval Singh, Alumni
Bio-Medical Science (BSc '25)

As an international student from China, I chose the University of Guelph for its top-ranked veterinary school. In my second year, I discovered a profound interest in utilizing biological processes to restore health. This realization led me to pivot from animal health to human health, a transition that was seamlessly supported by program counselors. My degree has been filled with opportunities to gain hands-on experience, including working as a summer lab assistant and undergraduate thesis student. As I prepare to embark on the next phase of my academic journey, I am confident that the skills I've cultivated at U of G will continue to propel me toward a future marked by innovation and impactful contributions to my chosen field.

Juntian Bu, Alumni
Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '24)

[Bio-Medical Science] really is a pre-med program. When I eventually went to the University of Toronto for medical school, the first two years of classroom lectures mimicked my four years here, including the anatomy program. So, for me – not that it was easy – but it was a little bit of a reminder. I felt well-prepared. I don’t know if people realize that the anatomy program here at Guelph is the only one of its kind outside of medical schools across Canada. Where else are you going to get that?

Dr. Stephanie Milone, Alumni
Family Physician, Chief of Emergency, Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '96)
Hear how Guelph helped launch her career

Bio-med graduate Rebecca Romanishen standing outside, wearing a lab coat with her hands in her pockets.

Throughout my degree, I genuinely felt like I was being supported by the professors. I really appreciated how open so many professors were to research opportunities or connecting you to other professors. Especially when applying to post-grad programs in the health sciences, getting research experience is essential and I found there was so much opportunity to find it. I would advocate for anyone to come to U of G, especially if you are pre-pharmacy, medicine, dentistry or considering any other competitive post-grad program.

Rebecca Romanishen, Alumni
Pharmacy Student, Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '23)
Read more about how Guelph prepared Rebecca for a career in Pharmacy

Close-up portrait of Maya smiling, dressed in a white lab coat, with a red background.

The knowledge I gained at U of G was invaluable to getting me where I am now. The diversity of courses I took helped me establish a strong foundation to continue my education in medicine. The curriculum applies to many healthcare fields, whether you hope to continue your studies in a master’s program, pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, or veterinary.

Maya Fields, Alumni
Medical Student, Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '23)
Read more about how Guelph opened the door to a career in Medicine for Maya

What I loved most about the Bio-Medical Science program was how well it prepared me for various healthcare professions. Different graduate schools have specific prerequisites, and many of those were built into the curriculum, making it easier to tailor my studies. A lot of Bio-Med graduates rave about the Human Anatomy Lab, and for good reason. It was such a unique experience to explore human anatomy in a hands-on environment in small groups.

Emily Kalbfleisch, Alumni
Speech-Language Pathology Student, Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '23)
Read more about Emily's experiences.

The Bio-Medical Science program prepares you for many different fields of science, creating a broad interdisciplinary range of knowledge. It teaches you how to be a scientist, starting with basic, essential knowledge and slowly allowing you to dive into specific aspects of interest. Although I came into this program wanting to be a veterinarian, I still took a lot of courses in human medicine, in order to have a fuller understanding. The Human Anatomy program profoundly impacted my life and learning, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of such an incredible experience that is so rare in undergrad. After three years of university at Guelph, I got into veterinary school and can now reflect on how helpful this program was in preparing me for my future career.

Isabel Cormie
Veterinary School Student
Watch a day in the life of a Bio-Medical Science student

Joining the Bio-Medical Science program has been one of the best decisions I've made. The diverse course options and labs have greatly enriched my academics. I love the program's flexibility, allowing students to explore different paths. My favourite experience was taking a comparative mammalian anatomy course, where I got to study the anatomy and later dissect species like horses, sheep, dogs, and cats!

Jeeval Singh, Alumni
Bio-Medical Science (BSc '25)

As an international student from China, I chose the University of Guelph for its top-ranked veterinary school. In my second year, I discovered a profound interest in utilizing biological processes to restore health. This realization led me to pivot from animal health to human health, a transition that was seamlessly supported by program counselors. My degree has been filled with opportunities to gain hands-on experience, including working as a summer lab assistant and undergraduate thesis student. As I prepare to embark on the next phase of my academic journey, I am confident that the skills I've cultivated at U of G will continue to propel me toward a future marked by innovation and impactful contributions to my chosen field.

Juntian Bu, Alumni
Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '24)

[Bio-Medical Science] really is a pre-med program. When I eventually went to the University of Toronto for medical school, the first two years of classroom lectures mimicked my four years here, including the anatomy program. So, for me – not that it was easy – but it was a little bit of a reminder. I felt well-prepared. I don’t know if people realize that the anatomy program here at Guelph is the only one of its kind outside of medical schools across Canada. Where else are you going to get that?

Dr. Stephanie Milone, Alumni
Family Physician, Chief of Emergency, Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '96)
Hear how Guelph helped launch her career

Throughout my degree, I genuinely felt like I was being supported by the professors. I really appreciated how open so many professors were to research opportunities or connecting you to other professors. Especially when applying to post-grad programs in the health sciences, getting research experience is essential and I found there was so much opportunity to find it. I would advocate for anyone to come to U of G, especially if you are pre-pharmacy, medicine, dentistry or considering any other competitive post-grad program.

Rebecca Romanishen, Alumni
Pharmacy Student, Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '23)
Read more about how Guelph prepared Rebecca for a career in Pharmacy

The knowledge I gained at U of G was invaluable to getting me where I am now. The diversity of courses I took helped me establish a strong foundation to continue my education in medicine. The curriculum applies to many healthcare fields, whether you hope to continue your studies in a master’s program, pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, or veterinary.

Maya Fields, Alumni
Medical Student, Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '23)
Read more about how Guelph opened the door to a career in Medicine for Maya

What I loved most about the Bio-Medical Science program was how well it prepared me for various healthcare professions. Different graduate schools have specific prerequisites, and many of those were built into the curriculum, making it easier to tailor my studies. A lot of Bio-Med graduates rave about the Human Anatomy Lab, and for good reason. It was such a unique experience to explore human anatomy in a hands-on environment in small groups.

Emily Kalbfleisch, Alumni
Speech-Language Pathology Student, Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '23)
Read more about Emily's experiences.

The Bio-Medical Science program prepares you for many different fields of science, creating a broad interdisciplinary range of knowledge. It teaches you how to be a scientist, starting with basic, essential knowledge and slowly allowing you to dive into specific aspects of interest. Although I came into this program wanting to be a veterinarian, I still took a lot of courses in human medicine, in order to have a fuller understanding. The Human Anatomy program profoundly impacted my life and learning, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of such an incredible experience that is so rare in undergrad. After three years of university at Guelph, I got into veterinary school and can now reflect on how helpful this program was in preparing me for my future career.

Isabel Cormie
Veterinary School Student
Watch a day in the life of a Bio-Medical Science student

Joining the Bio-Medical Science program has been one of the best decisions I've made. The diverse course options and labs have greatly enriched my academics. I love the program's flexibility, allowing students to explore different paths. My favourite experience was taking a comparative mammalian anatomy course, where I got to study the anatomy and later dissect species like horses, sheep, dogs, and cats!

Jeeval Singh, Alumni
Bio-Medical Science (BSc '25)

As an international student from China, I chose the University of Guelph for its top-ranked veterinary school. In my second year, I discovered a profound interest in utilizing biological processes to restore health. This realization led me to pivot from animal health to human health, a transition that was seamlessly supported by program counselors. My degree has been filled with opportunities to gain hands-on experience, including working as a summer lab assistant and undergraduate thesis student. As I prepare to embark on the next phase of my academic journey, I am confident that the skills I've cultivated at U of G will continue to propel me toward a future marked by innovation and impactful contributions to my chosen field.

Juntian Bu, Alumni
Bio-Medical Science Graduate (BSc '24)