Master of Medical Foundations
The Master of Medical Foundations program is subject to formal approval by the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance, with plans to welcome the first cohort in spring 2026. Please check back soon for more application details.
Launch your career in medicine and the allied health professions.
The Master of Medical Foundations (MMF) is an 11-month, course-based graduate program providing both theoretical and practical training in human anatomy, multisystem physiology, and disease and immunology, with a focus on the role of lifestyle medicine and social dimensions of health and wellbeing.
The MMF will provide you with unique hands-on learning experiences working with human body donors in the on-campus Human Anatomy Laboratory, complemented by interactive seminars and applied learning in physiology and immunology. You'll engage in problem-based learning, including through clinical case studies, simulations, and evidence-based research.
The program builds strong scientific and technical skills, while also providing a deep understanding of the social, economic, cultural and behavioural factors impacting human health. Lifestyle medicine and the social determinants of health are integrated throughout the MMF program, equipping graduates to take a holistic, compassionate, and human-centred approach into their future careers.
Inspired by Medical School Curriculum
The Master of Medical Foundations explores human health as a whole, integrating anatomy and physiology to understand how body structure and function interact in both health and disease. You'll delve into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease and participate in problem-based learning mimicking clinical scenarios.
Hands-on Anatomy Training
Through prosections, small-group and inquiry-based learning, you’ll learn directly from human body donors about anatomical structures, from the skeleton to the central nervous system, and apply your knowledge to clinical scenarios of injury, aging and disease.
Prepare for Your Future
The Master of Medical Foundation provides the knowledge and technical skills to either launch your career or pursue further studies through professional and graduate programs. With career-focused opportunities, including optional MCAT and allied health professional school application and interview preparation, you’ll have the confidence to pursue your academic or professional goals.
Degree Details
The Master of Medical Foundations is a three-semester (11-month) hands-on, course-based master’s program, beginning every year in the summer.
In the summer semester, students complete two courses focused on human anatomy and physiology (2.0 credits total). In the fall, students study mechanisms of disease (1.0 credit). In the winter, students focus on lifestyle medicine, and infection and immunity (1.0 credit).
Course Descriptions
This lab-intensive course examines the relationships and organization of the human skeleton, limbs, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, perineum, head, neck, and central nervous system. Students study anatomical structures from deep to superficial and trace their routes from proximal to distal, exploring pathways and connections of blood vessels and nerves. Utilizing prosections, students gain fundamental knowledge to examine medical-based scenarios of injury, aging, and disease, understanding the consequences in structure and function of the human body.
This course provides students with a robust understanding of key body systems and physiological concepts. Designed to challenge and stimulate interest in how the integrated function of systems is necessary for whole body function, this course covers neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, renal, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems. Students engage with their peers in problem-based learning to discuss and find solutions to various clinical case studies of disease, injury, and aging, and to link these to social determinants of health.
This graduate course provides an integrative understanding of the cellular, molecular, immunological, and systemic mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of major human diseases. Students explore how genetic, environmental, and social determinants converge to produce disease, and how this knowledge informs treatment strategies. Topics include inflammation, infection, cancer, metabolic disease, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular dysfunction, and immune-mediated disorders. A significant course component involves a group-based, problem-solving project simulating real-world disease investigation and intervention planning.
This course explores the evidence and principles that support the use of a Lifestyle Medicine approach to preserve and recover human health. Students learn about the pillars of Lifestyle Medicine (sleep, nutrition, movement, social connection, stress reduction, avoidance of harmful substances) and apply this knowledge to clinical contexts. This course encourages collaboration and a community of practice among students to discuss socio-economic factors that influence the adoption of Lifestyle Medicine practices.
This course provides an advanced understanding of immune system function and the molecular interactions between hosts and infectious pathogens. Students explore the major arms of the immune system and mechanisms by which bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evade or manipulate host immunity. Applied topics include immunopathology, vaccine platforms, monoclonal antibody design, and host-directed therapeutics. Emphasis is placed on foundational knowledge relevant to medicine and public health, especially in the context of pandemics and immune-based interventions.
- Top 150 in the World
- for Life Sciences (Times Higher Education 2025)
- #1 in Total Research Dollars
- in Canada for a Comprehensive University (Maclean’s)
- Top 20% in the World
- For Biological Sciences (QS Top Universities 2025)
- Top 170 in the World
- for Anatomy and Physiology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025)
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
More than 40 faculty members in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, part of the College of Biological Science, direct multidisciplinary research programs that address novel biological questions on molecular and cellular scales. Research in the department spans a range of important eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems, and addresses fundamental and applied research problems. Faculty strengths include biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology and genetics, plant biology, neuroscience, and vaccinology.
Department of Human Health Sciences
The Department of Human Health Sciences, part of the College of Biological Science, has more than 25 faculty members specializing in a variety of research areas. These efforts are focused on understanding the basic underlying biological aspects of health, at the level of the individual, not community or populations. Research efforts are underway to better understand aging, neurological/sensory disorders, osteoarthritis, and chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type II diabetes, among many other topics.
Human Anatomy
The Human Anatomy Laboratory, part of the College of Biological Science, has been preparing students for careers in medicine, health care and research since 1968. Through lectures, small-group learning and full-dissection labs, students learn about the organization and relationship of anatomical structures directly from whole-body donors. Every spring, donors are honoured at the Celebration of Life and Learning event, where students express their gratitude and share what they have learned through their experiences in the lab.
Beyond for-credit courses, the laboratory is also regularly opened to community partners, offering educational sessions to emergency room doctors, firefighters, paramedics, massage therapists and more.
Career Paths
The Master of Medical Foundation provides a distinct advantage to prospective medical students, as well as training for a wide variety of careers in the allied health professions, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment development and sales, and medical insurance, among others. The program also supports applications to other professional schools, including dentistry and optometry, or advanced studies in the biomedical and health science fields.
MMF graduates may find careers as:
- Medical doctors
- Biotechnologists
- Dentists
- Epidemiologists
- Laboratory technologists
- Occupational therapist
- Optometrists
- Outreach workers
- Pharmaceutical salespeople
- Physiotherapists
- Physicians assistants
- Research technicians
Admission Details
To be admitted into this program, students must have successfully completed a bachelor/baccalaureate of science in an honours program or the equivalent from a recognized university in any field. The minimum average for admissions is B- in the last two years of full-time equivalent study. If the students’ first language is not English, they will be required to submit an acceptable result from one of the approved standardized English language tests. Minimum acceptable test scores are as follows:
- For TOEFL, a minimum score of 93, with a minimum score of 22 in each of the four categories
- For IELTS, a minimum score of 7.0, with a minimum of 6.5 in each component
- For Duolingo, a minimum overall score of 130, with a minimum score of 120 in each of the four categories
Language test exemptions will be granted students with degrees completed in English from a university in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and/or the United Kingdom. Please note that these test score requirements are higher than the general university requirements. We cannot accept applicants with test scores lower than the minima stated above.
The Master of Medical Foundations program will be offered every year in the spring, beginning in 2026.
Application information, including the application deadline, will be available soon.
Information about tuition and fees for the MMF program will be available soon. Watch the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Cost of Tuition page for details.
Contact Us
Dr. Graham Holloway, CBS Associate Dean: Research and Graduate Studies
ghollowa@uoguelph.ca
Karen White, Graduate Admissions Assistant
519-824-4120 ext. 52730
cbsgrad@uoguelph.ca