Who are we looking for?

We seek applicants who want to educate and be challenged on a daily basis.

We are looking for individuals who are:

• Fascinated by and conversant in science and interested in its clear communication;

• Excited by the idea of combining visual representation with science and state-of-the-art technology;

• Independent but interested in collaboration; students who push themselves to be excellent individuals but understand the importance of shared knowledge, and community.

• Diverse and have interdisciplinary academic backgrounds. This includes biology, pharmacology, art, chemistry, physiology, anatomy, nursing, kinesiology, and the humanities.

Are you looking for us?

Are you a visual thinker? Do you create drawings that help you to study or explain your ideas to classmates? Have you kept a sketchbook filled with drawings of specimens from your comparative zoology or entomology classes? Do you enjoy communicating concepts and ideas using visual means? Have you made a short film or video in the hopes of promoting understanding? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone; other successful applicants have answered “yes” too.

MScBMC Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the MScBMC graduate program, an applicant must have successfully completed the following:

1. A 4-­year undergraduate degree including the following prerequisite courses:

   • English (or an effective writing substitute)

   • A humanity (e.g., history, language arts, performing arts, philosophy, religion, visual arts) or social science (e.g., anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, linguistics, politics, psychology, or sociology) course

   • Biology

   • Cell and Molecular Biology and/or Histology

   • Introductory Physiology (mammalian or human)

   • At least one third or fourth year undergraduate course, from one or more of the following subject areas: Embryology, Histology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Immunology, Pharmacology or Genetics

   • NEW REQUIREMENT beginning 2024 for all applicants. Completion of a 0.5 credit/one semester first-year undergraduate chemistry course with a lab and lecture component (e.g., CHM 1351H1 Chemistry: Physical Principles or its equivalent)

   The following courses are not required, but are strongly recommended:

   • Human Anatomy or Comparative Anatomy

   See note on non-standard applicants below.

2. At least a mid-­B standing (73-76% or 3.0 based on 4-point scale) in the final two years of undergraduate study.*

3. Online SGS application including all required documentation (transcripts, Letter of Intent, academic references, etc.). For more information visit the application process page.

4. Portfolio Application in accordance with the portfolio submission requirements described on the portfolio page.

*Each year, the BMC program receives a large number of competitive applications for 18 available spaces. Applicants are evaluated based on their academic transcripts, portfolio, references, and interview. The grades indicated above should be considered minimum requirements. Successful applicant GPAs vary; as a point of reference, the final two-year average GPA for students admitted in 2024 was 3.86.

Please note: The MScBMC program does not offer advanced placement, credits for experiential learning, transfer credits from other biocommunications programs, or part-time studies.

Interested in applying? Learn more about our application process.

Non-Standard Applicants

University of Toronto’s School of Graduate Studies (SGS), which oversees and sets minimum requirements for all graduate programs at our university, requires that incoming graduate students have at least a four-year degree from a recognized institution with a “mid-B” GPA in the last two years.

There is, however, a process for considering an outstanding applicant who does not strictly meet the criteria: a “non-standard admission”. This requires that the program admissions committee deems the applicant an excellent candidate and then forwards the applicant for a review by SGS. This process is only for outstanding candidates and is not always successful. SGS does take into account a number of factors in this process, such as the number of years out of school, professional experience, and relevance of the earlier degree to the graduate program.