Why It’s a Great Time to Pursue Masters in Biomedical Engineering in Canada?

Canada has got an aging population. Besides, Canada has also got a huge shortage of biomedical engineering talent. The country struggled a lot to manufacture vaccines and PPE kits during the pandemic. As per the estimates, Canada requires more than 16,000 bio-manufacturing personnel by 2029. In this post, we will look at the biomedical engineering job scopes in Canada. Additionally, we will also look at the top universities for Masters in Biomedical Engineering in Canada, eligibility, cost, and salary.

Biomedical Engineering in Canada: Demand and Scopes

The COVID-19 highlighted a significant gap in the Canadian bio-economy; especially, within bio-manufacturing and bio-processing capacities. Canada struggled a lot to produce sufficient PPE kits. They also lacked a domestic capacity to develop and manufacture vaccines.

The Canadian Government is investing more than $2.2 billion over seven years to continue growing a strong, competitive bio-manufacturing and life sciences sector, and to ensure Canada is prepared for future pandemics.

Why does Canada need Biomedical Engineers?

Biomedical engineers study, design, develop, evaluate, manage, and support biological and medical systems and products, including artificial organs, prostheses, medical instruments, and information systems. Just about any technology that is used to diagnose or treat medical conditions was created by a biomedical engineer.

As Canada’s aging baby boomer population heads into retirement, their health care needs are expected to swell. Healthcare is already a $228 billion industry in Canada, with an average cost of over $6,200 per person!

As you can imagine, the demand for new and more efficient medical technology shows no signs of slowing down, and continued innovation in the field will be vital to providing a high quality of life for Canada’s growing senior population in the coming years.

How COVID-19 Highlighted the Demand for Biomedical Engineering Graduates in Canada?

COVID-19 has exposed Canada’s lack of vaccine manufacturing capacity, but the country has vibrant biotech and life-sciences research sector, driven by an excellent university ecosystem and several thousand startup ventures doing cutting-edge research.

Insights on Industry Demand

• 67% of employers of bio-economy organizations in Canada are looking for graduates from biological and biomedical sciences programs.
• Around 50% also look for workers with engineering qualifications (53%) and multi- or interdisciplinary backgrounds (45%).
• This indicates a need for people with specialized technical/research skills as well as those who understand the broader business context. Finding people with the right sets of skills seems to be a top challenge for the sector.
• One-quarter (25%) of bio-health job openings will be for R&D roles, with the next most-needed being management, finance, and administration functions (16%) and manufacturing roles (14%).

Skill Requirements for Biomedical Engineers in Canada

• Soft skills: Almost one-third of employers surveyed (30%) said there is a lack of qualified candidates with practical/non-academic skills — the essential skills for success such as problem-solving, collaboration, and communication that can be harder to teach than technical skills.
• Technical skills: Employers reported two distinct kinds of technical skills gaps: those due to insufficient post-secondary training of new graduates and those in existing employees who do not keep up to date with new technologies or knowledge related to their occupation.
• Business skills: Companies looking to grow and commercialize innovations said it is important for workers (especially those in R&D roles) to have strong business-related knowledge and skills, which help them, see the bigger picture and understand what’s driving their work.

So, where can you study Biomedical Engineering Masters in Canada?

Let’s have a look at the top universities for Masters in Biomedical Engineering in Canada.

15 Best Universities for Masters in Biomedical Engineering in Canada

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Eligibility for Studying Masters in Biomedical Engineering in Canada

• 4-year Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject (Biotechnology, Engineering, Medicine, etc.)
• Minimum 70 – 75% (CGPA 7.5 – 8.0) in Bachelors (few top universities like UofT, UBC, McGill, and McMaster might need a minimum of 80% or CGPA 8.5+)
• IELTS (minimum 6.5 overall) / TOEFL (minimum 89) [a few universities might need a minimum score of 7.0 or 95 – 100]
• GRE score (not mandatory for all universities)
• Approval from Supervisor (a faculty member should agree to supervise your Master’s Thesis)

Related Article: How to Contact Potential Supervisors before Applying for MS in Canada

Cost of Studying Masters in Biomedical Engineering in Canada

• Tuition Fees: CAD $15,000 – $22,000 per year [thesis-based Masters can cost as low as CAD $9,000 per annum]
• Living Expenses: CAD $9,000 – $12,000 per annum
• The average cost of studying would be INR 18 – 32 Lacs over two years

Funding and Scholarships

If you find a supervisor who agrees to supervise your Master’s Thesis, chances are high that you will receive some form of tuition fee waiver (up to 100%) along with a monthly stipend (CAD $1,200 – $2,000).

Additionally, you can also consider the following scholarship schemes:

• University of Toronto: Delta Kappa Gamma World Fellowships, Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship
• UBC: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships
• McGill University: BME Excellence Awards, BME Davis Awards
• Western University: Western Graduate Research Scholarship
• University of Alberta: University of Alberta Thesis/Course-based Masters recruitment Scholarship
• University of Ottawa: Mitacs Globalink Fellowship, International Admission Scholarship, Ontario Graduate Scholarship
• McMaster University: Ontario Graduate Scholarship
• University of Calgary: Delta Kappa Gamma International Fellowship, Mackenzie King Scholarship, Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

Biomedical Engineering Salary in Canada

• Average salary: CAD $64,000 – $67,000 per year
• Entry-level positions start at CAD $52,500 per year, while most experienced workers make up to CAD $99,924 – $107,800 per year.
• Hourly rates: CAD $34 – $50 per hour

Popular Biomedical Engineering Specializations in Canada

• Bioinformatics
• Bioinstrumentation
• Biomaterials
• Biomechanics
• Biophotonics
• Cellular and tissue engineering
• Clinical engineering
• Medical or biological imaging
• Molecular bioengineering
• Bioelectrical

You might also like the following articles:

Top Universities for Biotechnology and Biomedical Science in Canada

How to Search for Jobs as an International Student in Canada

Top Courses to Study in Canada for Jobs and Immigration

Best Universities for MS Biomedical Engineering in USA

Featured Image Source: BioSpace

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.