While a biomedical sciences degree provides a clear path toward a career in medicine, not every student graduates wanting to go to medical school. So, what can you do with a biomedical sciences degree? In addition to becoming a doctor, there are a number of strong options, such as careers in other healthcare fields like naturopathy or physiotherapy, as well as direct pathways into biotechnology or public health in streams such as research and even entrepreneurship.

The Honours Bachelor of Science – Biomedical Sciences program at the University of Niagara Falls Canada (UNF) – the country’s newest university – is a launchpad for this exciting range of career paths. With small classes capped at 40 students, an agile curriculum, and virtual reality lab experiences, UNF’s program is designed to produce “immediately employable” graduates, says Dena Atallah, an assistant professor with UNF’s Biomedical Sciences faculty.

Atallah knows the value of biomed sci programs firsthand. “I applied for medical school twice and didn’t get in. If I didn’t have a biomedical sciences background, I wouldn’t have had many options,” she says. “Biomedical sciences allowed me to pivot, and I was able to take courses that told me which way to pivot.”

What is Biomedical Sciences?

Biomedical sciences is the study of how the human body functions, combining disciplines like biology, chemistry, physiology, and genetics. It’s focused on understanding the mechanisms behind human health and how those can be used to prevent, diagnose, and treat illness. Students in biomedical sciences programs typically study topics like human anatomy, microbiology, pharmacology, and pathology, while developing practical skills in research and laboratory techniques​.

What Can I Do With a Biomedical Sciences Degree?

This degree is often chosen by students planning to pursue careers in medicine, but its applications go beyond clinical settings. Here are six potential career paths you can pursue with a biomedical sciences degree.

1. Medical Careers

Possible career paths include: doctor; physician; surgeon

For students pursuing medical degrees, a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences is a great option. Recognized as one of the best pre-med programs in Canada, biomedical sciences students benefit from a rigorous foundation in human biology, chemistry, and physiology, while also getting essential hands-on training in labs.

UNF’s Biomedical Sciences program offers a direct and strategic route into medical school. Through partnerships with accredited Caribbean medical schools, eligible students are given conditional acceptance and can progress directly into an MD program after third year if they meet academic requirements. “At UNF, I think students see [biomedical sciences] as a direct path [to medical school] because of that pathway program,” Atallah says.

If students intend to stay in Canada for medical school, UNF’s program prepares them extensively. In addition to its rigorous academic foundation, the university offers dedicated advising and a pre-med club that supports students through the medical school application process.

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2. Other Healthcare Careers

Possible career paths include: physiotherapist; occupational therapist; naturopath; osteopath; chiropractor; physician’s assistant; advanced nurse practitioner

Healthcare isn’t limited to physicians who go to med school. There are plenty of other health-focused professions to pursue that focus on physical and mental wellness. “[Biomed sci] is a really strategic starting point,” Atallah says.

Bonnie Schmidt, president and founder of STEM education outreach organization Let’s Talk Science, agrees, saying biomed sci graduates can pursue “pretty much anything in a health-adjacent field.” That said, she points out that despite not requiring medical school, those career paths do still require additional training and education – though a biomedical sciences degree helps lay the groundwork.

Employers and graduate programs in healthcare fields want candidates who can adapt quickly to changing circumstances and new technologies – which is why UNF’s curriculum stands out. The program’s VR labs allow students to peel back a body’s layers and see how each organ functions. “[To] take that knowledge you’re learning on paper and look at it in front of you before you even see a human being,” says Atallah, “that is such a unique experience.”​

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3. Biotechnology Careers (including Health-Tech and Pharmaceuticals)

Possible career paths include: lab technologist; research assistant; product manager; account executive; communications and marketing manager

Biomedical sciences graduates aren’t confined to hospitals and clinics. Biotech startups, pharmaceutical companies, and health-tech firms are increasingly hiring graduates for technical and business-facing roles. Sales, marketing, product development, communications, and policy are just a few areas where these students can thrive, including some roles that don’t require further education.

“Marketing at a pharmaceutical company would be a really interesting opportunity,” Schmidt advises of jobs straight out of undergrad. “If there’s lab experience with the program you’re doing, you could be a research associate as well.”

Atallah adds that it’s common for biomed sci graduates to end up in private health-related or biotech careers. “You have the health sciences knowledge, [and] the knowledge of what happens in people’s bodies,” she says.

That blend of technical expertise and job-ready skills is core to UNF’s approach. Through project-based learning, case studies, and courses in areas like scientific communication and community health, students gain experience applying their knowledge to real-world problems. “I think you make a lot of connections between technical knowledge and practical knowledge because of the way we design our courses,” Atallah says.

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4. Research Careers

Possible career paths include: lab technologist; research assistant; junior bench scientist; professor

Biomedical sciences are also an ideal choice for students looking to work in academic, clinical, or corporate research. For instance, upon graduation, students may directly pursue research work in hospitals, private labs, or biotech firms. Others who want to continue their schooling while doing research may pursue a master’s or PhD in fields like microbiology, pharmacology, or epidemiology.

At UNF, students don’t need to wait until graduate school to gain research and lab experience since it’s already woven into the curriculum. “Of course our students are academically successful, but they also have those other skills that we want to make sure they build throughout their years,” Atallah says.

For example, students don’t just gain technical experience at UNF. They also build critical knowledge in academic writing, presentation, and scientific communication, all of which are transferable skills that give them a professional edge.

5. Science Communication and Public Health Careers

Possible career paths include; communications officer; technical writer; epidemiologist; health policy analyst; environmental health officer; public health program manager

Biomedical sciences graduates are well-positioned to pursue careers in science communication, public health education, and healthcare policy. From writing for scientific publications to managing stakeholder communications for health organizations, employers value the ability to clearly communicate complex scientific topics.

Some graduates may go on to influence health legislation, develop public health campaigns, or guide the implementation of new technologies in healthcare settings by working with public health units, health ministries, or public health organizations.

Thanks to its curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, transferable skills, and real-world relevance, this is another area where UNF’s program shines. “Built into our rubrics, you have to be able to demonstrate critical thinking, and you have to be able to demonstrate some sort of communication skills, some sort of analytical skills – that’s what we evaluate for,” Atallah says.

6. Biotech Entrepreneurship and Other Emerging Fields

A degree in biomedical sciences lays the groundwork for innovation, allowing students to dream up and experiment with new and exciting projects. With the rise of personalized medicine, digital health, and biotech entrepreneurship, students with a strong foundation in biomedicine and an interest in business or technology can carve out entirely new career paths.

“Coupled with a law degree, you could be getting into patents,” Schmidt says, highlighting the flexible value of a biomed sci degree. “If you went into business… You could be an entrepreneur and join a startup or actually create a startup because of the background that you’d have in that particular area.”​

Atallah herself worked with a humanitarian engineering firm before joining UNF. She now teaches and mostly focuses on research for women’s health.

“Even though I was 100 percent certain I wanted to go to med school at one point, because it didn’t work out, having biomedical sciences as that strategic fallback was probably the best decision I made,” Atallah says.

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Carving Out Your Career Path at UNF

UNF’s Biomedical Sciences program is built on a bold vision: to equip students with the knowledge, experience, and adaptability to thrive in a changing world. The school is designed to give students personalized attention and provides local students in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area and Niagara regions a hometown university experience that prioritizes individualized education, community involvement, and career readiness.

In a field as dynamic as biomedical sciences, the mentorship and support UNF provides its students can make all the difference.

“We have our hands in the community,” Atallah says of UNF’s faculty and program. “Students are very much involved in the same way, which gives them that experiential knowledge.”​

“A biomedical sciences degree can really open up a lot of fields that people may not even realize exist or will exist in four years or five years,” Schmidt says. “It will open the door to many opportunities.”​

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