The Pre-Biomedical Engineering (PBME) timetable offers students the opportunity to follow a path that is a slight modification of the standard first year, Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) program. The timetable is designed to provide organized access to courses that are pre-requisites for the Biomedical Engineering (BME) program as well as give students a solid foundation in the application of engineering in the context of biological systems.
Students in the PBME timetable will have courses that vary slightly from the standard first-year timetable in the following way:
| Standard Timetable | Pre-BME Timetable |
| APSC 100, 101, 160 | APSC 100, 160, BMEG 101, 102 |
| CHEM 154 | CHEM 121, 123 |
| WRDS 1501 | WRDS 1501 |
| MATH 100, 101, 152 | MATH 100, 101, 152 |
| PHYS 157, 158, 159, 170 | PHYS 157, 158, 170 |
| Humanities or Social Science elective |
1 Or another first-year English Course.
Applying for a PBME timetable
The supplementary form to apply for a PBME timetable in 2025W will be open from February 28, 2025 – April 20, 2025.
All incoming students who have been admitted to the first year in the upcoming academic term are eligible to complete the application steps described below for approval to register in a PBME timetable. There are a limited number of timetables and selection is competitive. Completing the application steps does not guarantee that you will be granted permission to register in a PBME timetable.
Note: Biology 11, 12 or equivalent is strongly recommend, but is not required. Students must have completed one or both of Chemistry 12 (or equivalent) and Physics 12 (or equivalent).
PROCESS & DEADLINES:
The applicants must submit the supplementary form, which includes questions and a video interview. If an applicants’ submission is accepted, they must then accept their offer to both PBME and the UBC-BASc Offer, in order to be eligible for the PBMT timetable in First Year. Applicants who complete their application steps by the deadline will be informed before the end of April and prior to the May 1 offer deadline, if they will be registered into a PBME timetable. Please see below for the 2025W application process and deadlines.
SUPPLEMENTARY FORM (Deadline: April 20 at 11:59 pm PDT)
Applicants who have been admitted to the BASc program will be informed of the availability of the online form via email with a link to the supplementary form. They will have until April 20 at 11:59 pm PDT to complete the form and submit.
Applicants may email admissions@sbme.ubc.ca if they did not receive an email, and link to the supplementary form.
The supplementary form has 4 parts which require completion, and should be submitted via an online portal. Additional details will be in the email. The form should take no longer than an hour to complete.
Part 1: Personal Information
Applicants will be asked to provide personal information, including their name, email, student number and details about their academic history.
Part 2: Questions
There are two questions that applicants are asked to answer. Each question is limited to 250 words. Applicants will be asked for their personal insight on why they are interested in Pre-Biomedical Engineering and what makes them an exceptional candidate for it.
Part 3: Résumé/CV Upload
Applicants are asked to upload a recent copy of their résumé or Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Part 4: Video Interview
The submitted supplementary forms will be reviewed and the selected candidates will receive step-by-step instructions to submit a recorded video interview through a video submission platform.
Students who have submitted their supplementary form and have been selected for an interview will have from April 14 to April 16 at 11:59 pm to complete the video interview.
Students who apply after April 7th, and have been selected for an interview will have from April 29 to May 1 at 11:59 pm to complete the video interview.
PROGRAM PLACEMENT INTO BME
Importantly, acceptance into the PBME timetable does not guarantee program placement into the BME. However, students who are registered in the PBME timetable will be eligible for priority BME placement as noted in the BME FAQs.
QUESTIONS
For questions please contact Engineering Academic Services.