Biological and Medical Physics

The study of physics with respect to health-related disciplines.

Biological and Medical Physics used to be called Life Physics in earlier years.

As an experiment in your labs, you'll learn about how data, transmitted from the sensor on a patient's fingertip, is used to evaluate the instantaneous heart rate. You'll evaluate and plot the data to see how it varies with time and physical activity.

It's going tibia okay.

Harness the power of physics and apply it to biological systems. Be prepared for entering health-related professional schools, like medical school, by combining your passion for physics with the renowned world of life sciences. Discover the latest in biophysics and medical physics by taking courses related to these fascinating subjects.

By accessing our state-of-the-art labs and applying your knowledge through experiential learning, you’ll be prepared to work in the fast-evolving and interdisciplinary fields of health technology, like radiation oncology and medical imaging.                                                                                                           

This major is available in the co-op and regular stream of study

Options and Minors

Explore all minors, options and specializations available in Waterloo Science.

Astrophysics Minor:

• Suppose you're interested in the life sciences and the space sciences and are learning to apply problem-solving skills. In that case, the astrophysics minor will allow you to tackle complex mathematical/physical problems and strengthen critical thinking and computational skills that are transferable to medical imaging and biophysics.

• "Astrobiology" allows one to connect biological systems with astrophysical phenomena.

Bioinformatics Options

IT'S ALL IN THE CODE! You've decided that pursuing a degree in science makes sense for you - but what if you want something that takes you to the next level in DNA technologies? Our Bioinformatics Option might be what you're looking for. You'll learn how to take vast amounts of scientific and biological data that would take years to sort through manually, and process it in computational terms in just a matter of minutes. Talk to an academic advisor in second year to add this to your degree. This option is open to all Faculty of Science students.

Learn more

• Apply via Physical Sciences on the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC).
• Learn about our minors available to Faculty of Science students.
• Learn more about co-op.
• See more in the science careers list.