Biomedical Sciences Schools and Programs in The United States

Biomedical Sciences Studies in The United States

Biomedical sciences study how the human body works at the level of molecules, cells, tissues and organs, and what goes wrong in disease. The field brings together biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, immunology, microbiology, neuroscience and pharmacology, and it is the scientific basis of medical research, drug development and laboratory diagnostics. In the United States it is taught both as an undergraduate major, often chosen by students who plan to go on to medical school or research, and above all as a research-focused PhD at universities with medical schools and research institutes.

Qualifications and levels

EducationUSA summarises the US degree levels: a bachelor's degree takes four or five years, a master's about two years and a doctorate five to eight years. In biomedical sciences this usually means:

• Bachelor's degrees in biomedical science or a related life science, with laboratory work and the usual pre-medical courses
• Master's degrees, which can lead to research or laboratory posts after some experience
• PhD programmes, often organised as an umbrella programme in which students rotate through laboratories before choosing a specialism
• Combined MD/PhD programmes, which pair research training with a medical degree

Examples from the schools' own pages: The Ohio State University's College of Medicine offers an undergraduate major in Biomedical Science, which started in autumn 2005. Its curriculum includes the traditional pre-med courses together with classes in research literature, laboratory techniques, healthcare policy and immunology, genetics and cancer, and students can take part in research from their first year. Admission is competitive, with about 25 freshmen admitted each year; for autumn 2027 the application is due on 15 November 2026.

At doctoral level, the Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) is the admissions gateway to a PhD in many bioscience disciplines: students spend their first year within BBS and then concentrate on a specialised area. Biomedical Graduate Studies at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine groups its PhD programmes into areas such as cell and molecular biology, genomics and computational biology, immunology, neuroscience and pharmacology; applications for autumn 2027 are accepted from 1 October to 1 December 2026. The Rockefeller University in New York offers a graduate programme in the biomedical sciences, chemistry and biophysics in which, according to the university, students receive full financial support and pay no tuition.

Admission and visa

Bachelor's programmes admit students after secondary school; some biomedical science majors, like Ohio State's, require a separate application. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), applicants to master's and doctoral programmes typically have a bachelor's degree in biology or a related science such as chemistry. Funding differs between programmes, so check each programme's financial support pages before applying.

Degree students at accredited colleges and universities use the F student visa. Before applying for it, students must be accepted by a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which issues the Form I-20.

Where to study biomedical sciences in the United States

Most programmes are at research universities with medical centres. Examples on this page include Harvard University in Cambridge, Yale University in New Haven, the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University in Philadelphia, The Rockefeller University in New York, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, The Ohio State University in Columbus, The Pennsylvania State University, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the University of California Santa Barbara, San Diego State University, Colorado State University, Texas Tech University and West Virginia University. Smaller colleges such as Christian Brothers University in Memphis, the University of Northern Colorado and SUNY Cortland, and two-year colleges such as McLennan Community College and Richard Bland College, offer undergraduate routes into the field.

Careers

Graduates work in research institutes, hospitals, universities, diagnostic laboratories and pharmaceutical companies; these are the largest employers of medical scientists listed by the BLS. According to the BLS, medical scientists typically need a PhD or a medical degree, although some positions are open to candidates with a master's degree and experience. Medical scientists held about 181,000 jobs in 2025, and their median annual wage was $103,410 in May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 13 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average, with about 10,500 openings a year. PhD graduates often start in postdoctoral research positions.

Frequently asked questions

Is a biomedical science degree the same as medicine?

No. A biomedical science degree trains scientists who study disease; it does not qualify you to treat patients. In the US, medicine is a separate graduate degree (MD), and some programmes combine an MD with a PhD.

How long does a PhD in biomedical sciences take?

EducationUSA describes US doctorates as five- to eight-year programmes. Many biomedical PhDs start with a first year of courses and laboratory rotations before students choose a specialism.

What can I do with a biomedical sciences degree?

Graduates work in research, the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, diagnostic laboratories or go on to medical school. Research scientist posts usually require a PhD or medical degree, according to the BLS.

Do biomedical PhD students in the US pay tuition?

It depends on the programme. Some, such as The Rockefeller University, state that students receive full financial support and pay no tuition; check each programme's funding pages.