Showcase Your Ability, Strengthen Your Application
You’ll be ready to apply to top quality medical, dental or other professional schools when you complete a master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences (MBS) at the University of Northern Colorado. As an MBS student, you’ll take rigorous courses that improve your chances of gaining admission to a top professional school. Our students have raised their overall MCAT scores, and their average biological sciences scores have increased by 1.5.
Only 24 students each year can participate in the rigorous coursework required to earn the MBS in just two semesters. MBS students and faculty form a tight-knit, noncompetitive and nurturing learning community that strongly promotes success. Nearly every student who visits campus and experiences this program firsthand wants to apply.
Degree Details
Credits Required:
30
Location/Delivery:
Greeley
Online
Time to Completion:
9 months/2 semesters
Degree Option
MBS in Biomedical Sciences
The focus of the MBS program is graduate-level coursework in the biomedical sciences. The MBS program includes 15 credit hours of required courses and 15 credit hours of elective courses. These electives are your opportunity to direct your MBS degree program toward the specific scientific field you plan to enter. The coursework is diverse and provides an excellent foundation for a healthcare career in human or veterinary medicine, or other biomedical sciences. Students can engage in laboratory research, although none is required to graduate.
Take the next step! Explore courses, contact information and admission requirements.
Related Programs
“Hands-down the biology department’s atmosphere is the program’s best aspect. Faculty members are so hardworking and accomplished, yet so humble and personable. They really care and helped us achieve our goals.”
Lukas Alexopoulos, MBS 2014
Your Future in Biomedical Sciences
With one out of three physicians in the United States being over age 55, experts anticipate a serious shortage in healthcare professionals in the years ahead as these professionals retire. This means your future in the medical field looks bright.
Consider UNC’s Biomedical Sciences MBS if you want to:
- Pursue a career that requires a master's degree in the biological sciences
- Gain admission to medical, dental, veterinary or another professional school
- Showcase your academic strengths
You’ll learn:
- Biological and cellular processes
- Genetics
- Principles of clinical and lab research
- About careers in biomedical sciences
Sample courses:
- Molecular Genetics
- Developmental Biology
- Cellular Physiology
- Foundations of Clinical Research
Beyond the Classroom
MBS classes meet four days a week, leaving you one entire day off per week to gain hands-on experience. You can volunteer for local clinics such as the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, or agencies that conduct research (such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture). Although research involvement is not required to complete the MBS. degree, UNC professors are renowned teacher/scholars. You’ll have opportunities to participate in research related to cancer, stem cells, neurobiology and other subjects.
Where can your degree take you?
- Health professional school
- Clinical research
- University teaching
- Ph.D. programs
Graduate Spotlight
Austen Anderson
Austen graduated from the MBS program in May 2015, and was excited to have the opportunity to join the UNC teaching team as the instructor of Anatomy and Physiology and Cellular Biology courses. “I enjoy everything about teaching, especially getting to know the students,” he said.
Austen came to Colorado from Alabama and immediately fell in love with the state and all its recreational options. He also quickly connected with his instructors and classmates in the MBS program. “It was a new experience for me to see faculty and students who were such a tight-knit group,” Austen commented. “The work was hard and the first couple weeks many of us felt like we were drowning, but we quickly got our footing and developed the good study habits we needed to do well in the program.”
“I feel so well-equipped for medical school now. I've started the application process and hope to begin this chapter of my life soon. Somehow, I feel like teaching will figure in my future too. The experience in the classroom has been that valuable to me.”
Current Research
Although MBS students are not required to participate in research, a number of students have joined their professors in ongoing research studies such as:
Creating Cancer Drugs from Snake Venoms
Stephen Mackessy, Ph.D. (Biological Sciences)
Preliminary results from research conducted by University of Northern Colorado Professor Stephen Mackessy show promise in creating drugs from snake venoms to treat and limit the spread of breast, colon and skin cancers.
Mackessy recently earned a $50,480 bioscience grant from the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade to further test and analyze using purified compounds found in snake venoms in anticancer drugs. His lab is one of a few worldwide conducting biochemical analysis of venoms from a select group of "harmless" rear-fanged snake species. Read more.
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Still not completely sold? We understand. Here's more information on costs and funding and how to apply.
