Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Marist College

Program Overview

The Biomedical Sciences, B.S. at Marist University is an interdisciplinary program designed for students interested in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and other health professions, while also providing preparation for careers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics and biomedical research. Students build a strong foundation across biology, chemistry and physics, complemented by health-professions coursework, biomedical electives and clinical experience.

Curriculum Structure:

Year 1: Students begin with the core sciences through BIOL 130 General Biology I, BIOL 131 General Biology II, and CHEM 111/112 General Chemistry I–II with laboratories. They also develop quantitative and academic skills through MATH 241 Calculus I, the First Year Seminar and HLTH 110 Introduction to the Health Professions, giving them an early understanding of health-care pathways.

Year 2: The curriculum moves into more advanced foundational sciences, including CHEM 211/212 Organic Chemistry I–II with Labs and PHYS 201/202 College Physics I–II with Labs, alongside MATH 130 Statistics I. Students also begin gaining practical exposure through the Biomedical Sciences internship component.

Year 3: Students deepen their understanding of human health and biological systems through courses such as BIOL 201 Human Anatomy & Physiology I, BIOL 202 Human Anatomy & Physiology II, and BIOL 320 Genetics. Upper-level biology coursework and continued internship experience allow students to connect scientific concepts with health and biomedical applications.

Year 4: The final year emphasizes advanced biomedical study, professional preparation and specialization through SCI 477 Science, Medicine and Ethics, upper-level Biomedical Sciences electives and the BIOL 496 Biomedical Sciences Internship. Students can tailor their electives toward health-professional prerequisites, biomedical research or areas such as molecular biology, immunology and other life-science fields.

Focus areas:

Biology, human anatomy and physiology, genetics, general and organic chemistry, physics, health professions, biomedical sciences, clinical experience, biomedical research, medical diagnostics, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences.

Learning outcomes:

Students develop scientific knowledge, apply the scientific method, understand biological structures and processes, analyze scientific literature, connect anatomy and physiology with health and disease, and develop ethical and professional decision-making skills.

Professional alignment (accreditation):

The Biomedical Sciences B.S. is designed to provide prerequisite preparation for professional programs including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy and physician assistant studies. Marist University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), with its accreditation most recently reaffirmed in 2023.

Reputation (employability rankings):

Marist reports that 94% of its graduates are employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation. At the university level, Marist was ranked No. 9 among Best Regional Universities North and No. 5 for Best Undergraduate Teaching in its 2026 U.S. News rankings, while Marist alumni have gone on to graduate programs and employers including Brown University, Cornell University, Merck Laboratories and IBM

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Biomedical Sciences, B.S. at Marist University gives students substantial hands-on exposure through laboratory-based science courses, authentic undergraduate research and a required health-care internship. Students can work with faculty on research projects, use teaching and research laboratories, and apply classroom knowledge in a professional health-care setting. Marist also incorporates Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), including the SEA-PHAGES research program, allowing students to participate in authentic biological research early in their undergraduate studies.

Students can build practical experience through:

Required health-care internship: Biomedical Sciences majors must complete 3 credits of internship with a health-care practitioner. Students can complete the requirement in one semester or through three one-credit internships with different supervisors.
Faculty-mentored research: Students can participate in faculty-led research involving laboratory or field data collection, data analysis and preparation of scientific manuscripts, with opportunities to present research at conferences or contribute to publications.
Authentic research from Year 1: The SEA-PHAGES CURE is incorporated into General Biology courses and gives first-year students opportunities to conduct genuine research and make discoveries relevant to biology and medicine.
Laboratory experience: The Biomedical Sciences curriculum includes laboratory-based biology, chemistry and physics courses, giving students repeated opportunities to conduct experiments and develop scientific and analytical skills.
Science and Allied Health facilities: Marist's Science and Allied Health building houses Department of Biology laboratories and supports hands-on learning and research across the School of Science.
Research and clinical equipment: Marist's science facilities include instrumentation such as UV/Vis spectrophotometers, fluorescence and binocular microscopes, PCR thermocyclers, fluorescence detectors, hematology analyzers and microbiology incubators. These facilities are primarily documented under the university's Medical Laboratory Science facilities and support the broader science/health learning environment.
Digital research resources: Students can access Medline, PubMed, Grateful Med and National Library of Medicine resources, along with Marist's online databases and computing infrastructure.
Library resources: The 83,000-square-foot James A. Cannavino Library provides physical collections, e-books, electronic journals, course-specific research guides and access to 80 desktop computers, supporting biomedical research and coursework.
Group projects/software: Marist's official Biomedical Sciences sources do not identify a specific program-wide commercial software package or mandatory group project, so these should not be presented as required components.
Field trips: The university promotes field-based learning within the School of Science, but a mandatory Biomedical Sciences field trip is not specifically identified on the official program information.
Future research facilities: Marist is investing $100 million in its Science and Health Initiative, including a planned 100,000-square-foot Science and Health building with modern laboratories, research spaces and collaboration areas, projected for the 2028–29 academic year.

Facilities & Resources: Students benefit from the Science and Allied Health building, Biology laboratories, research opportunities with faculty, the Cannavino Library and extensive electronic scientific resources. Marist's developing Science and Health complex is also intended to expand laboratory, research and team-based learning opportunities.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Biomedical Sciences, B.S. at Marist University is designed to prepare students for careers in health sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical research while also providing a strong foundation for professional health programs. Marist reports that 97% of School of Science graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months, and many Biomedical Sciences graduates continue into medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant studies and other health professions.

Typical career roles: Research/Lab Technician, Biotechnology Assistant, Pharmaceutical Research Associate, Clinical Research Assistant.

Key opportunities include:

Career services: Marist's Center for Career Services provides career coaching, resume and cover-letter assistance, interview preparation, job research, employer information and access to Handshake for jobs and internships. Career and Internship Fairs bring 50–60+ employers to campus, while the university's alumni network includes 54,000+ graduates.
Employment outcomes: Marist reports 97% of School of Science graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months. The broader university figure is 94% of graduates employed or in graduate school within six months, averaged over the past five years.
Salary information: Marist's Biology/Biomedical Sciences information cites $108,000+ average annual wage for biology degree recipients, based on Data USA data. This is a biology-degree figure rather than a Biomedical Sciences-specific starting salary, so it should not be treated as a guaranteed salary for Biomedical Sciences graduates.
Industry and professional connections: Biomedical Sciences students complete a health-care internship, with recent Marist internship sites including MidHudson Regional Hospital, Vassar Brothers Medical Center, Albany Medical College, National Institutes of Health and Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Marist also has a partnership with Nuvance Health supporting hands-on clinical placements across regional hospitals.
Professional preparation: The university's Pre-Health program provides specialized advising for pathways including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, optometry, veterinary medicine and genetic counseling.
Long-term accreditation value: Marist University is institutionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE); its accreditation was reaffirmed in 2023, with the next self-study scheduled for 2030–31.
Graduation outcomes: Marist reports that 84.1% of its Biology, Biomedical Sciences and Pre-Health students supported by the pre-health committee were accepted to medical school, compared with a stated national average of 40%. The university also reports graduates progressing to institutions such as Cornell Veterinary College, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Temple University Dental School and Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing the B.S., students can continue into medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, optometry, physical therapy, physician assistant, nursing and other health-professional programs. Students interested in research can pursue master's or doctoral programs in biological sciences and related fields; Marist also lists postgraduate placements including Emory, Brown, Penn State and Rockefeller University.