The Best Medical Universities in Canada

Canada with its well-developed economy and up-to-date technology as far as medicine is concerned is an ideal destination for students who wish to pursue an education in the medical field. The emergence of new diseases and a shortage of skilled medical personnel in Canada makes getting a job after graduation in the country very easy. Additionally, most jobs in the medical sector are high-paying jobs which also come with a lot of prestige.

Moreover, Canada is getting increasingly popular as a country ideal for getting a permanent residence. It might not seem like much from the outside but, for students, this is a great opportunity. As mentioned above, Canada has one of the fastest-growing medical fields, including research. Several universities of Canada pride themselves in world-leading research contributors.

All of these factors are important to a student because they create opportunities. A medical student of Canada can not only pursue a career in being a doctor, but also the alternatives, such as being a pharmacist, researcher, physical medicine, and much more. Mostly, all these career paths are possible just by completing a degree in medicine.

Hence, having the opportunity of gaining a permanent residency in Canada, as well as gaining a very beneficial medicine degree from the same country can help you boost your career.

Without further ado, let us dive right into it!

An Overview of the Medical Courses in Canada

• Canada houses 17 medical schools with the minimum requirement being a Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• The other requirements include a statement of purpose, good GPA, excellent score in the Medical College Admission test i.e. the MCAT, and personal interviews as per the requirement of the university applied to.
• Medical courses in Canada have a time span of 3-4 years followed by the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying examination at the end of the final year. The residency program is mandatory followed by an examination relevant to the student's subject of practice.
• Cost of living is affordable, making it easy to live a good quality life while studying in the country.
• Excellent job opportunities in Canada after graduation and a comfortable lifestyle with high safety are add-ons to pursuing medical courses there.

Top 5 Medical Schools in Canada

Below you will find a list of the best medical universities in Canada. Some of these universities have clubbed their medical courses under a departmental name - Faculty of Medicine or Faculty of Health Sciences. In such cases, the department as a whole has various courses related to a medicine available, however, the list mentions only the courses which are directly connected to medical degrees.

1. University of Toronto

• The Faculty of Medicine in this University is ranked among the top in the world for their research in medical education.
• Students are trained in every sector of life sciences and medical sciences followed by the clerkship program during the pre-final and final years of study.
• The medicine course offered for an undergraduate course at Toronto is a simple MD degree.
• When it comes to postgraduate courses, there are more options to choose from. The options are Laboratory Medicine, Medicine, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (Doctor of Philosophy), Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (Master of Science).
• The Faculty of Medicine in this University are affiliated with nine full-fledged hospitals along with other academic collaborations, conduct research in the various areas of medical science. This provides students with valuable internships and research opportunities while they are students.
• The fees for an undergraduate degree is around $99,000.
• As for the postgraduate courses on medicine, the fees is ranged between $30,000 to $40,000. The fees for a postgraduate course depend on the kind, of course, you would be applying to.
• Funding is available to prospective students through awards, grants, and admission bursaries.

2. McGill University

• This was the first established Medical faculty in Canada and continues to be among the top Universities in the world for its medical courses.
• Students are trained in the various fields of medical and health sciences and are provided excellent exposure through the Faculty's research institutes such as Anesthesia Research Institute and Artificial Cells and Organs Research.
• McGill University is known for its research in the field of age-related medical problems especially the McGill Center for Studies in Aging (MCSA).
• The course offered by McGill at the undergraduate level is simply a medicine (Med-P) degree.
• Postgraduate courses have more choices at McGill. If you are looking at getting a master's degree at McGill, you will have two options - Medicine (Experimental) and Medicine (Family).
• The fees for the undergraduate course is on a range of $24,000 to $57,000 (inclusive of all extra practical charges).
• As for the postgraduate course, the fees is fixed at $34,000.
• Financial assistance is available for prospective students.

3. University of British Columbia

• UBC's Faculty of Medicine comprises 19 departments, two schools, and 19 research institutes.
• The students are offered excellent education in the various fields of medicine and therapy through the up-to-date laboratory facilities and experienced professors.
• Students are taught through various medical facilities training them to be professionals in this field at the rural, urban, community, and remote levels.
• If you are interested in getting an undergraduate degree in medicine, British Columbia offers a 4-year duration degree in medicine (MD).
• At the postgraduate level, the master's degree provided is something different. British Columbia offers a Medical Physics degree. You can either choose a master of science degree (MSc) or a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.). However, there are other degree programs offered under the Faulty of Medicine.
• The fees for the undergraduate degree program is fixed at $44,000.
• Where postgraduate fees are concerned, an MSc program costs $9,000 and a Ph.D. program costs $9000. Both the fees mentioned are for full-time courses.
• Funding is available through numerous awards and grants.

4. Queen's University

• The School of Medicine at Queen's University is ranked among the top in the world for its healthcare-related studies.
• Various programs are offered at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, both, through this University and other premier centers in Canada, providing the students with a diversified exposure required in this field.
• Research is concentrated in the Health Sciences Sector and biomedical fields.
• At Queen's you will be able to apply for a Bachelor of Health Science degree as an undergraduate degree. This includes medicine as a part of the overall course.
• As for the postgraduate degree, there are a plethora of courses under the Faculty of Health Sciences. The ones that purely focus on medicine are the course of the medical sciences (M.M.Sc., G.Dip) and the neuroscience degree (M.Sc., Ph.D.).
• The fees for the bachelor's degree can go up to $43,000 per year, which is inclusive of miscellaneous costs as well.
• The cost for the postgraduate degree can be up to $44,000.
• Funding is extensively available through scholarships and grants.

5. McMaster University

• Canada houses some of the top medical schools in the world making it a most sought-after destination in the field of medical sciences, and McMaster is one of them.
• The main fields that McMaster focuses on are engineering, science, health sciences, humanities, business, and social sciences.
• Just like other universities, McMaster provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well. Although, the undergraduate courses are only available in the spring and summer term whereas the postgraduate courses are available in winter, fall, and summer.
• It is a world-leading research-based university, where the research is more focused on science than any other field.
• The courses offered at an undergraduate level are only known as Health Sciences. The variety begins at the postgraduate level.
• At a postgraduate level, students can choose between medical sciences or neuroscience.
• Fees for undergraduate students is $40,000.
• For postgraduates the fees is at a whopping $95,000.

Some Facts about Schools in Canada

Now that you have reached the parting note, hopefully, you have gained the general knowledge regarding medicinal courses presented by the top 5 universities of Canada. Although, there are certain things that you should keep in mind.

• The rules and regulations (including fee structure) are usually the same for International students and USA students. However, there may be instances where the rules and regulations for USA students are completely different and are treated separately. Hence, it is important to remember to double-check the facts from the university website if they are mentioned otherwise.
• As a USA student, you might not have to provide English language requirement certifications. Although you might need to submit evidence of English as a subject it is quite rare.
• The fee structure of Canadian universities works very differently than USA universities. Furthermore, they are very susceptible to change as the year passes, which only hikes up the fee requirements for any course.
• Undoubtedly, medicine courses (undergraduate or postgraduate degrees) are the most expensive course degrees that the universities offer. The second most expensive maybe engineering. This is within good reason, as the university provides education from the best sources, along with very recent technology.
• Most importantly, the universities mentioned above have a higher tuition fee structure than other Canadian universities. This is mainly due to the fact that the universities mentioned above are Canada's finest. Needless to say, the universities other than the ones on the list, are equally good and might have lower tuition fees.
• Every university provides great scholarship opportunities. Make sure you grab them when the time is right.