BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science (with Foundation Year option)

Core units:

• Academic and Professional Study Skills: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in literature searching, literature review, data collection, methodological approach, data analysis and interpretation and ethical practice. It will also support you to begin to develop a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development. 
• Applied Sciences: You'll gain a basic understanding of some fundamental aspects of science underpinning more specific disciplines, and an appreciation of how various scientific disciplines impact human life. You'll understand the differences between pure and applied science, as well as the roles of different ways applied science can be funded, and implications of these funding mechanisms. 
• Introduction to Biology: Biology is the study of life and hence knowledge of plant and animal cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit also introduces key themes in human, environmental and ecological sciences to provide a sound underpinning in knowledge for future studies. 
• Introduction to Psychology: This unit is designed to prepare you for advanced coursework in psychology. You will complete the unit with a good understanding of the various areas of psychology and how they seek to explain behaviour. 
• Mathematics in Science: You will build your confidence in mathematics, in order to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from biology, chemistry and psychology and to be able to represent the findings in an appropriate format, including graphs. In order to carry this out it is essential to be able to convert the data between systems of units and to understand how to present very large and very small numbers in standard form. Basic statistical analysis of tabulated data will be carried out to introduce the concept of confidence limits and familiarisation of statistical testing. 
• Foundation Year Project: You will carry out a research task on scientific topics chosen by the unit leader which you will be able to conduct a scientific investigation on. You will devise your own investigation and produce a literature review as a final scientific report. 

Core units:

• Exploring and Understanding Science: Providing you with the necessary skills to conduct independent research in the biomedical sciences, during this unit you will formulate and communicate reasoned scientific principles in tutorial group settings.

• Introduction to Immunology: This unit will develop your knowledge of the cellular and molecular basis of innate and acquired immunity in a mix of practical lab sessions and lectures.

• Introduction to Clinical Genetics: The unit will introduce the role of genes and their expression in the formation of proteins and macromolecules that support cellular life processes, and explore basic concepts of 'the central dogma'; the gene as a unit of heritability; the mechanisms of transcription and translation.

• Cell Biology: Cells are the basic unit of life and hence knowledge of cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit introduces key themes in cell biology to provide a sound underpinning knowledge of cells and the way they function. The unit will equip you with an understanding of cell structure, function, control, basic molecular biology, the interaction of cells with viruses and the basic experimental techniques used to investigate cells.

• Human Anatomy & Physiology: Giving you an overview of the structure and function of the human body, you will be introduced to the principal concepts underlying pathophysiological processes that disturb health. Key biological and physiological practical techniques relevant to measuring human health and disease are covered, together with the skills you will need for the analysis and presentation of the resulting data.

• Clinical Laboratory Skills: This unit will enable you to become proficient in the application of basic laboratory techniques and provide you with an appreciation of good laboratory practices and regulations.

Core units:

• Advanced Immunology: Building on the introduction to immunology, you will develop a greater appreciation of the molecular and genetic basis of innate and adaptive immune responses. You will also gain an understanding of medically important immune conditions, their detection and treatment.

• Introduction to Pharmacology: An introduction to the concepts, practices and research of pharmacology, leading you to understand how pharmacological agents are administered, distributed throughout the body, metabolised and excreted.

• Biomedical Science Applications: This unit will provide theoretical and practical experience on fundamental areas of Biomedical Science, specifically cellular pathology, clinical biochemistry, medical microbiology, haematology and transfusion science.

• Biochemistry: Providing a foundation for your final year of study in Biomolecules and Advanced Topics in Genetics by covering the fundamental basics of biochemistry, the unit will give you a broad overview of macromolecules (structure and function) and their metabolism. You’ll also have an appreciation of systems biology through the introduction of metabolism interconnectedness.

• Advanced Cell Biology: This unit will examine the operation of cells and the control, development and modification of cells to fulfil highly specialised roles in multicellular organisms. The unit aims to equip students with a detailed understanding of cell structure and function, control and regulation of cellular processes and the development of multicellular organisms.

Optional units:

• Introduction to Toxicology: The basic principles of toxicology will be explored in this unit, designed to offer foundation knowledge for those intending to study toxicology at higher levels or for those intending to study subjects peripheral to toxicology or where a basic understanding of toxicology will be relevant.

• Functional Anatomy: This unit will help you to gain detailed knowledge of human musculoskeletal anatomy, identify anatomatical structures (both intact and fragmented) and enable you to distinguish morphological variations

You may choose to complete an optional minimum 30-week work placement by enrolling on a sandwich-year course, which can be carried out anywhere in the world. The placement (sandwich) year offers a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future. Alternatively, you can undertake a short placement of minimally 2 weeks, and complete your course in three years.

Students are required to complete 2 core units (including 40 credit Biomedical Research Project), and 2 optional units.

Core units:

• Biomedical Research Project: Provides you with an opportunity to gain experience of research in a topic of your choice relevant to your degree and to demonstrate your ability to report that research. Such experience is considered essential for those students interested in pursuing academic and/or professional research at a higher level of responsibility and achievement.

• Pathophysiology: The detailed study of the molecular bases of a number of important clinical states will be a major component of the unit. We aim to develop your knowledge and understanding of the principal biological mechanisms involved in a range of pathological processes, inherited, malignant, infectious and degenerative diseases including cancer, inherited disease, heart disease, diabetes, infectious diseases, immunological conditions and organ-specific disorders. The transmission of infections, the role of the scientist in control and prevention of disease will be discussed, together with the social and political issues raised by such measures such as vaccination, hygiene and sanitation.

• Advanced Topics in Genetics: You will consider how this modern discipline underpins all aspects of biology. You will be actively involved in discussions about the ethical issues of genetics and introduced to bioinformatics analysis of data. We will consider the roles pharmacogenomics, epigenetics, endophenotypes and optogenetics play in current research outputs as well as the classical model.

• Diagnostic Medicine: This unit will develop your knowledge and understanding of the type of diagnostics implemented in biomedical and imaging laboratories to identify different types of pathology.

Option units (choose 2):

• Advanced Systems Biology: This unit teaches you to manage and analyse big data, understand and apply computer modelling processes to test hypotheses relevant to biomedical science research.

• Advanced Pharmacology & Toxicology: Understand how different drugs affect humans, and gain insights into the mechanism of how pharmacological agents act on the nervous and cardiovascular systems, as well as pharmacogenetics, and approaches to personalised medicines.

• Parasitology & Epidemiology: This unit will provide a broad overview of how parasites influence human and wildlife health, behaviour and population dynamics. You’ll also learn how policies are adapted to protect public health and the health of farmed and wildlife populations.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

With practical learning being integral to your degree, we provide industry standard specialist facilities. We continue to invest in our campuses so all our students can maximise their talents today and into the future. Visit our virtual tour to find out more and get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Talbot Campus.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and the employing company and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider.

Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

Should you choose to undertake the optional placement year, you will begin your placement after completion of your second year of study and you must complete a minimum of 30 weeks. You can also undertake a short, optional placement of at least 2 weeks as part of your studies.

The faculty running your course will offer the support of a Placement Co-ordinator. They’ll help you plan your placement so make sure you get the right experience for you. That includes offering help and support if you need to move to another part of the UK – and even another country – to get the most out of your time.

We’ve also built close industry links over the years – so our network of employers that are keen to work with placement students is always growing. Or if you’d prefer to arrange your placement independently, we can offer advice on how to do that too.

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website. 

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

We welcome students with a wide range of interests and with a science background. You will have problem-solving skills and a proven ability to express yourself well orally and in writing, as well as working well in groups and as an individual.

We are looking for applicants who are interested in finding out how life works and a general interest in the natural world. Strong candidates would be those who have done some volunteer or other work to expand their practical skills in the laboratory.

We’ll be selecting the candidates for this course by looking at their UCAS applications, there are no interviews or selection activities needed. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU.

You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply webpages.

Our offer making will typically be based on your most recent graded qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications on the UCAS tariff tables when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) and the rest of the application to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will still confirm your place.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

AccessBU gives you the chance to tell us more about you and your life experiences if you haven’t had the same educational opportunities as other applicants. If you are eligible for AccessBU, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS Tariff Points below the published tariff.

These courses have compulsory elements involving working with dangerous substances in laboratory conditions and/or undertaking field trips in less accessible environments.  Students must complete a health and safety risk assessment taking part in these activities, for their safety and that of others.  As part of that assessment students provide information about any conditions or disabilities that might affect their ability to undertake these activities fully or safely. 

If you have such a condition or disability, please let us know as soon as possible.  You can contact our Additional Learning Support (ALS) service about this before or after making an application.  We will then work with you to identify any support or adjustments you would need.  Our ALS team works with the Faculty to seek to put in place reasonable adjustments and health and safety plans. 

Exceptionally, it may not be possible to arrange for a student to access these courses without either over-riding their core standards or competencies or creating unacceptable risks to health and safety.  If that is the case we will help you explore alternative course choices.

Your degree will be centred around developing the skills you need to work in professional practice, as well as equipping you with a variety of transferable skills that will give you a range of career options, such as working "behind the scenes" in a medical environment, for example in a path lab in a hospital.

Alternatively you may want to progress your particular area of interest, either by making an original contribution to knowledge in your field by undertaking Doctoral study (PhD), or by working in a research organisation as a research scientist.

Our staff have a wealth of research, educational and professional practice experience and are therefore well-placed to ensure you are ready for the world of work once you graduate.

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master’s degrees. Many graduates go straight on to Doctoral level study in medicine, genetics or neuroscience.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
• Disability and additional learning support
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team
• Loan of lab coats and safety glasses

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee

For September 2023 entry:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses
•  Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website 
• Travel costs, outdoor wear and footwear for optional field trips (if applicable)
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement
• SportBU membership.

For September 2024 entry:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses
•  Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information 
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass is included in your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website 
• Travel costs, outdoor wear and footwear for optional field trips (if applicable)
• You will need to meet the cost of any Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if required by your placement setting, including any Post Office verification changes. 
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement
• SportBU membership.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

Having studied at Queen Mary University of London, UCL and The Johns Hopkins University, Dr Anna Mantzouratou has been a lecturer in Human Genetics at BU since 2018. She is a specialist in the field of reproductive and preimplantation genetics.

Dr Paul Hartley's main research interest is in gene function and understanding of how genes affect basic cellular processes - especially the processes relevant to ageing and disease in humans.