Biomedical Science BSc (Hons)

• Overview

  Biomedical scientists are at the forefront of our modern healthcare system working in partnership with medical practitioners and health care professionals, to perform many different roles in the NHS, as well as in academia and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. As a biomedical scientist you are likely to be involved in the diagnosis of disease, supporting the work of clinical departments, and developing and evaluating the next generation of treatments that could improve patient outcomes.  A biomedical science degree also provides the foundation for graduate entry programmes, including medicine, dentistry or the more recently established Physician Associate (PA) programme for clinical practice within the NHS.

  This programme has been accredited by the Royal Society of Biology following an independent and rigorous assessment. Accredited degree programmes contain a solid academic foundation in biological knowledge and key skills, and prepare graduates to address the needs of employers.

  Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd. We’ve created the Northampton Employment Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards you’ll be highly employable by the time you graduate. Putting you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.

  Course

  Highlights

  • International scholarships available.
  • Course accredited by The Royal Society of Biology
  • Guaranteed paid internship with the Northampton Employment Promise.

  Apply Now Open Days

  
• Course Details

  The BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science degree is designed to equip you with a fundamental understanding of how science underpins the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. The degree reflects both the theoretical knowledge and applied clinical laboratory skills required to be a biomedical scientist.

  Biomedical scientists are at the forefront of our modern healthcare system working in partnership with medical practitioners and health care professionals, to perform many different roles in the NHS, as well as in academia and the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.

  As a biomedical scientist you are likely to be involved in the diagnosis of disease, supporting the work of clinical departments, and developing and evaluating the next generation of treatments that could improve patient outcomes.  A biomedical science degree also provides the foundation for graduate entry programmes, including medicine, dentistry or the more recently established Physician Associate (PA) programme for clinical practice within the NHS.

  Methods of Learning

  Teaching and learning will involve lectures, small group tutorials, e-learning, independent study and a final year research project.  Teaching will be research led, involving research active staff with subject specific expertise who will also act as academic advisors and provide additional pastoral support. Current areas of research include infectious diseases, muscular dystrophy, sepsis, cancer biology, bioinformatics and genetic diseases.

  Our purpose-built £330 million brand new campus completed in September 2018 alongside the Teaching Excellent Framework (TEF) gold award will enable us to deliver innovative teaching using state of the art facilities, including new molecular biology laboratories with facilities for tissue culture, DNA extraction, PCR and other modern lab techniques.

  Students will be provided with a lab coat and core textbooks will be available in the library.

  The department is located close to Northampton General Hospital and enjoys good links with the NHS and commercial partners providing opportunities for undregraduate and postgraduate students for collaborative research.

  Linking human health and disease to underlying biology, is the holy grail of biomedical science. Clearly, new developments in regenerative medicine, genome editing, molecular medicine and the 100,00 genomes project for example, are not only transforming our understanding of biology but also having an impact on society and in understanding complex disease, personality and physical traits.

  The course will closely follow these developments and build up knowledge of complex systems at the level of the individual cell, tissues and the whole organism through the core disciplines of basic medical sciences, including cell biology, physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology and pharmacology.  Through levels 5 and 6 specialist modules in cancer biology, medical genetics and bioinformatics will be offered alongside generic courses on statistics and research methods. The final year of the degree will offer an opportunity to undertake a laboratory based research project.

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  Additional

  Information

  Accreditation

  This programme has been accredited by the The Royal Society of Biology following an independent and rigorous assessment. Accredited degree programmes contain a solid academic foundation in biological knowledge and key skills, and prepare graduates to address the needs of employers.

  

  The Royal Society of Biology is the leading professional body for the biological sciences in the United Kingdom. The Society represents over 18,000 biologists from all areas of the life sciences, as well as over 100 organisations which make up the diverse landscape of biology in the UK and overseas.

  Graduates from Accredited programmes will receive one year of free membership of the Royal Society of Biology at Associate level. This will open up networks at a crucial time when applying for jobs.

• Careers and Events
  • The Northampton Employment Promise.

    *We promise to secure paid experience for you, if you need it.

    We work with employers to understand what they’re looking for and we’re confident that if you follow one of our structured awards, as well as committing to your studies you’ll be in a competitive position when it comes to applying for graduate jobs.

    We’re so confident, that we promise to secure a paid 3-6 month internship for you, if you need it. Find out more about the Northampton Employment Promise, including how it works and who is eligible.

    
  • Open Days

    See for yourself

    Our Open Days offer you a fantastic opportunity to get a real taste of university life at Northampton and discover how studying here will be a life-changing experience.

    Each Open Day has a packed programme of subjects talks, advice sessions and activities designed to give you all the information you need about studying at The University of Northampton.

    To find out more about the day, please feel free to have a look at our Open Day Guide.

    
  • Careers

    Career Opportunities

    A biomedical science degree provides the foundation for a wide range of career choices.  Our newly established degree programme places a strong emphasis on current and future developments in biomedical science and will develop students’ research skills, transferrable skills and laboratory skills to prepare them for the broadest possible range of careers, including scientific journalism, postgraduate research, or working in the NHS. It will also provide the foundation for graduate entry programmes in medicine or dentistry or working in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.

    
• Requirements

  Standard entry requirements apply. A typical offer would be BCC at A Level or DMM at BTEC. In addition, you are expected to have studied a science subject (preferably Biology or Human Biology) or Psychology or Sport Science in an A Level at grade C or equivalent qualification.

  For more information on how to make an application, please visit our How to Apply page.

  For more information on how to apply as an International student, please visit our How to Apply page.

  English Language Requirements

  All International and EU students applying for a course with us must meet the following minimum English language requirements:

  • IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with a minimum of 5.5 in all bands
    for study at undergraduate level

  For information regarding English language requirements at the University, please see our IELTS page.

  If you would like information on making an application, please see our How to Apply page.

  Contacts

  Course enquiries
  study@northampton.ac.uk

  Application status enquiries
  admissions2020@northampton.ac.uk

  Online enquiry form

  Current student enquiries
  SID@northampton.ac.uk

  International student enquiries
  international@northampton.ac.uk

  Applying for 2020
  Facebook Applicant Group

  Office hours:
  Mon – Thu: 9am – 5pm
  Fri: 9am – 4.30pm

  Phone Call

  0300 303 2772

  +44 (0)1604 892134

  +44 (0)1604 892546

• Course Content
  • Stage 1
  • Stage 2
  • Optional Placement Year
  • Stage 3

  • Biochemistry and Cell Biology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS1013

    Core Module Y
  • Introduction to Microbiology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS1019

    Core Module Y
  • Genetics and Molecular Biology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS1020

    Core Module Y
  • Introduction to Physiology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS1006

    Core Module Y
  • Fundamentals of Immunology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS1021

    Core Module Y
  • Neuromusculoskeletal Anatomy (20 Credits)
    Module code: SPO1037

    Core Module Y

  • Bioscience Research Methods (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS2013

    Core Module Y
  • Genes and Genomics (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS2001

    Core Module Y
  • Pharmacology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS2015

    Core Module Y
  • Infection & Immunity (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS2026

    Core Module Y
  • Clinical Laboratory Sciences (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS2030

    Core Module Y
  • Processes of Life: Biochemistry (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS2016

    Core Module Y

  If a student decides to undertake the Optional Placement year, SLS2018 becomes a module for completion. Students must have successfully completed 100 credits at Level 5 in order to undertake placement.

  • Optional Placement Year (40 Credits)
    Module code: SLS2018

    Core Module N

  • Biomedical Science Dissertation (40 Credits)
    Module code: SLS4007

    Core Module Y
  • Integrated Medical Genetics (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS3002

    Core Module N
  • Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS3010

    Core Module N
  • Pathogen Biology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS3011

    Core Module N
  • Pathology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS3013

    Core Module N
  • Clinical Biochemistry (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS3014

    Core Module N
  • Haematology (20 Credits)
    Module code: SLS3015

    Core Module N

  Facilities &

  Special Features

  Our Biomedical Science laboratories are modern and well equipped with research facilities that will enable you to learn and develop your skills in an innovative and supportive environment. Current specialist facilities include:

  • cell culture facilities (for working with human cell lines – i.e. cancer cells)
  • genetics/genomics facilities for the analysis of DNA and RNA (including PCR and next-generation sequencing technology)
  • specialist Microbiology laboratories
    fluorescence, bright-field and electron microscopy
  • This programme has been accredited by the Royal Society of Biology.
• Fees & Funding
  • UK & EU
  • International

  2020/21 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 20/21 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Full Time: £9,250
  Part Time: £1,450 per 20 credit module

  Additional costs

  There are no additional costs for this course for students beginning their studies in September 2019. Should this change, applicants and students will be contacted by the university with details of the costs.

  2019/20 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 19/20 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Full Time: £9,250
  Part Time: £1,400 per 20 credit module

  2020/21 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 20/21 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Full Time: £12,900

  Additional costs

  There are no additional costs for this course for students beginning their studies in September 2019. Should this change, applicants and students will be contacted by the university with details of the costs.

  2019/20 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 19/20 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  Full Time: £12,500

*Course data provided by Unistats