Our Biomedical Sciences programme equips you with a solid scientific grounding and encourages you to discover your own interests and specialisms through elective modules as you progress through your degree.
The curriculum covers human anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, genetics and pharmacology. In your final year, you can choose to focus on specialist areas like endocrinology, genomics, drug design, cell pathology and cancer biology.
We use a mixture of teaching styles: lectures, tutorials, classroom activities and laboratory work. A typical week will contain a mix of lectures, practical laboratories or workshops. Outside of classes, you’ll need to spend 20 to 25 hours per week preparing, writing up and reading.
In your first year, you’ll study the module ‘Human Anatomy’, which takes a systems-based approach to the body – exploring the ways in which different anatomical systems interact. There’s an emphasis on understanding the integration of human anatomy through function, development, evolutionary history and genetics. You’ll look at several clinical examples which illustrate how human variation – including congenital defects – emerges from the interaction of development, form, and function.
The module is designed to stimulate your interest in human anatomy and teach you to think critically and creatively about it. You’ll be encouraged to make broad links between anatomy, development, evolution, genetics, and clinical problems, providing you with the background you need for life-long learning in the subject.
Practical sessions in our modern labs will give you hands-on experience of using scientific instrumentation. In your final year, you’ll work on your own project, supervised by our experts. Our students do a range of projects including working in research labs, public engagement projects and structured library projects.
Through your project, you’ll investigate an open research question involving experimental laboratory work, computational and/or theoretical work on your chosen aspect of Biomedical Sciences. You’ll report the background, results and conclusions of the study in an oral presentation and a 10,000-word thesis, allowing you to develop the necessary skills to become a researcher in your own right.