Program Overview

Course Details

Improving human health is one of the most significant challenges of the 21st century, and the University of Bolton's career-oriented BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science with placement year is an ideal preparation for laboratory-focused work in healthcare, research, and industrial settings.

On successfully completing our BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science with placement year, you'll have a range of options open to you. If you secured an NHS laboratory placement, you may be ready to apply for professional registration as a biomedical scientist*. If your placement was in a different setting, you’ll be ready to gain professional experience in a hospital pathology laboratory and take the next steps towards registration as a professional biomedical scientist*. Alternatively, you could seek work in commercial and industrial laboratories or use your knowledge of human biology and disease as the basis for postgraduate and doctoral-level studies for a career in biomedical research.

Throughout this degree, our expert team will support you in developing the strong understanding and practical know-how vital to your future career in biomedical science. We’ll focus on equipping you with hands-on laboratory and practical experience teamed with an invaluable grounding in scientific theory. Our academics will lead you in an exploration of human biology from a medical perspective, investigating the causes of illness and the established and cutting-edge methods and technologies used to treat disease. We'll cover anatomy, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, haematology, transfusion science and physiology, supporting you to build an integrated understanding of human biology and the life sciences more generally.

Our dedicated and supportive team will introduce you to the principles of scientific investigation and a range of experimental techniques and equipment. We offer in-depth practical sessions in our high-spec teaching laboratories where you can gain experience using a wide variety of relevant biomedical instrumentation. In your final year, you'll have the opportunity to carry out a 10-week laboratory project under the guidance of our qualified academic staff. We'll also support you in gaining vital lifelong learning skills to prepare you to research new techniques and developments and apply your knowledge in new ways. As a graduate of this course, you'll be well prepared to keep abreast of innovations and enhancements in the biomedical sciences throughout your career.

As well as offering an in-depth education in human health, disease and potential treatments, we'll promote the transferable and employability skills that employers demand. The course will support and challenge you to develop strong communication and problem-solving skills, quantitative and scientific reasoning, independence, confidence and resilience, and the ability to collaborate with others as part of a team. Overall, we aim to ensure you graduate with the skills and knowledge needed for a rewarding career in biomedical science, related fields such as medical technology, biomedical technology or the pharmaceutical industry, and beyond.

The University will offer lots of support to help you find a placement with a relevant organisation in preparation for your placement year (the placement takes place between the second and final years of your course). Through our relationships with the NHS and other relevant employers, we'll share placement adverts as they become available, and you can also seek your own placement. Our placement team will help with applications and interview skills. Your placement does not have to be in the Bolton area – it could be elsewhere in the UK. Completing a placement year will give you invaluable skills and experience that will help you in your final year of study with us and boost your CV to help you find an enhanced career afterwards. If you're unsuccessful in securing a placement, you'll be able to transfer directly to the final year of study and complete your degree in three years.

*The University of Bolton's BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science is designed to meet the academic components required for registration as a biomedical scientist by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). We are seeking accreditation from the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) for September 2023 entry. For information about training and registering as a biomedical scientist, please visit the IBMS careers web page at https://careers.ibms.org/graduates/.