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Biomedical Sciences

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C

Must include A Level Psychology or Science grade B or above Excluding General Studies, Critical Thinking and Extended Project A maximum of 3 subjects are considered. These can be other A-levels or Level 3 equivalents

AS

A,A-C,C

112 UCAS tariff points. Must include A Level Psychology or Science grade B or above Excluding General Studies, Critical Thinking and Extended Project A maximum of two AS-Level subjects can be considered along with two A-levels or a combination of equivalent Level 3 qualifications

Pass with 60 credits overall. At least 45 credits at Level 3 with 24 credits at Merit or Distinction (of which 18 must be in a Science or Health related subject) If applying with an Access course you only need GCSE Mathematics and English Language at grade C/4 or above or accepted equivalent. You are not required to hold three GCSEs in total and GCSE Science is not required

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English Language or English Literature and GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above. If you do not have these or are not undertaking them, we accept other Level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests.

HNC (BTEC)

P

Pass with 120 credits at level 4 Must be in a Science related subject

Pass with 120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5 Must be in a Science related subject

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28

Obtain a minimum of 28 points overall with grade 4 or above in at least one Higher Level subject from Group 4 (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) For students who do not already hold a GCSE in Mathematics at Grade C/4 or above, we will accept grade 5 in Maths (Standard Level) from the IB Diploma For students who do not already hold a GCSE in English Language at Grade C/4 or above, we will accept Standard Level English Language (not literature) English A - Grade 4 or above or English B - Grade 5 from the IB

Pass the Irish Leaving Certificate with a minimum of 112 tariff points, achieved in five Higher level subjects. This must include Maths and English Language taken at either Ordinary level (minimum grade O1-O4 (or A-C/A1-C3)) or Higher level (minimum grade H1-H7 (or A-D/A1-D3)) Must include Psychology or Science subject in Higher Level

See level 3 entry under Irish Leaving Certificate for full details

112 UCAS points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either the OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Applied Science, Psychology or Science subject

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DMM

Must be in Applied Science

112 UCAS points Considered with two A-level or equivalent level 3 qualification(s) Either the OCR level 3 Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate or one of the accompanying A-levels / level 3 equivalents must be in Applied Science, Psychology or Science subject

112 UCAS points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either the OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Applied Science, Psychology or Science subject

112 UCAS tariff points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either the BTEC level 3 National Foundation Diploma or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Psychology or Science subject

Either the BTEC level 3 National Extended Certificate or one of the accompanying A-levels / level 3 equivalents must be in Psychology or Science subject

Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)

D*D*

Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either the BTEC level 3 National Diploma or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Psychology or Science subject

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DMM

Must be in Applied Science

112 UCAS points Considered with two A-levels or equivalent level 3 qualification(s) Either the BTEC level 3 National Certificate or one of the accompanying A-levels / level 3 equivalents must be in Psychology or Science subject

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D*D*

Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either the BTEC level 3 National Diploma or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Psychology or Science subject

112 UCAS tariff points Considered with two A-levels or equivalent level 3 qualification(s) Either the BTEC level 3 National Extended Certificate or one of the accompanying A-levels / level 3 equivalents must be in Psychology or Science subject

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

Must be in Applied Science

112 UCAS tariff points Considered with one A-level or an equivalent level 3 qualification Either the BTEC level 3 National Foundation Diploma or the accompanying A-level / level 3 equivalent must be in Psychology or Science subject

Either the BTEC level 3 National Extended Certificate or one of the accompanying A-levels / level 3 equivalents must be in Psychology or Science subject

Achieve a minimum of 112 tariff points achieved in either three Advanced Highers or from a combination of two Advanced Highers plus two Highers. Where three Advanced Highers have been taken achieve a minimum of grades CCD. Where a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers have been taken you must achieve (grades of CD in two Advanced Highers plus grades of CC in two Highers). Must include Health and Social Care, Psychology or Science subject at Higher level or above

UCAS Tariff

112

Contextualised reduced tariff offer: 96 tariff points or equivalent e.g. A-level CCC, BTEC Extended Diploma MMM, BTEC Diploma DD Please visit: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/offer-making-strategy for more information about contextual offers.

112 UCAS points Considered with two A-level or equivalent level 3 qualification(s) One of the A-level / equivalent qualifications being taken must be in Psychology or Science subject

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Biomedical sciences

Do you want a career in biomedical sciences? Our practice-led degree offers a unique insight into human life processes, as well as disease and health within the population. You’ll develop a range of practical and analytical skills, with the opportunity to put them into practice during an optional sandwich year work placement. This course is based at our recently extended state-of-the-art £71 million campus in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Biomedical sciences embrace a number of important disciplines, including physiology, biochemistry, cell biology, microbiology and genetics. These subjects are of great importance in the provision of healthcare, medical research and underpin the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. On this course you will learn about how the human body functions in health and disease, and develop an understanding of the diagnosis, management and treatment of a range of diseases. This degree emphasises critical thinking and independent problem solving skills, which will help you to navigate a successful career after graduation.

Throughout this course you will acquire important practical and scientific skills whilst being taught in our new state-of-the-art life sciences laboratories. You will have the opportunity to take an optional sandwich-year placement in an industrial, clinical or research setting between years 2 and 3 of this course. In the final year you will undertake an independent Research Project where you will execute your own experiments under supervision.

Graduates may go on to a range of careers directly or after further post-graduate training and study. These careers include medical laboratory assistants, trainee biomedical scientists, physician associates, clinical trials for drug companies, research assistants and research technicians, marketing assistants and medical and scientific representatives. Graduates may also use their qualifications to progress into teaching careers, as well as post-graduate study to obtain MSc, MPhil, Physician Associate/Assistant and PhD qualifications. Exceptional graduates may be able progress into post-graduate Medicine and Dentistry.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,085
per year
International
£16,085
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

City South Campus, Edgbaston

Department:

School of Health Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

69%
Biomedical sciences

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Biomedical sciences (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

72%
Staff make the subject interesting
83%
Staff are good at explaining things
76%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
72%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

80%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
58%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

92%
UK students
8%
International students
35%
Male students
65%
Female students
46%
2:1 or above
15%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Biomedical sciences (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£22,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Biomedical sciences (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£29k

£29k

£33k

£33k

£34k

£34k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here