Human Biosciences with a Foundation Year

UCAS code: 1268

Here's what Birmingham City University says about its Human Biosciences with a Foundation Year course.

Human Biosciences is an exciting branch of modern science, involving many disciplines and cutting-edge technologies. It is focused on human biology and health, providing a perfect springboard for a variety of careers within the growing life sciences sector.

Our degree is practice-led and designed to support you to develop a range of practical and analytical skills that are sought after by employers.

Why choose a foundation year course?

The BSc (Hons) Human Biosciences with a Foundation Year course has been specifically designed to support your transition to degree-level study in Life Sciences. As a student, you will undertake a foundation year of level 3 study, which has been designed as an introduction to your chosen degree course, providing opportunities for you to develop your knowledge, skills, and understanding. Your learning journey through your foundation year will provide a secure platform on which you can build throughout your academic career in higher education.

As part of the foundation year, you will explore and develop several essential academic, interpersonal and professional skills that will help you succeed in your future degree level studies.

On successful completion of your foundation year, you are guaranteed to progress on to the first year of the BSc (Hons) Human Biosciences degree. If you are interested in progressing on to one of our other Life Sciences degrees, this will be subject to space available on those courses and meeting the relevant entry requirements.

What's covered in this course?

Our Human Biosciences course encompasses several disciplines, including human anatomy and physiology, human nutrition and metabolism, human molecular genetics, infection and immunity, pharmacology and toxicology and science communication. These subjects play a huge role in healthcare provision and medical research, as well as underpinning the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. With input from industry and healthcare science, this course has been designed to help you develop important practical and scientific skills sought after by employers.

To further support your employability, you will have the opportunity to complete a professional placement year in an industrial or research setting between years two and three of the course, subject to availability. In the final year you will also undertake an independent research project under the guidance of one of our expert academic staff.

During year one, you will learn alongside students on our BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science course. During years two and three you will study a Human Biosciences-specific curriculum, covering a greater variety of subjects with more optional modules in your final year compared with the IBMS-accredited BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science. These include human nutrition and metabolism, communicating science, biomaterials and tissue engineering, proteomics, and pharmacology and toxicology.

This gives you the opportunity to explore subjects which you may wish to build upon in your career, in roles in drug development and clinical trials, sales and marketing, or research, or through postgraduate level study for example in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, Dietetics, or Medical Engineering.