Population Health and Medical Sciences with a Foundation Year
Swansea University
UCAS Code: B212 | Bachelor of Science - BSc
Entry requirements
A level
Biology or Chemistry essential. A second relevant subject (Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Health and Social Care, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Sociology) is desirable but NOT essential
Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Higher Level Biology or Chemistry at Grade 4 or above essential. A second relevant subject (Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Health and Social Care, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Sociology) at Higher Level Grade 4 or above is desirable but NOT essential.
Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
A strong Biology profile is essential. A good profile in a second relevant subject (Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Health and Social Care, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Sociology) is desirable but NOT essential.
Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge will be considered in lieu of a 3rd A-level (However Biology or Chemistry will be required as part of the Alevel mix)
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
If you’re interested in the "next big thing in healthcare" but don’t have the required entry qualifications to join our BSc programme or are a mature student returning to education, our BSc with a Foundation Year is the right course for you.
The foundation year of this four-year course will introduce you to the key concepts and knowledge in applied medical sciences that you will need to progress to the BSc in Population Health and Medical Sciences.
This degree will give you a solid grounding in medical and life sciences, social sciences, epidemiology, demography, public health, and health informatics.
Progressing to the full BSc, you will also develop the academic and professional knowledge needed to determine systematic variations in the health of individuals and populations, as well as the skills and experience to apply this knowledge to practical solutions to improve health, wellbeing, and the delivery of health services
The Population Health and Medical Sciences foundation programme is unique as it brings together a diverse range of subjects to provide you with a holistic understanding of the social, economic, medical and demographic factors that shape population health; from prevention and promotion, to health protection, diagnosis, treatment and care. With your studies crossing over a number of disciplines, you will benefit from the state-of-the-art facilities at the Medical School and also the dynamic research and learning environment.
This degree is part of our ‘Medical Science in Practice’ Pathway to Medicine programme. Provided you meet the minimum entry requirements for Graduate Entry Medicine, and have successfully completed the Pathway, you will be guaranteed an interview for our flagship Graduate Entry Medicine MBBCh course.
Our academic staff across medical, health and social sciences are active in a diverse range of research fields, offering an unrivalled mix of academic excellence and innovative practice. For example, Swansea University Medical School is home to the National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research which aims to make Wales a world leader in population health science. Students will have direct access to this innovative, world leading research which is embedded into the taught modules on this programme.
We have an outstanding reputation for Medicine at Swansea and are ranked 5th in the UK for Medicine according to the Times Good University Guide 2023.
Modules
• Year 0
• Foundation Biological Chemistry
• Metabolism and Homeostasis
• The Human Cell
• Introduction to Molecular Biology
• Fundamentals of Microbiology & Disease
• Foundation to data handling and analysis
• Foundation Skills Development
• Year 1
• Introduction to Population Health: Systems and Organisation
• Fundamental Genetics and Evolution
• Population Genomics
• Introduction to Medical Psychology
• Digital Health
• Foundations of Community Medicine
• Human Physiology
• Eukaryotic Cell Biology
• Skills for Medical Sciences
• Year 2
• Human Immunology
• Communicating Medical Sciences
• Healthy mind, healthy body?
• Population Health & The Art of Research
• Practical Epidemiology
• Health Services Research
• Population Health Management, Solutions and Strategies
• Molecular Evolution
• Intermediate Medical Psychology
• Bioethics
• The Cardiovascular System
• Introduction to Health Data Science
• Introduction to neuroscience
• Enterprise and Creativity: Entrepreneurship in Practice
• Doctors, patients & the goals of medicine
• Skills for Researchers
• Biostatistics
• Year 3
• Practical Quantitative Research
• Human Biology and the Environment
• Global Health
• Advanced Epidemiology
• Innovation Management - Fundamentals
• Being a Medical Scientist
• Reproductive Biology and Medicine
• The Sweet Sickness: Advances in Diabetes and Related Disorders
• Advanced Biostatistics
• Machine Learning in Healthcare
• Data to Decisions
• Mental Health Literacy
• Child Health
• Advanced Digital Health and Care
• Health and Care Economics
• The Neuroscience of Learning, Memory and Cognition
• Capstone Project
• Teaching Science
Assessment methods
Assessments will include Laboratory practicals, written exams, oral presentations, written assignments, and clinical skills assessments. The range of assessment methods is chosen to develop and demonstrate a range of skills transferable to the modern healthcare environment including reflection, oral and written communication, confidence and competence.
Extra funding
Swansea University offers a wide range of scholarships and bursaries which may be available to help finance your studies. Scholarships can be awarded to Welsh medium or international students, or for students excelling in exams, music or sport. Our income-related bursaries help students from lower income backgrounds. swansea.ac.uk/scholarships. Students paying the full international fees automatically receive the Swansea International Pharmacy Scholarship.
What students say
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
After graduation
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Explore these similar courses...
Higher entry requirementsLower entry requirements
Nearby UniversitySame UniversityThis is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
Course location and department:
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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.
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
Have a question about this info? Learn more here
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
