Biomedical Science with foundation and placement year Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

In December 2024, the University of Bolton was granted permission by the Office for Students (OfS) to change its name to the University of Greater Manchester with immediate effect. While we work to update our systems, you may see both names used in the information we provide.

Our IBMS-accredited BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science with foundation and placement year offers a comprehensive understanding of human biology from a medical perspective. You'll explore the causes of disease and the methods and technologies used to diagnose and treat disease. Our expert team will support you in gaining the understanding, knowledge, and skills that underpin careers in hospitals and commercial laboratories, biomedical research, and postgraduate study.

On successfully completing our BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science with foundation and placement year, a range of options will be open to you. If you secured an NHS laboratory placement in an IBMS-approved training laboratory, 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.

The foundation year centres on preparing you for degree-level study. It offers an excellent grounding in the fundamentals of biology, chemistry, and mathematics alongside the development of study skills.

When you progress to degree-level, our expert team will support you in developing the firm 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 in building an integrated understanding of human biology and the life sciences more generally.

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 third 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 local 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. Placements are limited by the capacity of placement providers, and their selection process is competitive. 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 four years.

^The University of Greater Manchester's BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science with foundation and placement year is designed to meet the academic components required for registration as a biomedical scientist by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and the course is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS). For information about training and registering as a biomedical scientist, please visit the IBMS careers web page at https://careers.ibms.org/graduates/.