Biomedical Sciences
A comprehensive guide to studying Biomedical Sciences at university.
- - "Biomedical Science is such a large subject that there are so many interesting topics that you can study like environmental biology to human health to bioinformatics and biochemistry. There is always plenty of time outside of labs and lectures which allows you to take part in the extensive list of extracurricular activities, sports or societies at Warwick." - Larry, BSc Biomedical Science Graduate, Warwick
- - “It's perfect to prepare you to work from the side of medicine that doesn't deal with patients ( that's what I like the most about it - that it gives you the opportunity to work in the lab on innovations instead of being a normal doc. Just feel like that is more exciting)” - Mary, BSc Biomedical Science Graduate, Warwick
- - “The experiment I did at the lab was very enjoyable and I was able to ask some questions to the lecturer about the topic. Generating a positive impact in society by contributing to the advancement of healthcare” - Lenka, BSc Biomedical Science 2nd Year, Lancaster
- “The Biomedical Science course gives you an insight to biology at all levels from molecular (proteins) to organism (organ systems) all in the context of the human body. Due to the open nature of the course you can use your expertise in multiple fields after university from science journalism to law to the healthcare industry to consultancy. If your course is IBMS-accredited you can even become a registered biomedical scientist which means you can work in the NHS. BMS is also great if you’re interested in medicine but don’t want to commit or feel that you don’t want to be involved with patients.” - Anna, BSc Biomedical Science 3rd Year, Sheffield
- - "In the first year, there was a lot of math and we needed to take a module on statistics which we would need to use in our lab reports." - Larry, *BSc Biomedical Science Graduate, Warwick*
- - “The information in the lectures were pretty complex and so I had to spend most of my “free” time trying to understand it. ” - Lenka, BSc Biomedical Science 2nd Year, Lancaster
- - “There is a lot of content to learn and due to the complexity of some concepts you may get lost in details, 1st year especially you aren’t expected to know every component of complex cellular and molecular mechanisms but rather the overall idea and main parts. All of this along with assessments can be overwhelming at first but if you make sure you’re organised and consistently reviewing lectures you will be ok.” - Anna, BSc Biomedical Science 3rd Year, Sheffield
Studying Biomedical Sciences at a UK university offers an in-depth understanding of human biology, disease mechanisms, and medical advancements. The curriculum blends lectures, lab work, and research projects, covering subjects like genetics, immunology, pharmacology, and pathology. Practical skills are honed through hands-on experiments, dissections, and use of cutting-edge laboratory equipment.
Students often participate in work placements, collaborating with hospitals, research institutes, or biotech companies, gaining real-world experience. Universities typically have strong links with the NHS and industry, providing ample networking opportunities and insights into current biomedical challenges.
Assessment includes exams, lab reports, and a final-year research project, culminating in a dissertation. Graduates are well-prepared for careers in research, healthcare, or further study in medicine or specialized biomedical fields. The rigorous training equips students with critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical skills essential for the dynamic field of biomedical sciences.
Biomedical science is a very good stepping stone to graduate medicine 💉 if you don’t apply directly for undergraduate medicine.
The majority of students will go into a lab or non lab setting in the life sciences industry. These roles could be diagnosing a patient sample in an NHS hospital as a biomedical scientist 👨🏾🔬or modeling urgent infection outbreaks 🦠 as an epidemiologist.
Many students choose to dive deeper into a topic that really takes their fancy while at uni and go into further research like a Masters or PhD. Some examples include biomedical engineering, biotechnology, disease and environmental and agriculture management 🌽.
Some of the top employers include:
- Pharmaceutical: GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Roche, Pfizer, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Sanofi
- Public Sector and NGO: NHS, World Health Organisation, Public Health England, Department of Health, The Francis Crick Institute, TeachFirst
As part of your labs and quantitative module, you’ll develop your data analysis and research skills which is highly requested by most graduate employers within finance, consulting, tech and startups.
With biomedical sciences you can go into almost any profession that doesn’t require very technical skills (Eg. lawyer, doctor or engineering). However, there are law conversion 👩🏿⚖️ or graduate medicine courses that you can certainly apply for after the degree, if you do have a change of heart.