Biomedical Science with Foundation

Biomedical science provides the laboratory and scientific foundation for understanding health, disease and the diagnosis and treatment of illness, sitting at the junction of pure biology and clinical medicine. It encompasses the cellular, molecular and biochemical processes that underlie normal physiology and their disruption in disease, as well as the diagnostic techniques through which diseases are identified and monitored. Biomedical scientists work in the NHS laboratories that generate the test results on which clinical decisions depend, and in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and research organisations that develop new treatments.

At the University of Westminster this four-year programme begins with a foundation year, making it accessible to students who need additional preparation before degree-level study, whatever their route into higher education. The foundation year provides scientific preparation and study skills development before you progress onto the full honours degree. The main programme includes a sandwich year in professional practice and a year abroad, giving you extended laboratory or research experience and international scientific exposure that significantly enriches your professional preparation and career prospects.

Graduates in biomedical science are eligible to pursue Health and Care Professions Council registration as biomedical scientists, which is the regulatory requirement for laboratory practice in the NHS. Many graduates work in hospital laboratories across the full range of biomedical science specialisms, in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, in public health laboratories and in research institutions. Others go on to postgraduate study in specialist biomedical disciplines, in clinical research, or in medicine through graduate-entry routes.

The broad scientific foundation and the placement experience make Westminster biomedical science graduates well prepared for the professional and research demands of the life sciences sector.