Diagnostic Radiography with Foundation Year

Diagnostic Radiography is a healthcare profession concerned with producing and interpreting medical images to support the diagnosis of disease and injury. Radiographers are the professionals who operate the imaging technology at the heart of modern clinical diagnosis, including X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, and fluoroscopy, and who work with clinical teams to ensure that patients are imaged safely and effectively. The role requires a combination of physical science knowledge, technical competence, and direct patient care skills, making it a demanding and highly valued allied health profession.

At Birmingham City University, this four-year, full-time degree includes a foundation year that provides a supported entry route into the allied health professions for students who would benefit from additional academic preparation before entering the professional curriculum. The foundation year develops a broad range of practical and analytical skills that prepare you for degree-level healthcare study, after which you progress into the diagnostic radiography programme, building the clinical and technical knowledge required for professional practice. The degree is structured to combine academic learning with substantial supervised clinical placement, giving you the direct patient care and imaging experience that qualification and employment require.

Graduation from this programme leads to eligibility for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a diagnostic radiographer, which is the professional gateway to practice in the UK. Graduates work across NHS acute hospital trusts, community settings, private healthcare, and increasingly in a widening range of specialist contexts. The profession offers excellent long-term career prospects, with routes into specialist imaging, advanced practice, radiographer-led reporting, management, education, and research, all within a healthcare system in which diagnostic imaging plays an increasingly central role.