Medical Engineering

Medical engineering applies engineering principles and methods to healthcare, designing and developing the devices, systems and technologies that support diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. It is a discipline that spans electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering, bringing these together in the specific context of the human body and the clinical environments in which healthcare is delivered. Medical engineers work on everything from diagnostic imaging equipment and therapeutic devices to prosthetics, implants, wearable health monitors and hospital instrumentation.

It is a field where technical precision and awareness of human physiological and clinical factors are equally important.

At the University of York, this four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year and a work placement, integrating professional experience directly into your degree. You will study the electrical, electronic and mechanical aspects of healthcare within the context of a broader engineering education, developing expertise in electronics, signal processing, control systems, sensors, medical instrumentation, biomechanics and the regulatory and ethical frameworks governing medical devices. York's approach combines rigorous engineering foundations with applied medical and clinical context, and the sandwich year places you in an industry or clinical engineering environment where you can apply and consolidate your learning.

Graduates of medical engineering programmes pursue careers in the medical device industry, NHS clinical engineering departments, pharmaceutical equipment development, rehabilitation technology, research and consultancy. The combination of engineering competence and healthcare knowledge is valued by a wide range of employers in both the private sector and the NHS. Many graduates work towards professional engineering registration with the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Further study at master's or doctoral level in biomedical engineering, medical physics or a related field is available for those drawn to research or highly specialist careers.