Medical Physiology

Medical physiology is the science of how the human body works: how the heart beats and maintains blood pressure, how the kidneys filter waste and regulate fluid balance, how the lungs exchange gases, how hormones coordinate metabolism and growth, and how the nervous system integrates sensation and controls movement. Understanding these processes in health is the foundation for understanding disease, which is why physiology sits at the core of all the health sciences and underpins clinical medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy and beyond.

At Middlesex University this three-year programme includes a foundation year, providing an entry route for students who need to build scientific and academic foundations before entering the main degree curriculum. Once established in the programme, you will study human physiology from cellular mechanisms to whole-body systems, using state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and industry-standard equipment to develop practical investigative skills alongside theoretical knowledge. You will learn to assess physiological function and to interpret the body's responses to its internal and external environments, developing the analytical abilities that underpin work in clinical science, research, and health-related practice.

Graduates of medical physiology are well prepared for careers in clinical physiology services, cardiac and respiratory science, neurophysiology, sports and exercise science, research and development in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and health-related roles in the public and private sectors. The Health and Care Professions Council registers clinical physiologists, and registration as a Clinical Physiologist is a goal for many graduates who go on to specialise in cardiac, respiratory or neurophysiology. Others pursue postgraduate study in physiology, biomedical science, clinical research, or related health sciences, or use the degree as preparation for graduate-entry medicine or allied health professional programmes.