Biomedical Sciences

Biomedical science is the study of how the human body works, in both healthy and diseased states, examined from the molecular level through cellular and tissue function up to whole body systems. It is the science that underpins clinical laboratory medicine, providing the diagnostic information on which most medical decisions depend. Biochemistry, haematology, immunology, microbiology, histopathology and genetics are all parts of the biomedical science discipline, and biomedical scientists are the healthcare professionals who carry out the investigations that reveal whether a patient has infection, cancer, anaemia, metabolic disease or any of the many conditions that blood, tissue and other sample analyses can detect.

This four-year full-time degree at the University of Dundee includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study biomedical science in a different national and institutional context. The programme provides a thorough grounding in the molecular and cellular basis of health and disease, developing both the theoretical understanding and the laboratory skills that biomedical practice demands. You will study across the major disciplines of laboratory medicine, developing the analytical thinking and precision that clinical laboratory work requires alongside the scientific knowledge to understand what your findings mean.

Graduates are eligible to work towards registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as Biomedical Scientists, which is required to practise in the NHS. The profession offers rewarding careers in NHS hospital laboratories, private pathology services, research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, blood services and public health laboratories. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in clinical science, biomedical research or related fields, and some pursue professional development routes toward advanced practice as clinical scientists.