The primary goal of Biomedical Science is to enhance understanding of human body function in health and disease.
This programme is studied on campus.
In the first two years of your degree, you will gain a broad knowledge of subjects related to medical science and in scientific research methods. In addition, you will enhance your critical analysis abilities while developing your interpersonal skills through team-working and oral/written communications.
Advanced knowledge of anatomy will be acquired in the third and fourth years of the programme. The University of Aberdeen boasts a state of the art anatomy facility, housed in the Suttie Centre on the Foresterhill Health Campus. In addition to traditional learning, using cadaveric material, we are proud to house a state of the art 3D anatomy learning resource, allowing the integration of 3D virtual anatomy into lectures and other teaching scenarios.
5 year MSci degree
There is also the opportunity to complement this degree by undertaking a year's placement in an industrial, commercial or research environment and therefore graduating after five years with an MSci (an undergraduate Masters degree) instead of a BSc. Find out more.
In year 1, you will take a mix of compulsory courses and courses of your choosing to gain a total of 120 credit points.
These courses will provide a general background in Medical Science, preparing you for the more detailed studies of human physiology that will be made in the second year of study.
This course covers the foundations of chemistry that underpin the life sciences at a molecular level. The course aims to consolidate a general background in chemistry by putting chemical concepts into a life sciences context. The basic concepts of chemistry will be covered, along with organic molecules, acids and bases, and the basic principles behind the driving forces of reactions.
Laboratory classes introduce important practical techniques, with experiments that reinforce and complement the taught material.
The course will allow students to continue with other chemistry courses as part of their enhanced study by providing discipline breadth.Chemistry plays an important role in the life sciences, explaining the shapes and properties of biomolecules, and helping to provide an understanding of how biological processes work at a molecular level.
The shapes and function of important biomolecules will be covered. Organic molecule reaction mechanisms will give insight into how different types of molecules can be synthesised. The energetics and importance of equilibrium in driving reactions will be covered.
Methods of chemical analysis and measurement introduce other important topics linking the chemical and life sciences.
Workshops and labs complement lectures by consolidating learning and developing problem-solving and hands-on practical skills.This course, which is prescribed for level 1 students and optional for level 2 students, is studied entirely online and covers topics relating to careers and employability, equality and diversity and health, safety and wellbeing. During the course you will learn about the Aberdeen Graduate Attributes, how they are relevant to you and the opportunities available to develop your skills and attributes alongside your University studies. You will also gain an understanding of equality and diversity and health, safety and wellbeing issues. Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Enhanced Transcript as ‘Achieved’ (non-completion will be recorded as ‘Not Achieved’). The course takes approximately 3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across a number of weeks and it will be available to you throughout the academic year.This course, which is prescribed for level 1 students and optional for level 2 students and above, is studied entirely online and covers topics relating to careers and employability, equality and diversity and health, safety and wellbeing. During the course you will learn about the Aberdeen Graduate Attributes, how they are relevant to you and the opportunities available to develop your skills and attributes alongside your University studies. You will also gain an understanding of equality and diversity and health, safety and wellbeing issues. Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Enhanced Transcript as ‘Achieved’ (non-completion will be recorded as ‘Not Achieved’). The course takes approximately 3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across a number of weeks and it will be available to you throughout the academic year
Year 2 courses will build on your understanding of medical science and explore human anatomy in more detail.
In year 3, you will move on to focus on your chosen specialism of anatomy and your courses will reflect this.
The Honours year aims to explore in depth, specific aspects of anatomy. An important feature is the ten-week research project, carried out in research laboratories at the University, or in local research institutes.
We will endeavour to make all course options available; however, these may be subject to timetabling and other constraints. Please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
You will be taught using a variety of methods and styles and we continually seek to make the teaching engaging, exciting and responsive to the latest research in your subject area. The research we carry out in the School directly informs and guides our teaching, particularly in the final Honours year. Our commitment to teaching is recognised by the range of University of Aberdeen Student-led Teaching Awards given to staff from our School.
As a student, your learning is supported by MyAberdeen, our virtual learning environment from which you can access the lecture Powerpoint slides, online practice tests, links to related reading, and tutorial support material.
We make innovative use of 'educational voting' handsets in class- remote control 'clickers' that allow each and every student to electronically respond in class, by anonymous vote, to questions posed by the lecturer.
Your academic development is supported from year 1 through to year 4 by an assigned personal tutor, who acts as adviser and mentor throughout your University career.
Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:
The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, year of study and individual courses.
Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.
The typical time spent in scheduled learning activities (lectures, tutorials, seminars, practicals), independent self-study or placement is shown for each year of the programme based on the most popular course choices selected by students.
The typical percentage of assessment methods broken down by written examination, coursework or practical exams is shown for each year of the programme based on the most popular course choices selected by students.
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
Please note: entry requirements are different for 2018 and 2019 entry.
SQA Highers - AAAB*
A Levels - ABB*
IB - 34 points, 6 at HL*
ILC - 5H with 4 at H2 AND 1 at H3 OR AAABB, obtained in a single sitting. (B must be at B2 or above)*
*Including Chemistry and one other Science/Mathematics subject.
Advanced Entry - Advanced Highers AAB or A Levels AAB, or IB 36 points (6 at HL) including Biology and Chemistry, one of which must be at A-grade.
Entry requirements for 2019 will be displayed here shortly.
Further detailed entry requirements for Sciences degrees.
To study for an Undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
IELTS Academic:
OVERALL - 6.0 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
TOEFL iBT:
OVERALL - 78 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
PTE Academic:
OVERALL - 54 with: Listening - 51; Reading - 51; Speaking - 51; Writing - 54
Cambridge English Advanced & Proficiency:
OVERALL - 169 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
You will be classified as one of the fee categories below.
For international students (all non-EU students) the tuition fee charged upon entry will apply to all years of study; however, most international students will be eligible for a fee waiver in their final year via the International Undergraduate Scholarship.
Most RUK students (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) on a four year honours degree will be eligible for a full-fees waiver in their final year. Scholarships and other sources of funding are also available.
| Fee category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Home / EU | £1,820 |
| All Students | |
| RUK | £9,250 |
| Students Admitted in 2018/19 Academic Year | |
| International Students | £18,400 |
| Students Admitted in 2018/19 Academic Year |
Further Information about tuition fees and the cost of living in Aberdeen
View all funding options in our Funding Database.
The Biomedical Sciences degree primarily prepares you to follow a broad range of careers in science relating to medicine. In this respect, the quality of your training will permit you to take advantage of international career opportunities in research and development. The degree can also form the basis for an application to enter Medicine or Dentistry.
Our degree programmes are built to enhance your employability and three flagship options give our degrees a distinctively different flavour from many others. All our degrees offer:
The BSc Biomedical Sciences degree is not accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS) and thus our graduates do not achieve their HPC registration at graduation, but instead, if they choose this career path, will gain it following an additional conversion course within hospital laboratories.
A Physiologist by trade, Prof. McEwan has interests in the broad field of membrane transport – particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. He has been working for the University of Aberdeen for over 20 years and has a wealth of teaching experience.
Steve began his love affair with science right here at the University of Aberdeen, where he studied a BSc in Biomedical Sciences. His research interests include signalling in cancer cells, imaging techniques and delivery systems for cancer drugs.
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. Staff changes will occur from time to time; please see our InfoHub pages for further information.
Biomedical scientists in Aberdeen have made major medical advances, including the discovery of Insulin (Nobel Prize) and the discovery of Endorphins with improved quality of life for people globally
Focused on developing future effective therapies, the Institute of Medical Sciences houses nearly 400 researchers and support staff working on cutting-edge biomedical subjects aimed at understanding the human body's response to infection and disease.
A dedicated Medical Library on the Foresterhill Health Campus and the fantastic facilities in the Sir Duncan Rice Library at King’s College, are complemented by online access to the key medical and health sciences journals and textbooks.
Our commitment to teaching is underscored by our recent re-build and modernisation of the teaching lab space dedicated to practical teaching at years 1, 2 and 3.
Unistats draws together comparable information in areas students have identified as important in making decisions about what and where to study. You can compare these and other data for different degree programmes in which you are interested.
