Healthcare Science (Medical Engineering)

Our BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science (Medical Engineering) gives you the clinical, technical and problem‑solving skills needed for a rewarding career as a medical engineer. You will take on a hands‑on role working with medical devices used across healthcare settings (e.g. for radiotherapy treatment), ensuring that vital equipment is safe, effective and reliable for patient care.

Throughout the degree, you will learn about the full medical equipment lifecycle, from acceptance testing and introducing new devices into service to advising clinicians on correct use, addressing patient safety issues and managing the safe disposal of older equipment. You will combine in-depth academic study with practical clinical and technological experience in specialist healthcare environments.

Medical engineering is an exciting and varied role where you will apply knowledge from electronic and mechanical engineering to assess, maintain, modify and, in some cases, help design medical devices used in patient treatment and diagnosis. It is an exciting, continually developing field that requires a high level of responsibility and technical skill.

This programme combines theoretical learning with practice‑based experience at FHEQ Levels 4, 5 and 6. It has been commissioned and funded by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), with clinical placements delivered across health boards (HBs) in Wales.

During your studies, you will experience a rich blend of academic, clinical, and handson learning designed to develop your confidence and professional readiness as a medical engineer. The programme combines taught theory with extensive practicebased learning, allowing you to apply engineering principles directly to real healthcare challenges.

Placement learning is an essential part of your experience, and you will undertake clinical placements across Health Boards in Wales. These placements give you the opportunity to apply your engineering knowledge directly to real healthcare challenges while working alongside clinical scientists, technicians and multidisciplinary teams.

Your placements will expose you to a wide range of medical equipment used in hospitals, from monitoring and diagnostic technologies to therapeutic and life‑support devices. Under the supervision of trained Clinical Educators (CEs), you will take part in activities such as equipment acceptance testing, device maintenance, safety checks, and supporting the introduction of new technologies into clinical service.

Before each placement you will take part in simulation‑based preparation using our immersive learning facilities, including our state-of-the-art Simulation and Immersive Learning Centre (SUSiM), ensuring you develop practical skills in a safe environment first. During your time on placement, you will receive consistent support from your Clinical Educator, the University’s Clinical Learning Facilitator, and your personal tutor.

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including:
• Scientific Basis of Engineering
• Professional Practice 1
• Anatomy and Physiology Healthcare Science
• Pathophysiology for Healthcare Science
• Basics of Mathematics and Physics for Healthcare Science
• Informatics and Statistics
In Year 2, you will typically study areas including:
• Professional Practice 2
• Research Methods and Statistics
• Instrumentation Signal Processing and Imaging
• Healthcare Science Work Based Placement 1 (Medical Engineering)
• Medical Equipment Lifecycle
• Fluid Mechanics, Biomechanics and Materials
• Innovation and Medical Devices
In Year 3, you will typically study areas including:
• Professional Practice 3
• Healthcare Science Work Based Placement 2 (Medical Engineering)
• Medical Engineering in the Clinical Environment
• Science and Principles supporting Medical Engineering
• Healthcare Science Research Project

You will be assessed via a variety of methods throughout the three years of study. You will complete written examinations, written assignments, presentations, case-based discussions and assessments of clinical competency. In year three, you will have the chance to complete a research project. The results of this will be presented as part of your dissertation and you will be involved in a peer-assessment scientific poster presentation.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Physics and Engineering in Medicine, Institute of