Medical Sciences and Population Health with a Foundation Year and Year Abroad

Interested in the “next big thing in healthcare”? The increasingly developing field of Population Health is a great career choice for those who wish to be at the forefront of healthcare advancement. Put simply, Population Health is concerned with the wide range of factors that can determine the health and the health outcomes of individuals, groups and populations.

The growing pressures on healthcare systems globally are well documented, with chronic diseases, ageing populations and increased incidents of mental health. Advancements in medicine are improving health for more and more people, but inequalities in the healthcare received by people based on where they are born, live and work are prevalent. Population health aims to address these inequalities, by working to better understand the healthcare needs of groups of people, improving healthcare models and providing innovative solutions to meet people’s health needs.

Studying Medical Sciences and Population Health will give you a solid grounding in medical and life sciences, social sciences, epidemiology, demography, public health, and health informatics.

You will also develop the academic and professional knowledge needed to determine systematic variations in the health of individuals and populations, as well as the skills and experience to apply this knowledge to practical solutions to improve health, wellbeing, and the delivery of health services.

Our Medical Sciences and Population Health programmes bring together a diverse range of subjects to provide you with a holistic understanding of the social, economic, medical and demographic factors that shape population health; from prevention and promotion, to health protection, diagnosis, treatment and care.

With your studies crossing over a number of disciplines, you will benefit from the state-of-the-art facilities at the Medical School, and also the dynamic research and learning environment.

The optional Foundation Year for this programme can give you an exciting introduction to higher education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful in your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after further education, or are returning to education after a gap. Following successful completion of the Foundation Year, you will progress onto Year 1 of your BSc.

This programme includes opportunities to undertake Year Abroad, spent in locations such as the USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong, or Singapore, enhancing your learning and offering invaluable life experience.

During your foundation year, you will learn the basics of human biology, biological chemistry, data handling, and laboratory practice, giving you the knowledge to successfully progress on to year one of the BSc in Medical Sciences and Population Health.

In your second year, you will be introduced to key issues and concerns of Population Health, including Healthcare systems and organisation, the use of Health Information Technology, and Community Medicine and Medical Psychology. Alongside this, you will also develop an elementary knowledge of genetics, cell biology, human physiology and develop key skills for medical sciences.

In your third year you will explore more specialised topics within Medical Sciences and Population Health. Modules can include Health Service Research, Practical Epidemiology, Human Immunology, Bioethics, Biostatistics, Population Health Management, and many more.

During your fourth year you will study multidisciplinary topic areas, including Mental Health Literacy, Data to Decisions, Global Health, Human Biology and the Environment, and Advanced Epidemiology.

Assessments will include Laboratory practicals, written exams, oral presentations, written assignments, and clinical skills assessments. The range of assessment methods is chosen to develop and demonstrate a range of skills transferable to the modern healthcare environment including reflection, oral and written communication, confidence and competence.