Biomedical Sciences

Gain a thorough grounding in the basis, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease by studying Biomedical Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London.

This comprehensive programme will prepare you to join the ranks of biomedical researchers at the forefront of human health investigation. You’ll study biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, molecular biology and genetics before choosing from a range of optional modules in years 2 and 3, allowing you to specialise and follow your own particular interests.

As a 2nd and 3rd-year student, you’ll receive specialist teaching from local health professionals, allowing you to learn more about subjects including neuroscience and clinical diagnosis of disease. You’ll have the option to embark on a lab-based individual research project in your 3rd year, joining a renowned research culture that has seen former students contribute to published scientific papers.

You’ll benefit from a recent £16 million investment in state-of-the-art equipment for bioinformatics, mass spectrometry and protein and gene sequencing, as well as our excellent imaging facilities, including confocal laser scanning microscopes for 3D live-cell imaging.

Through your studies you will gain an impressive portfolio of transferable skills, making you an attractive prospect for potential employers. Invaluable lab experience, specialist learning and communication skills will help you to join our alumni in sectors including medical research, biotechnology and clinical trials coordination.

Explore the function and integration of selected human physiological systems in normal physiology and disease.

Become familiar with molecular biology techniques.

Develop an understanding of the theory, technology, and clinical practice of human molecular genetics.

Carry out an individual laboratory or theoretical investigation under supervision.

Course Modules

Core Modules

Year 1

• Becoming a Bioscientist

• Cell Biology and the Origin of Life

• Genetics

• Chemistry of Life

• Fundamental Biochemistry

• Protein Biochemistry and Enzymology

• Introductory Animal Physiology

• Introduction to Human Physiology

• Academic Integrity

Year 2

• Human Physiology in Health and Disease

• Molecular Biology

• Immunology

• Neuronal and Cellular Signalling

• Pharmacology and Toxicology

Year 3

• Individual Research Project

• Molecular Basis of Inherited Disease

Optional Modules

Below is a taster of some of the exciting optional modules that students on the course could choose from during this academic year. Please be aware these do change over time, and optional modules may be withdrawn or new ones added.

Year 1

• All modules are core

Year 2

• Microbiology

• Cell Dynamics: Division and Movement

• Developmental Biology

• Bioenergetics and Metabolism

• Protein Structure and Function

• Dissertation - Extended Essay

Year 3

• Biology of Parasitic Diseases

• Evolutionary Medicine

• Nutrition and Medical Biochemistry

• Molecular and Medical Microbiology

• Applications of Genetic Engineering in Health and Disease

• Cell and Molecular Biology of Cancer

• Functional Genomics, Proteomics and Bioformatics

• Human Embryology

• Cell and Molecular Neuroscience

• Clinical Physiology and Medicine

• Clinical Diagnosis of Disease

https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/biological-sciences/biomedical-sciences/

Each year you will take modules worth a total of 120 credits, with most individual modules worth 15 credits. In your final year, your Individual Research Project is worth 30 credits.

The first year is formative, while outcomes of your second and third year contribute one third and two-thirds of your final degree classification respectively.

You will attend a mixture of lectures, seminars and small-group tutorials, with class sizes that range from 6 to 180 students. Practical classes are a major part of all first and second year modules, and include experiments that are integral to the subject, helping to familarise you with the material and augment your understanding of key topics. These are either laboratory-based or field-based with laboratory follow-up. In your third year, you will complete an individual research project supervised by one of our academics, and you may have the opportunity to contribute towards a published scientific paper. The individual research project is assessed on the basis of a written report, supervisor assessment, and an oral presentation.

During your first and second years, you will complete essays and reports, and sit written examinations. In your third year, assignments include a range of activities, such as preparation of posters, oral presentations, creation of leaflets and podcasts, coursework essays, mock research grant applications and scientific news-and-views articles, as well as analysis of data from online repositories in mini-research projects.

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

• Royal Society of Biology