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

If you’re interested in the “next big thing in healthcare” but don’t have the required entry qualifications, or are a mature student returning to education, our Medical Sciences and Population Health programme with a Foundation Year could be for you.

The foundation year will introduce you to the key concepts and knowledge in applied medical sciences that you will need to progress to the BSc in Medical Sciences and Population Health. Following successful completion of the Foundation Year, with at least a 60% overall average, you will be able to progress to Year 1 of the BSc programme.

This degree will give you a solid grounding in medical and life sciences, social sciences, epidemiology, demography, public health, and health informatics.

After completing your foundation year, you will also go on to 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, well-being, 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.

Medical Sciences and Population Health is part of our ‘Medical Science in Practice’ Pathway to Medicine programme. Provided you meet the minimum entry requirements for Graduate Entry Medicine, and have successfully completed the Pathway, you will be guaranteed an interview for our flagship Medicine (Graduate Entry) MBBCh course.

Course Modules

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.