Course Facilities - Coventry University

Course Information

BSc Biomedical Science/Applied Biomedical
Science

General

University
Course Code

HLSU071

UCAS Course Code

B940

Degree and
Course Title

Biomedical Science
/ Applied Biomedical Science

Course Leader

Mrs Claire Woodhouse

Typical Offers

5 GCSEs at grade A
-
C including Mathematics, English Language and
Science

A LEVELS

240 UCAS Tariff points from three A2 levels (excluding General
Studies
) including

one from Biology, or equivalent qualifications.

IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME

27 points including

Biology at Higher level

SCOTTISH QUALIFICATIONS

240 points from at least 3 Scottish Highers or Advanced Highers to
include Biology

BTEC

MMM in Biology related National Diploma

Advanced Diploma

Acceptable for entry. Check our website

for key details and ac
ceptable subjects

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

For details of other acceptable qualifications

go to www.coventry.ac.uk/undergraduate

English as a Foreign Language

IELTS 6.0

MATURE STUDENTS

Mature students are welcomed

and considered individually

Course Length

3
Years Full
-
time
, 4 Years Sandwich

Mode of Study

F
ull
-
time
, Part time, Sandwich

Alternative Delivery Modes

None

Applications 2010

450

Acceptances 2010

80

Direct Cont
act and Personal Learning Hours

Total

In a typical week, you may have about
18

contact hours of study,
which
would break down on average as

follows:


Large Group Activity

10 hours of lectures every week.


Medium Group Activity

6 hours of practical classes,

workshops or seminars every week


Small Group Activity

2 hour of tutorials (or, later, individual
project supervision) every
weeks


Personal Learning

18 hours each week studying and revising in your own time
-

including some guided study using handouts, on
-
line activities etc.




Detailed Overvie
w

of the
Nat
ure of Teaching and Learning Experience

Subject area

Biomedical Science:

covering the knowledge and skills required to enable
graduates to work in hospital laboratory on critical tissue samples from patients
to establish normal or abnormal function. This course provides a route to
becoming an accredited Biomedical scientist.


What courses
are offered?

BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science

BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science


What else
might interest
me?

Analytical Chemistry and Forensic Science

Bio
log
ical

and Forensic

Science

Medical and Pharmacological Science

Human Bioscience

Environmental Health


Course text

Biomedical Scientists working in hospital laboratories and other biomedical fields
play a vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease and the monitoring of
treatment. They carry out laboratory investigation of a wide variety of clinical
specimens

specialising in biochemistry, microbiology, haematology and blood
transfusion, cellular pathology, immunology, molecular biology and genetics.

Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) accredited course is designed to produce
graduates with the appropriate
knowledge and skills for a wide range of careers in
the biomedical science field. The course applies areas such as biochemistry and
cell biology to the diagnosis and management of human disease.


Students may choose to take an optional training year in an

NHS laboratory or
other suitable training placement, providing valuable experience, which
contributes to their degree and enhances their career prospects.

Students who
complete such a placement in an approved laboratory may transfer to the Applied
Biomedi
cal Science course, which has HPC approval and complete a professional
registrations portfolio during the course.


What will I do
after this
course?

What will I do after this course?


Having completed our IBMS accredited Biomedical Science course, stude
nts can
apply for entry into NHS Health Care Scientist registration training programmes.
Graduates entering these programmes follow clearly defined training routes
which can lead to higher qualifications in specialist areas and to management
roles. Hence,
this degree provides a career route to laboratory manager and other
senior NHS administrative posts.


Other career options available include biomedical research, pharmaceutical and
biotechnology industries, and teacher/lecturer. Alternatively, you may pro
gress to
postgraduate study within the department or at another university.


Applied Biomedical Science graduates can apply immediately for HPC registration
and higher level posts within the NHS.

Core Course
Themes

Human Physiology:
the theoretical, analytical and practical aspects of human physiology
and their clinical applications (including in health and disease)

Biochemistry:

the theoretical, analytical and practical aspects of biomedical biochemistry
and their applications (incl
uding in health and disease)

Molecular Biology:
the biochemistry of DNA and the theoretical, analytical and practical
aspects of molecular biology (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) and their applications (including
in health and disease)

Microbiology:

the theoretical, analytical and practical aspects of microbiology and their
applications (including in health and disease)

Cell Biology:

the theoretical, analytical and practical aspects of cell biology and their
applications (including in health and dise
ase)

Genetics:

the theoretical, analytical and practical aspects of genetics and their
applications (including in health and disease)

Immunology:

the theoretical, analytical and practical aspects of immunology and their
applications (including in health an
d disease)

Diagnosis and pathology of disease:

the theoretical and practical aspects of disease
diagnosis and their application to biomedical science


Add+vantage
modules

BMS courses


Add+vantage modules are designed to improve your employability. You can

chose
from a wide range offered across the University, some of which offer you the
chance of work experience. Of particular interest for this course are:



A100SPO Healthy Lifestyle 1



A102BMS easy ways to improve your scientific English



A200SPO Healthy
Living 2



A200BMS Work Experience in Biomolecular Science

A301BMS Exploring Careers in the Biosciences

Teaching and
Learning

Teaching and learning

Our modules are based on lectures, with associated laboratory/ practical classes,
workshop activities and tut
orials.

Our Department received a satisfaction score of 92% for how good staff are at
explaining things on the latest National Student Satisfaction Survey

Yearly Teaching
Themes

What you study

The first year of all of our programmes lays the foundation

for the study of
Biomedical Science.
All students in the Department will cover key study and
research skills and in addition you will study the following topics:



Human Biology



Biochemistry



Cell

and M
icrobiology



Analysis

In the second year of the programme you will further develop your study skills
and research expertise and will begin to specialise a bit more by studying
some of
the following key areas:



Biomedical Biochemistry



Cell Biology



Infection and Immunity



Physiolo
gy



Molecular Genetics

In the final year of your course you will carry out an independent research project
linked to one of the key topic areas, which forms a very important part of your
degree. You will also study
some of
the following areas in depth:



Clinical Biochemistry



Medical Microbiology



Haematology and Immunology



Cancer Biology



Genetics



Physiology


Use of
Technology to
Support
Learning

The course makes extensive use of learning technology to organize teaching and
learning at the course and module level through the use of our intranet CUOnline.
Some modules use this extensively to allow students to interact on
-
line in
discussion fora and

to carry out on
-
line tests etc. to assess their progress. Staff
have published research in the use of online marking and assessment tools and
we use these to speed up and improve feedback to students.

We also make use
of the electronic polling system ‘t
urning point’ to allow students to interact in
large lecture groups

Example First
Year Timetable

The grid below shows an example of how the 1
st

year modules might run
-

this
should not be used as a definite timetable for planning purposes as it may be
subj
ect to change. Note that:




You will take an add+vantage module in ONE of the slots indicated for 1
term only



You will not have 4 hours teaching for each module every week
-

this will
depend on when lab classes/ tutorials etc. are scheduled


9:00
-

11:00

11:0
0
-
13:00

13:00
-
14:00

14:00
-
16:00

16:00
-
18:00

MON

molecules of life


human biology

TUE

intro to analysis


cell and microbiology

WED

add+vantage
slot





THU




add+vantage
slot

FRI




professional skills



Academic
Support
Provided

Coventry University

is proud of the wide range of personal and academic support
it offers to students. Some of this support is provide within your department,
whereas other support is provided by Central University Services. Quite often,
during the course of your study, you
will find it useful to talk to someone to seek
advice and this section aims to inform you of the various services available to you.

Course Administrator

The course administrator can offer general advice on where to find help and deals
with specific
administrative matters such as enrolment problems, completion of
forms, coursework extension requests, CUOnline access etc.

Departmental Tutorial System

Within the Department, there are a number of staff who are concerned with your
course and your welfare.

These include your Course Director, Level Tutor,
Personal Tutor and individual Module Leaders, plus administrative support via the
Course Office. The diagram at the back of this book indicates the different areas
in which these staff can help you.

Studen
t Mentors

We have also introduced a system of student mentors. These are second or final
year students who have volunteered to help to support first year students to
settle in to their course, know where to go to seek help and advice and simply be
a friend
ly face to talk to about anything that may be worrying you. Remember
that these students were in the same position as you only 12 months ago and
they appreciate the small concerns that students often have when studying in a
new environment. The contact in
formation for mentors will be available on the
Mentor
notice board

and also via the CUOnline Programme web.

Personal support

If you have a personal problem please discuss this with your Personal or Level
Tutor who will offer advice and support and may then

direct you to the
professional support services. Alternatively you may approach the support
services directly.

Student Study
Responsibilities

At degree level you are expected to take responsibility for your own learning, with
staff input designed to enab
le you to reach your potential. You will be expected to
spend a considerable amount of time in guided and self guided study. This will
involve you finding, reading and assimilating information from a wide range of
sources as well as completing specific ass
essed work.

You can help your own learning considerably by making sure you attend all
timetabled sessions and also preparing for sessions by completing any assigned
tasks in advance. After lectures etc, you should also read around the topic, make
additio
nal notes, and take the opportunity to discuss topics with other student
s.


Course Specific
Costs e.g.
materials, field
trips, uniforms

In addition to living cost the averages student will spend:


Lab coat cost
£
15.50

Turning point handset £20 deposit

Boo
ks: £150 each year

Printing: £50 each year

Thesis binding £20 in final year

NSS data

The National Students Satisfaction Survey asks final year students to rate a wide
range of aspects of their course.

In 2009
-
10 students rated their overall course
satisfaction as 95% and scored us
particularly highly in staff enthusiasm, intellectual stimulus of the course and ‘my
communication skills have improved’




Completion
Rate (HESA T3
Statistic for
JACS Code)

Don’t have this data yet

Nature of Assessment
including Workload

Summary Description of
types of main types of
assessment

Assessment


Assessment on your course will be by a mixture of coursework
assignments and formal examinations. Coursework assignments may
take a number of different forms including essays etc or short
answer phase tests. Increasingly, we are making use of coursework
ty
pes that are more aligned to ‘real life’ situations, such as case
studies
. For example students may be given laboratory results
relating to a hospital patient and then have to explain how the
patient’s disease might be diagnosed and monitored.


In additio
n to written tasks you will have some oral and poster
presentations to ensure that you develop a full range of
communication skills.


Access to International Experience

Summary o
f access

to an
international experience
:
Erasmus, Leonardo etc.

Study abroad

Our Sandwich degree option allows a full year placement, and this
can be taken abroad. In addition, the University run a number of
specific schemes to allow students short periods of overseas study,
including China and South America. The University offer
International
Experience

and Mobility Grants to enable such visits. A
number of students in our Department have been successful in
securing places via these schemes.


E
xamples of Employability links/support

Placements and Internships

The option of a
full
year (sandwich) placement

All students are initially admitted to the IBMS accredited
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE degree. However, students can compete to
obtain one year placements in University approved Biomedical
Training labo
ratories between level 2 and 3.


Successful students can transfer to APPLIED BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE.
Students from other Universities in the region will also be competing
for these placements and the number of places will be limited and
may vary from year to year.


Note that students who rema
in on the Biomedical Science course
can also choose to take a professional training year within your
course here (i.e. 4
-
year degree).
These s
tudents may decide to take a
professional training year in a laboratory outside the National Health
Service e.g. i
n industry or university research laboratory.


We have
a

Placements Tutor, who both helps you with your
applications for placements and visits and supports you during your
placement year
. Note that while we cannot guarantee to find you a
placement, every
effort is made to identify suitable employers.


Short placements

Students can take
A
dd+vantage modules in the Department that
allow them to complete short placements. This gives a work
experience opportunity in areas such a
s

schools outreach
programmes

and

working with staff research projects
.


Summer Studentships

It is sometimes possible for students to apply for summer
studentship that allow them to work with an academic on a research
project over the summer period. Such research is often published,
givi
ng students a valuable addition to their C.Vs




Professional Accreditations

The BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science course is
accredited

by the
Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS)


The BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science course is
accredited by the
IBMS and
also approved by the Health Professions Council (HPC).


‘What will I do after this
course?’

After you finish

you
may
become

a biomedical scientist

in

a

hospital
laboratory

or alternatively enter
an
other
science based career

including m
edical research

or in the
p
harmaceutical and diagnostic
industries
.


You
may also consider non laboratory
career
s such as

s
cientific
writing
,
recruitment
,
t
eaching,
p
har
maceutical sales representative

and
a
dministration and management.

Employer

links

Specialist lecturers employed in the NHS contribute to the delivery of
the course.
NHS hospitals throughout the West Midlands
and other
regions
provide training placements.

An employer liaison committee
advises on the structure and content of the course.

Graduate Destinations

The chart below shows the employment statistics for students who
graduated from one of our degree courses in Biomolecular sciences in
2009. Almost 80%

had a graduate level job or were in post graduate
study.


Graduate starting salary

NHS trainees £18,000 approx.
Applied Biomedical Science
Graduates
with HPC registration £21,000 approx.


Course
Facilities

Summary of main Facilities
used by the course

This course has a significant practical component and to support the
delivery of this we have an extensive suite of analytical and biological
laboratories, staffed by experienced technicians. These include state
of the art techniques such as flow cytometry
, mass spectrometry and
HPLC. Students will also use the extensive physiology laboratories
that are shared with sport science.
In addition, s
tudents use a variety
of I.T
.

resources including bioinformatics programmes/ databases.

We also make good use of ou
r hospital contacts to provide specialist
teaching on the course to ensure you get up to date, real life applied
skills and knowledge.


‘Why should I choose this
course?’



IBMS
-
accreditation, which allows graduates to enter the
Health Care Scientist Profession



HPC approv
al

for Applied Biomedical Science



Knowledge and skills in human medical sciences, which can
be applied to a wide range of careers



Hands
-
on experience of a

wide range of techniques in
modern, well
-
equipped laboratories



Optional professional training (placement) year


What should I choose?

Students are advised to choose the 4 year sandwich option for all our
courses. If you decide later not to take a place
ment (sandwich) year
you can then switch to the non
-
sandwich, 3 year programme.
Note
that an initial application to a longer programme is preferable,
simply because of your financial planning considerations.