Faith Mazani - Biomedical Science with a Sandwich Year BSc
Are you interested in a career in the health services, in a pharmaceutical company or in medical research? Would you like to explore diseases like cancer or the response to infection? Are you intrigued to learn how medicines are discovered and how they work? At Kent, we prepare you for successful careers within and beyond the world of biomedical science.
As well as learning about the latest developments in the understanding and treatment of human diseases, you develop wider transferable skills in problem solving, communication and teamwork.
I really like how diverse the modules on my degree are. You cover lots of topics, so you get a taste of everything and soon learn which areas you prefer - Camille Cure
You'll explore the biochemical processes that occur in the human body, learn how they respond to diseases and how this knowledge can be used to identify and treat diseases. Practical work is at the heart of our teaching and this allows you to gain skills that are in high demand in the industry. We give you extensive practical training and you spend up to two days a week in the laboratory.
Early in your degree you develop your skills as a bioscientist, covering biological chemistry, genetics, molecular and cellular biology, human physiology and disease, and metabolism.
Modules go on to include advanced immunology, haematology and blood transfusion, and pathogens. In your final year you complete a research project which can be lab or literature based. You have a broad choice of optional modules including neuroscience, bioinformatics and genomics, and cancer biology.
Tailor your degree to suit you with a sandwich year where you’ll work in industry for a year, giving you the chance to put into practice the skills you’ve learnt and build important connections. Taken between your second and final years, the sandwich year provides an excellent opportunity to gain relevant work experience in industry in the UK or abroad. During your placement you are paid by your employer and produce an independent research project.
You can also expand your horizons with our year abroad, where you'll study at one of our partner institutions for a year. Or you can also take our three-year Biomedical Science degree, without a year abroad or a sandwich year.
Make Kent your firm choice – The Kent Guarantee
We understand that applying for university can be stressful, especially when you are also studying for exams. Choose Kent as your firm choice on UCAS and we will guarantee you a place, even if you narrowly miss your offer (for example, by 1 A Level grade)*.
*exceptions apply. Please note that we are unable to offer The Kent Guarantee to those who have already been given a reduced or contextual offer.
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications, typical requirements are listed below. Students offering alternative qualifications should contact the Admissions Office for further advice. It is not possible to offer places to all students who meet this typical offer/minimum requirement.
BBC including Biology or Human Biology grade B or Double Award Applied Science at grade BB including the practical endorsement of any science qualifications taken.
Mathematics grade C
Access to Higher Education Diploma with 18 level 3 credits at distinction, 24 at merit and 3 at Pass, and to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits in particular subjects at distinction or merit grade.
The University will consider applicants holding BTEC National Diploma and Extended National Diploma Qualifications (QCF; NQF;OCR) on a case by case basis. Subjects likely to be acceptable are Applied Science, Biomedical Science and Medical Science. Typical offers when made are Distinction, Distinction, Merit. Please contact us via the enquiries tab for further advice on your individual circumstances.
Distinction, Distinction, Merit
Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average including 60% in Skills for Bioscientists, Fundamentals of Human Biology and Life Sciences (plus 50% in LZ013 Maths and Statistics if you do not hold GCSE Maths at 4/C or equivalent).
The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.
Please contact the School for more information at study-bio@kent.ac.uk.
If you are an international student, visit our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country, including details of the International Foundation Programmes. Please note that international fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.
Please note that meeting the typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee that you will receive an offer.
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you do not meet our English language requirements, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
Find out more about what it's like to study Biomedical Science from the people who know.
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Duration: 4 years full-time
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.
The 2022/23 annual tuition fees for this course are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Search scholarshipsTeaching includes lectures, laboratory classes, workshops, problem-solving sessions and tutorials. You have an Academic Adviser who you meet with at regular intervals to discuss your progress, and most importantly, to identify ways in which you can improve your work further so that you reach your full potential.
Most modules are assessed by a combination of continuous assessment and end-of-year exams. Exams take place at the end of the academic year and count for 50% or more of the module mark. Stage 1 assessments do not contribute to the final degree classification, but all stage 2 and 3 assessments do, meaning that your final degree award is an average of many different components. On average, 26% of your time is spent in an activity led by an academic; the rest of your time is for independent study.
The Sandwich Year is assessed by a presentation and a written report and contributes 10% to the overall mark.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
The programme aims to:
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
You gain the following intellectual abilities:
You gain subject-specific skills in the following:
You gain transferable skills in the following:
Biological Sciences at Kent scored 87% overall in The Complete University Guide 2022. It was also ranked 10th for research intensity.
Our recent graduates have gone on to careers including:
The School of Biosciences runs employability events with talks from alumni outlining their career paths since graduation.
The University also has a friendly Careers and Employability Service, which can give you advice on how to:
You graduate with an excellent grounding in scientific knowledge and extensive laboratory experience. In addition, you also develop the key transferable skills sought by employers, such as:
You can also gain new skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.
Our Biomedical Science degree programme is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) and the Royal Society of Biology (RSB). For future employers, this accreditation helps to demonstrate a wide-ranging scientific education with practical skills and experience.
If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can choose to apply through UCAS or directly on our website.
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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