“At the University of Bolton, we take great pride in providing a quality, supportive learning environment for our students.” Professor George E Holmes DL | President & Vice Chancellor
“...tutors are very supportive and you’re not just a student ID number, at this university you are an individual with a name.” Ellisse Vernon | BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing
Our BSc (Hons) Medical Biology with foundation year is a great opportunity to develop a solid understanding of human biology from a medical perspective. It’s designed to equip you with the skills and understanding needed for a career in biomedical science, or to prepare you for further study, including graduate-level entry into Medicine or Dentistry.
Key information
Award:
BSc (Hons)
Mode of Study:
Full-time
Duration:
4 years
Location:
The University of Bolton
UCAS points:
48
UCAS code:
C250
Start date:
20/09/2021
Course Details
Understanding how the human body works – and the need to continuously develop and improve ways to diagnose and treat disease – is integral to improving both the length and quality of our lives. Medical biology is therefore a huge and vital topic. This is your opportunity to take big steps into the subject and develop an understanding of its key principles, concepts and applications. As well as teaching the human biology aspects of medical biology, we’ve designed the course to demonstrate key principles and advancements relating to the medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical job markets.
The foundation year is the first year of this degree, offering an excellent grounding in the fundamentals of biology, chemistry and mathematics alongside study skills development. It is designed to prepare you for degree level study.
You’ll have the chance to familiarise yourself with the fundamentals of human biology from molecular to organ level. Our dedicated and expert team will also introduce you to the principles of scientific investigation that relate to medical biology. As you progress, you’ll build on these themes in a range of ways, taking a medical perspective on disease and treatment.
The course aims to help you develop skills that will be of value should you wish to apply for medical school entrance exams, and gives you the chance to gain experience using a wide variety of relevant biomedical instrumentation.
Highlights
Our Biological Sciences courses are ranked fourth in the UK and top in the North West of England for student satisfaction, according to The Complete University Guide 2022.
You’ll explore the causes of disease, and the methods and technologies used to treat and diagnose disease.
This highly practical course focuses on developing your practical skills, and knowledge of research methods, by giving you experience of using equipment in our high-spec instrumentation laboratory.
We’ll also support you to gain skills in critical thinking, problem solving and communication that are highly valued in the biosciences and medical industries, and beyond.
Many of the areas you’ll explore benefit from University staff research, so you’ll have direct access to in-house expertise, and the latest ideas and learning as they present themselves.
The course includes a framework through which suitable work placements can accrue credit towards your degree, allowing you to gain work experience in a career-relevant environment and build your network of industry contacts. If you’re interested in a placement, we'll work with you to identify and approach suitable placement providers.
We offer a warm and friendly environment, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching and laboratory facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
Key Features
We’re based in the Queens Specialist Building, which offers modern teaching laboratories and classrooms, plus a high-spec instrumentation laboratory, microscopy facility, microbiology laboratory and tissue engineering suite, all dedicated to undergraduate teaching.
You’ll have opportunities to explore medical biochemistry, molecular genetics, medical microbiology, cancer biology, neurobiology, clinical examination skills and tissue engineering.
We prefer to keep lecture and practical classes relatively small, so that you have plenty of opportunities to ask our friendly, supportive tutors for help, as well as benefit from the ideas and support offered by your classmates.
By inviting experts in specialist areas of biology to give guest lectures and provide an overview of their research and professional experience, we aim to enhance your learning and help you to make contacts in the industry.
We spoke to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as the NHS, while designing the course, to ensure that our graduates gain the knowledge and skills these industries need.
Professional recognition
You can become a Student Affiliate member of the Royal Society of Biology.
Your Level 3 subjects must include mathematics or a science subject; for instance, A-level Biology or BTEC Extended Diploma in Applied Science.
You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English, Mathematics and Science.
Please note that Health and Social Care is not acceptable as a biology or science related subject.
You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
If English isn’t your first language you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Want some reassurance or advice? Speak to one of our advisors. Email us at admissions@bolton.ac.uk or call us on +44 (0)1204 903 394.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Medical biology careers span the spectrum of medical sciences. Since the subject area is so broad in scope, the available career options are similarly vast. Whether your focus is on disease diagnosis and treatment or developing a new medicine, medical biology careers often involve working in laboratories, and understanding how to use laboratory equipment is crucial.
Though some careers can be more independent, working in a team with other professionals is common. So analytical and problem-solving skills are also vital, along with strong literacy and numeracy.
What can I do with this qualification?
As a graduate, you’ll have gained a highly transferable skill set that can be adapted to a huge range of careers and work environments in both the public and private sectors.
Medical biologists are employed in healthcare, biotechnology, medical research and pharmaceutical fields. Working in hospital laboratories, health clinics, government agencies, charities, education, and even sales are possible options. Other potential areas of employment include medical science, epidemiology and laboratory technology. Alternatively, you may choose to use your degree as a springboard to higher-level study in medicine or postgraduate qualifications.
If you’re attracted to a career in medicine, you may also be interested in becoming a physician associate (PA). Physician associates work under the direct supervision of a doctor and carry out many similar tasks, including patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. The University of Bolton’s MSc Physician Associate Studies course is open to BSc (Hons) Medical Biology graduates who achieve at least a lower second class (2.2) honours degree and takes only two years to complete.
Alternative career options
Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers, bearing in mind that relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:
Teaching and education
Medical administration
Health service management
Science writing
Health promotion
Medicine
Nursing
Research and development
Medical sales
Intellectual property
Financial analysis
Genetics
Health education
Public relations
Course fees
Home Fees
Year of study
Total
Entry year
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
2025/26
2021
£9,250
£9,250
£9,250
£9,250
-
£37,000
International
Year of study
Total
Entry year
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
2025/26
2021
£9,250
£12,450
£12,450
£12,450
-
£46,600
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2021-2022 academic year:
EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status.
If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement.
Please read the
student finance eligibility 2021-2022 policy on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the
normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in
March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
For 2021-2022 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year.
The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2021-2022 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:
If you already have a UCAS application for September
If you have an application for September with UCAS and are applying through Clearing please ensure you have
received a verbal offer from the University by calling 01204 903030.
The online application form and guidance notes are available on the
UCAS website.
You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £24.
Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's
fee of £13 is applicable.
You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen
start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course –
you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be
someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format.
Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page.
If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data
you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394
or admissions@bolton.ac.uk
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world.
We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
How you apply is determined by your current location and what you are choosing to study:
Apply direct to the University. Links for the next available intakes of this course are shown below.
Please click the link which will direct you to the online application form. Please read the user
guidance before completing this.
Apply via one of our approved in-country referral partners. A list of our partners may be found on the
International pages of this website.
Apply via UCAS for courses starting in September only – visit
www.ucas.com.
Should you have any queries please contact the International Team on +44 (0) 1204 903110 or email
international@bolton.ac.uk
Apply online: University of Bolton
BSc(Hons) Medical Biology with Foundation-20 September 2021 (Intake not currently accepting international applications)
University of Bolton Group Partners
Bolton College
University Technical College
University of Bolton
The University welcomes applications from our group partners and progressing students so we try to make our application
process as simple and as fast as possible. By selecting the link for your chosen course from the list shown below you
will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this and ensure
you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.
Please ensure when you are asked to add a contact email address you add your college/university email account address
as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address we will be unable to
identify you as a partner and you will be referred to apply via UCAS, which incurs a cost.
We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!
We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods to help you achieve your potential. Lectures introduce course content, while seminars are a valuable way to explore subjects in greater detail. Tutorials allow you to ask questions about the topics we cover, and discuss your learning approaches and strategies for success. Practical laboratory sessions help you learn to apply academic theory to scientific problems, and develop practical skills in research methods and scientific techniques. Also, guided computer-based workshops help you gain the data analysis skills and knowledge you’ll need to take on your research project and thesis.
Self-directed and independent study is essential if you want to reach your potential in this hugely rewarding and constantly evolving subject, so we encourage you to devote significant time to it. For example, for background reading, assignments, preparing for seminars, writing essays and revising for exams.
Summative assessments include in-class tests, essays, seminar presentations, laboratory reports, independent project work, and exams that contribute to your final module mark. These assessments are your chance to confirm your knowledge and understanding, as well as your critical and evaluation skills.
Meanwhile, you’ll get to benefit from ongoing formative assessments throughout your degree. These don’t contribute to module marks or final grades, but are designed to support your progress and help you build on your strengths and overcome perceived weaknesses. They’re also a good way to help you identify and pursue the independent learning strategies that best suit your needs and preferences.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
Principles of Biomolecular Science
Research Skills for Medical Biology
Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology
Transition to Higher Education
Investigating Science and Personal Development
Molecular Basis of Life
Cellular Basis of Life
Clinical Anatomy
Human Physiology
Introduction to Biochemistry
Research Science
Technology in Advanced Musculoskeletal Diagnosis and Treatment
Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Molecular Genetics
Medical Biochemistry
Medical Microbiology
Project
Placement
Cancer Biology
Neurobiology
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Biological Basis of Disease and Therapeutics
Clinical Diagnostic Techniques
Assessment methods
Level
Assesment method
Level one
Coursework 30%, Practical exams 13%, Written exams 57%
Level two
Coursework 52%, Practical exams 16%, Written exams 32%
Level three
Coursework 58%, Practical exams 20%, Written exams 22%
Learning activities
Level
Learning activity
Level one
Guided independent study 66%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34%
Level two
Guided independent study 66%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34%
Level three
Guided independent study 61%, Placement/study abroad 13%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 27%
Disclaimer
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
