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Biomedical Informatics with Foundation and Placement

Entry requirements


A level

D,D,D

Pass Access to HE Diploma (Minimum of 45 credits at level 3)

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMP

UCAS Tariff

72

About this course


Course option

5years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Bioinformatics

This Biomedical Informatics degree allows you to develop knowledge and understanding of modern bioscience and informatics (the study of computational systems) with a specific emphasis on everyday healthcare solutions.
With the rapid advancement of digital technology into the healthcare industry, there is an ever-increasing demand for healthcare workers with specialised skills in applying information technologies in healthcare.
Throughout the course, you will benefit from:
• being part of a learning community that conducts research into areas such as cancer, genomics, microbiology, food safety, ageing and memory, and translation medicine
• access to brand-new facilities that include equipment used in modern pharmaceutical, nutritional and clinical laboratories
• option of a placement year to develop your employability and career prospects
• final year research project - allows you to focus your studies on your specific interests and career goals.
A wide array of optional modules allow you to shape your studies to match your own interests and career ambitions.
The foundation year course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to continue onto your Honours degree. You will study a range of subjects that will underpin your future study and also gain valuable experience of university life, with full access to campus facilities. Successful completion of the year allows you to progress straight onto Level 4 of this course.
Integrating practical and theoretical aspects of using information technologies in healthcare and medicine, this Biomedical Informatics degree provides you with a thorough understanding of the key concepts and principles of informatics.
The course aims to integrate practical and theoretical aspects of using information technologies in healthcare and medicine whilst promoting an awareness of the ethical, moral and social implications. The interdisciplinary nature of the course is reinforced by broad departmental expertise and research interests, particularly in areas of:
• bioinformatics
• cell biology
• microbiology
• pharmacology
• person-centred health and social care.
Year One: You will cover a range of core modules that introduce you to anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and bodily systems. You will also gain an overall picture of the human organism and its essential functions, including microbiology, the structural features of all cells that make up the living system, fundamental genetic mechanisms essential for the evolution of life and function, and the genetics and molecular biology underpinning human biology and health.
Year Two: You will build on your knowledge from the first year by exploring how information technologies can be applied to medicine to improve human health and treat diseases. To this end, three core modules are included at this level to introduce you to some important concepts and principles in informatics, such as medical imaging, computer programming, and computational statistics.
Year Three: You will continue to develop your knowledge and understanding of biomedical informatics through two core modules on healthcare informatics and the choice of two optional modules on diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. This is reinforced by a research project which allows you to explore unique topics of interest.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
International
£16,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Main site - West London

Department:

School of Biomedical Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

76%
Bioinformatics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Information systems

Teaching and learning

76%
Staff make the subject interesting
80%
Staff are good at explaining things
72%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
68%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

88%
Library resources
96%
IT resources
96%
Course specific equipment and facilities
76%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

81%
UK students
19%
International students
73%
Male students
27%
Female students
70%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
A
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Information systems

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£19,000
low
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

38%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
18%
Information technology technicians
9%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

Information systems courses cover a range of areas, including information design, modelling and the finance industry. How well graduates did made a particular difference in 2015 — computing graduates with good grades were much less likely to be out of work after six months. Most students do get jobs, though, and starting salaries are good — particularly in London, and that’s where over a quarter of graduates started work last year. This is also a good degree to take if you want to follow a technical role in the finance or advertising industry. Many jobs for this degree were found in the larger cities last year and opportunities may be more limited outside those areas.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Information systems

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£23k

£23k

£26k

£26k

£34k

£34k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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