Biomedical Sciences with Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)

This module is designed to support you in your transition to studying in a Higher Education environment at Birmingham City University. Through a range of class-based group and individual activities, discussions, debates, personal reflection and wider reading and research, you will have opportunities to consider academic conventions, which include: effective use of literature; sourcing and reviewing information; various forms of academic writing; developing reflective capacity. You will also receive guidance on study skills and strategies, which will enhance previously acquired skills.

These professional skills are transferable and will be valuable not only in the immediate context but throughout your continued education and employment. By engaging with this module, we have set out clearly what we expect of you at foundation and undergraduate level, and will equip you with the confidence, competence and capacity to utilise resources to be able to meet expectations in this environment.

An essential element of this module will be your ability to analyse and reflect on your own learning and the way in which you have applied your knowledge, skill and understanding to any academic context in which you have engaged to date. Communicating effectively through a variety of academic conventions is a key skill for any student and this will be a feature of this module.

This module is designed to help you gain awareness and understanding of current challenges around Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity and how this impacts upon the Health, Education and Social Sciences sector, preparing you for your future education and journey into practice.

Introducing the Equality Act 2010 as the overarching legislation that focuses on Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity, the module is based on themes that are covered by this Act.  The nine protected characteristics, upon which a person can be discriminated, as laid down in the Equality Act, will be discussed throughout and you will be introduced to case studies relevant to your chosen pathways.

The module will give you the opportunity to discuss debate and reflect upon how challenges around Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity may present themselves. Using problem and inquiry based learning you will have the opportunity to explore and discuss ways of working which can help to minimise discrimination in your own practice.  The module will be made up of lead lectures, taught sessions, group work and individual study.

This module will focus on enabling you to gain a deeper understanding of the interpersonal skills and behaviours required to work in your chosen area. Through a range of class based and student focused activities you will explore the different concepts of effective interpersonal and professional behaviours essential to your own personal development and progression. By engaging in this module you will  reflect on your own and others  values, beliefs and behaviours identifying how this can impact on the way in which you will  be viewed by others. You will also address the importance of effective communication and how this can lead you to have a more professional approach in your chose area of work.

This module is designed to support you in your transition to studying in a Higher Education environment at Birmingham City University, allowing you the opportunity to negotiate learning of a bespoke subject. Under the guidance of tutors, you will be able to direct your learning and identify relevant learning opportunities that you feel enable you to learning more about a specific field of study.

The subject area within this module is student-led, with guidance and facilitation from designated academic and practice support. You will identify an area of study that you would like to review and evaluate, and which relates to your foundation year pathway and indicate programme.

A significant proportion of the module is based around negotiation with academic facilitators to identify extended areas of study and opportunities that are possible to enhance your towards completion of the study.

An appreciation of the principles of Human Biology plays a central role in the understanding of the workings of the human body. This module is organised into three distinct phases from fundamental principles, to physiological processes, and then disruption of the interplay of such systems in human disorders. This understanding provides a solid foundation for the subsequent study in a range of disciplines from healthcare, allied healthcare, and other disciplines requiring an understanding of human biology. The topics covered will also be underpinned by practical activities. Pre- and post-session activities will help to develop your key transferable skills such as being able to reflect and ask probing questions as well as being able to think independently.  Development of these skills will ensure a growth in maturity and boost your confidence which will lead to unlocking your learning potential.

Students embarking on health related studies and careers need to have a knowledge and understanding of the factors that contribute to creating good health.  Evidence shows that the majority of these factors lie outside of the healthcare and clinical remit and so it is important that students are aware of the wider social, economic, environmental and political drivers of states of health of the population, group or client group they may encounter.   As health services are reoriented towards prevention of ill-health and health improvement, all health science students need to consider the ways in which they may work in future, to both understand the social determinants of health and the principles and practice of health promotion in order to improve health, prevent ill-health and reduce health inequalities.

The aim of this module is to introduce the biochemical reactions that occur within the human body, framed in the context of human health and disease.

This module will introduce you to key cellular and sub-cellular concepts associated with biomedical sciences. You will encounter the cell as the fundamental, yet dynamic, unit of life. The module aims to describe the relationship between structure and function, and how the characteristics of cells facilitate their activities and allow them to contribute to the activity of tissues.

This module will provide you with the fundamental scientific skills that will form the foundations for your success throughout your degree and into your career beyond. Many scientists are involved in the direct generation of data; be it physiological measurements of blood glucose levels pre- and post- exercise; the activity of an enzyme in a biochemical assay; or the rate of growth of a pathogenic bacterium on a particular food source. Therefore, understanding the basic principles of how to process this data is essential, and equally as important is knowing how to correctly use the scientific instruments available in the laboratory to generate the initial data.

This module is delivered in the second semester of your journey on the Biomedical Sciences programme and will provide you with the essential knowledge and understanding of human physiological systems. You will start with the fundamentals of homeostasis and gradually work towards exploring the physiological and scientific principles of organ systems. Theory and practice will be linked throughout by use of clinical examples to import the significance and relevance of the topics covered.

This module will provide you with an introduction to the field of Genetics. An understanding of genetics is fundamental to understanding biological processes, and the role of genes in health and disease. This module will discuss modes of inheritance, how information is encoded in DNA, how this information is translated, and the impacts of mutations on genetic conditions.

This module introduces students to the fundamentals of the microbial world. Students need to understand the important principles of how microorganisms function and survive before advancing to the topics where we explore the roles of microorganisms in disease.

This module is designed to give you the necessary skills and knowledge required to design, execute and disseminate a research project in the biomedical sciences and clinically-related research fields.

Disruption of normal cellular and biochemical processes has an impact on an individual’s health and wellbeing. In this module, you will investigate cellular and tissue function, and assess the investigative methods used for determining abnormalities at a biochemical and cellular level. These will include biochemical methods for detection of biological molecules. The module aims to bring together the ability to represent data in an appropriate manner and assess the impact on an individual’s health.

This module will build on the knowledge and skills developed at level 4 and will explore the scientific foundations of pharmacology. You will use this underpinning knowledge to examine how the pharmaceutical industry designs and develops novel drug entities to treat the underlying pathophysiology of common diseases.

This module will provide you with an introduction to the components of human blood, the functions of the different cell types, and the disorders that affect them. This module will also include the techniques for diagnosis and monitoring of blood disorders, the interpretation of clinical and laboratory data, and the essential features of modern clinical and laboratory haematology.

This module will build upon the level 4 Microbiology module, by introducing you to the different types of microorganisms that infect humans and cause disease.

The aim of this module is to provide a practical context for you to develop key employability attributes such as communication, organisation, interpersonal and networking skills. The work placement is an excellent opportunity for you to apply your scientific academic knowledge and skills outside of the University environment. By engaging with a placement provider you will be viewing first-hand the scope of a job role and demands placed on employees.

A number of our graduates will go on to work in bioscience related areas, whilst others will
embark on careers outside this field. Some of the students on this course will be undecided
on a choice of career at this stage. This module is intended to introduce students to the
variety of careers that bioscience graduates can choose from. They will learn about the key
roles and responsibilities in these careers, as well as the skills and qualifications needed to
compete for these jobs.

The Research Project will provide you with experience of how information is reviewed, and how novel information is acquired, analysed and presented. You will be involved in the initial planning of the project, the continual project development, and responsible for the communication of the research findings. It is an opportunity to apply the theoretical, research, and academic skills that you have acquired throughout the programme to answer novel questions. The project enables you to demonstrate initiative and creativity in your approaches to examining a specific problem or question.

An understanding of a disease at the cellular and molecular level is important for those working in the biomedical sciences. This module is designed to explore the molecular, biochemical and cellular changes in human disease and how this has contributed to the development of novel diagnostic tools and of knowledge-based treatment strategies. It will also provide you critical-thinking skills to explore human health and diseases through reference to primary research articles, and reviews.

This module aims to look at the conditions that are known to be the main cause of morbidity and mortality nationally and globally according to the Office of National Statistics and the World Health organisation. It is important that individuals are able to recognise key symptoms of the condition and the underpinning physiology accounting for these changes. They should also be able to identify key literature about the incidence, treatment and prevention of the disease from the literature.

Toxicology is the scientific study of adverse effects that occur in living organisms due to chemicals. It involves observing and reporting symptoms, mechanisms, detection and treatments of toxic substances, in particular relation to the poisoning of humans. This module will develop your knowledge and skills gained in the level 5 module, Fundamental Principles of Pharmacology and Drug Development. The module will also develop your employability skills through sessions that develop your critical analysis, communication and academic writing skills.

Modern healthcare providers are constantly striving to provide better patient care, improved diagnostics and treatments for current and emerging diseases. However, in order to comply with financial pressures and an expanding, increasingly mobile global population, healthcare improvements must be efficient, cost effective and sustainable. Underpinning these improvements are new technologies and contemporary approaches that provide more rapid and rigorous diagnostics and therapies. Research within the Biosciences has had a substantial part to play in these developments, with advances in DNA sequencing, genetic engineering and drug discovery for example, leading to significant medical breakthroughs.

In this module you will learn about the impact of infectious disease outbreaks around the world and the epidemiological strategies used to monitor and prevent them. You will explore the microorganisms that are the causative agents of disease, learn how infection is transmitted, study the impact on human health and the current strategies to combat disease.

The World Health Organisation stated recently that “There is ample evidence that pinpoints to neurological disorders as one of the greatest threats to public health”. This module is designed to introduce you into the exciting world of neuroscience, by giving you a clear understanding of basic principles of neuronal (inter)action, learning and memory, emotion and motivation, necessary for your contribution to research in brain disorders like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s’ disease, epilepsy, dementia, anxiety and depression.

This module will build upon the basic understanding obtained in the modules, Introduction to Human physiology, Fundamentals of Cell biology, Pharmacology and Research methods, and will equip you to critically appraise recent developments in brain disease research across all levels of analysis, and evaluate various exciting therapeutic approaches.

This immunology module is designed to review topical aspects of advanced immunology with emphasis on the regulation of the immune response, and the role of dysfunctional immune systems in the aetiology of a variety of disease states.

Topics include antigen processing and presentation, transplant rejection, autoimmunity, hypersensitivity, cell migration homing and extravasation, cytokines, mucosal immunology and autophagy.

The Medical Pharmacology module builds up on the concepts delivered in BMS4004 Human Physiology module (level 4) and BMS5004 Fundamental Principles of Pharmacology and Drug Discovery module (level 5). This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the fundamental concepts of medical pharmacology and covers drugs acting on the major organ systems of the body, including the cardiovascular, renal, nervous, gastrointestinal, respiratory and endocrine systems. The content of the module will further introduce students to drugs used against inflammation, fever and pain whereas cancer pharmacology session will focus on the mechanisms of action of major classes of anti-cancer agents.