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LOCATION
Stratford Campus
Location Fees and Funding
Here's the fees and funding information for each year of this course
Overview
This course offers you an ideal opportunity to enhance your career prospects in a range of specialist areas within biomedical science. You will enrich and update your knowledge, gaining a postgraduate qualification which will help you achieve progression at work.
This IBMS accredited course is carefully tailored to maximise your employability within bioscience and offers an unrivalled range of professional expertise and top class facilities. You will learn both practical and theoretical aspects of clinical chemistry, medical microbiology, cellular pathology and haematology. It will offer you the chance to study a core MSc alongside a specialisation within different areas of biosciences.
This course is designed and tailored to your own preferred specialism in either of the following: Clinical Biochemistry and Toxicology, Health and Disease of Physiological Systems, Clinical Microbiology and Infectious disease control and Immunology and Immunotherapy.
You will learn about research methods and how to use diagnostics when detecting diseases or other medical conditions in order to assess potential treatments. Teaching will be based on lectures, seminars, workshops, independent web-based learning and laboratory-based learning in our state-of-the-art facilities. The broad field of learning also suits people who are simply interested in furthering their knowledge of the subject. The course can be worked around a full-time job and there are intermediate awards available - a Postgraduate Diploma and a Postgraduate Certificate.
What makes this course different
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
This IBMS-accredited course equips you with knowledge of the practical as well as the theoretical aspects of specialist areas of biomedical science: clinical chemistry, medical microbiology, cellular pathology and haematology. As in other areas of biology, the cutting edge of research in medicine is primarily focused at the molecular level, using the recently developed - and constantly improving - techniques in molecular biology, genomics and proteomics.
For your MSc, you will need to complete the three core taught modules - Biology of Disease 1 and 2, and Research Skills - plus one optional module. You will then complete a research project. For the PG Diploma, which can also be studied either full or part-time, you will need to complete four taught modules including one optional. To obtain the PG Certificate - one year part-time - you must complete both the Biology of Disease modules. The optional modules are Immunology and Bioinformatics, though you will need to take them if you have not already studied Immunology at degree level.
We consistently review and develop our courses and modules to ensure they are up-to-date with sector and industry graduate skills demands. Course structure, modules and options are subject to change.
DOWNLOAD COURSE SPECIFICATIONS
COURSE SPECIFICATION - MSc Biomedical Science
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MODULES
- Core Modules
Experimental Techniques and Laboratory Practice CloseExperimental Techniques and Laboratory Practice
This module will help you develop an in-depth knowledge, understanding and ability to apply key laboratory techniques used within the disciplines of Bioscience science. Core competencies in the planning and implementation of experimental activities, processing and analysis of results as well as the interpretation and critical evaluation of findings will be reinforced and further developed. This module will give you the opportunity to master a wide range of experimental techniques widely used within the Biological Sciences.
The Biology of Disease and Clinical Diagnosis CloseThe Biology of Disease and Clinical Diagnosis
Within this module you will develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the clinical and diagnostic aspects of human disorders and disease commonly encountered in a clinical setting. Areas including cellular pathology, cytology, haematology, chemical pathology and the underlying legislative and regulatory framework governing clinical pathology laboratories will be explored.
Patient-based case studies will be used to help you understand the causes of disease, its diagnosis and therapy. You will also gain hands on experience developing laboratory competencies in core techniques commonly utilised within this discipline.
Evidence-based Practice and Career Development CloseEvidence-based Practice and Career Development
This module aims to provide you with the tools and experience to appraise and critically evaluate the methodological quality of scientific studies and published literature. You will develop your ability to identify the key parts of a scientific study, understand, interpret and critically evaluate experimental designs and results, and assess their relevance to the wider body of knowledge within a discipline.
As part of this training process you will also build a theoretical and practical knowledge of the application of different statistical analyses, gaining an appreciation of their importance and role in the evaluation of study results. In collaboration with a member of the faculty, you will develop and present your own in-depth critical literature review and project proposal/bid enabling you to further hone a number of key transferable skills which are highly sought after by employers for many different sectors.
Optional ModulesClinical Biochemistry and Toxicology CloseClinical Biochemistry and Toxicology
Within this module you will develop a critical understanding of chemical pathology of disease and understanding of how biochemical changes are monitored and used in the assessment of human health and the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
You will also develop a deep understanding of the biochemical basis and various mechanisms underlying toxicity and its consequences including organ toxicity and carcinogenesis. Pharmacokinetics, clinical toxicology and the importance of drug regulation and toxicity testing will also be explored. You will gain hands on experience in a variety of laboratory techniques relevant for these disciplines.
Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Control CloseClinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Control
Within this you will extend your knowledge and understanding of the interactions between pathogens and their human hosts. You will also become familiar and conversant in the different strategies used to prevent, diagnose and treat of infectious diseases and challenges faced within modern clinical settings. You will gain hands-on experience in the isolation, cultivation and diagnostic techniques used to identify and characterise infectious organisms in a clinical setting.
Health and Disease of Physiological Systems CloseHealth and Disease of Physiological Systems
This module will provide you with a critical understanding of human physiology, with a theoretical and methodological framework for more advanced study of the function and disease of selected major physiological systems. You will learn practical aspects of determining the health status of an individual and diagnosis of disease states using physiological assessments. Development of your core theoretical knowledge and applied practical competencies will be supported through relevant clinical case studies.
Immunology and Immunotherapy CloseImmunology and Immunotherapy
This module aims to provide you with an in-depth knowledge of the current concepts of basic immunology and how they have been used to develop immunotherapies now being used in the clinic. After learning the basic composition, structure and functions of immune cells and organs you will progress to advanced topics in immune system and molecule function and their application to the improvement of human health.
You will also gain hands-on experience in a set of immunological laboratory techniques which are broadly used in a variety of clinical settings and scientific disciplines.
HOW YOU'LL LEARN
The focus of the course is not simply on acquiring a depth of current knowledge in the subject but also on the methodology used in obtaining that knowledge. We make use of recent research papers to inform class discussion.
In addition to taught modules in the field, we will give you training in research processes, including the generic techniques of data analysis and presentation, literature searching and the study of statistics. If you are doing the MSc, this will lay the groundwork for your individual research project which will give you the opportunity to develop and demonstrate your individual skills and abilities.
The course requires two days of study per week, from 9am to 5pm, or one day a week part-time. We arrange visits to major drug companies, hospitals and other potential employers. Representatives from these organisations also deliver lectures on site. Your learning environment will involve lectures, seminars, workshops, independent web-based learning and laboratory-based learning in our state-of-the-art facilities.
Small projects and group work exercises are a highly enjoyable feature throughout the programme.
This course is either a good way for people with degrees that don't tick all the boxes to tick the boxes so they can progress, or for people who have already done an accredited first degree and gone into working as a biomedical scientist who want to hitch their careers up. After a few years' working, you can refresh and update your knowledge of the subject.
HOW YOU'LL BE ASSESSED
You will be assessed using a mixture of practical coursework and a theory exam. Coursework can take a variety of forms, including laboratory work, data analysis, essays and oral presentations. The Research Skills module is assessed by coursework including a presentation and research proposal, while the Research Project is assessed mainly on a final written report, plus a poster presentation and portfolio.
CAMPUS and FACILITIES

Stratford Campus, Water Lane, Stratford
WHO TEACHES THIS COURSE
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.
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What we're researching
We have three research groups : The Medicine Research Group, The Infection and Immunity Research Group and the Clinical Research Group. While each group has their own specific areas of investigation we share labs, equipment and technical expertise. We have a lively internal communication agenda with weekly seminars and journal clubs where you will be welcome to join in.
Some of the key areas of ongoing research in the biomedical science area are: inhibitors of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, vaccine development in yeast vectors, genetic determination of pathogens in ticks, mechanisms antibiotic resistance and search for new antibiotics from natural compounds, molecular mechanisms of drug addiction, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, identification of immunopeptides, mechanisms of rejection in organ transplant, inflammation and its control with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. For a full list of projects please visit our staff pages.
Bioscience research played a major part in our successful performance in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework – the six-yearly national review of research quality in higher education. 92 per cent of UEL's overall research was recognised as world-leading, internationally excellent or internationally recognised.
YOUR FUTURE CAREER
Our goal is to equip you to progress in any science-based career or, if you have other career goals, to enrich you with the investigative, analytical, and communication skills that are sought by most employers.
As a biomedical scientist you can expect to work in publicly funded or private laboratories which provide an essential service to medical care for disease diagnosis and evaluation of treatment. Screening, diagnosis and analysis services are rapidly evolving in both structure and technologies and they require a dynamic and knowledgeable workforce.
Our Biomedical Science MSc can facilitate you to be part of and progress within that workforce. Because of our strong emphasis on research, the MSc may lead you to a research-based career whether through the PhD academic route or to working in pharmaceutical or in biotech companies.
Bioscience is playing an increasingly large role in society and your biomedical science expertise will be sought after by a variety to of industries and services including insurance and legal services, investment banking, public health bodies and local authorities to name just a few.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.