Overview
Studying biomedical engineering means learning the science and engineering behind the latest medical advances.
- Our biomedical engineering course covers the design and development of artificial medical implants - such as hip joints, heart valves and prosthetic limbs - as well as the development of medical technologies including surgical robots, diagnostic tools and rehabilitation equipment.
- You'll be taught by staff with many years of experience, and throughout the course, we'll encourage you to apply your skills to a range of practical problems.
- You'll have access to excellent laboratory facilities and computer suites, including simulation and modelling application software for virtual design and manufacturing.
You will learn how a biomedical engineer integrates principles from both engineering and the biomedical sciences to develop innovative medical solutions. Our curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive biomedical engineering degree experience, preparing you for a variety of roles.
This course is in Clearing
Our LLM course is a top choice
UEL’s LLM programme has been recognised as a top choice in the latest PTES survey, achieving 1st place rankings for satisfaction, teaching and more.
What makes this course different

Industry 4.0
You will gain new skills from the evolution of industrial technology. This programme will give you inter-disciplinary knowledge in technology, design and manufacturing processes.

Facilities
You'll have access to state-of-the-art facilities including a digital robotic arm and many more. These facilities are crucial for hands-on learning on our biomedical engineering degree.
See our facilities
Engineers Without Borders
You will compete at the national level. At Engineers Without Borders, our students ensure they commit to operating in the most sustainable and globally responsible ways.
Course modules
In your foundation year you will learn fundamentals across science and maths subjects, along with engineering sciences. This will give you good grounding in these topics as you embark on the full biomedical engineering degree.
Throughout the course, you'll be encouraged to apply your skills to a range of practical problems through a mental wealth module which is designed to guide you to become an independent learner, effectively reflect and take action for professional success. In your first year, you will gain a thorough and 'hands-on' grounding in the principles and practices of engineering with a healthcare focus, including Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Engineering Principles, Applied Mathematics and Computing, Engineering Materials, and Thermofluids.
In the second year, students begin to specialise in biomedical engineering, by studying Functional Anatomy and Biomechanics of Human Movement, while also studying Engineering Design and Analysis, and Applied Electronics. You'll be encouraged and supported to find work experience to enhance your practical skills.
We'll help you find a work placement if you choose to work for a year in the industry during your course.
In the final year, you will expand your understanding of biomedical engineering even further by developing a solution for a real-world medical need and acquiring new skills and readiness for the workplace through a biomedical engineering project. In addition, you will be taught an advanced subject that enhances the variety of biomedical engineering applications, namely, Biofluid Mechanics & CFD, Applied Physiology, and Design of Mechatronics Systems.
NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.
Download course specification
Your future career
We offer dedicated career support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.
Biomedical engineering jobs are diverse and plentiful. Graduates can work in hospitals, research facilities, medical device companies, and more. The biomedical engineer salary is competitive, reflecting the high demand and specialised skills of professionals in this field.
Industry links
You'll be encouraged and supported to find work experience to enhance your practical skills. We'll help you find a work placement if you choose to work for a year in the biomedical engineering industry during your course. These placements can lead to permanent jobs in biomedical engineering.
Graduate employers
Biomedical engineers can have varied careers in many environments, which include: hospitals, private and public research facilities, medical institutions, universities and government agencies. The salary of a biomedical engineer reflects the demand and expertise required in these roles.
Some of our graduates have gone on to work at organisations like BCAS Biomedical Services Limited.
Job roles
You could become involved in the design of medical devices, modelling and simulation of human physiology and anatomy, support hospitals in clinical and financial governance of existing medical equipment, or in the assessment of new technologies. Artificial organs, computer-simulated or image-guided surgery and robot-assisted surgery, orthopaedic implants, medical imaging, assistive technologies, and mobile and e-health, are only some of the services that biomedical engineers can deliver, ensuring rich career prospects.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.
Further study
If you wish to specialise further in biomedical or pharmaceutical science, we offer postgraduate options in these areas:
A masters degree can help your career advancement, preparing you for management roles, or academic positions in higher education.

One of the best transferable skills that I took away from my time at UEL was the ability to present to people with a variety of backgrounds and expertise. You will have opportunities to go on to do great things. I ended up working as the first neurosurgical physician associate at The Royal London Hospital - a major trauma centre in London, doing a job that I love!"Hira Hana
BSc Biomedical Science (with Foundation Year) graduate and Physician Associate, Royal London Hospital
How you'll learn
You'll be guided by teaching staff with many years experience of working in or being closely connected to the biomedical engineering industry. These links are vital in organising student visits and guest speakers at the University of East London. They're also hugely helpful when it comes to organising industry placement years - an option you can take up between your second and third years.
Placement students, who will be aided by an employment liaison officer, gain a greater understanding of the industry and this may count towards the experience requirement for a professional engineering qualification. But some prefer to complete the three-year course and move on.
Regular contact with our industrial liaison advisory board maintains the currency of our biomedical engineering course and thereby the employment and career paths of our graduates.
Guided independent study
When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, and specialist facilities, such as game labs, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.
Academic support
Students are supported with any academic or subject-related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, and former and current UEL students. If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential. You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater for your every need. UEL provides support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).
Dedicated personal tutor
If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths, or statistics, academic tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-to-one appointments to help you achieve your potential.
You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs feature centralised helpdesks.
UEL provides support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).
Workload
Each year you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.
The approximate percentages for this course are:
- Foundation Year: 163 Hours - Taught Sessions, 37 Hours - Practical/IT Workshops, 800 Hours Independent Learning
- Year 1: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours
- Year 2: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours
- Year 3: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours
Your timetable
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible.
You will receive your personalised timetable at the beginning of the academic year depending on your 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.
Class sizes
The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work.
How you'll be assessed
You will be continuously assessed throughout the course. A wide range of assessments linked to learning outcomes are used, including Examinations (unseen essay, short answer or multiple-choice questions), essays, practical reports, presentations, project work, and computer-based assessments. You will also take part in a mix of individual and group work to allow innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership skills to be developed.
More details will be included in the student handbook and module guides. You will always receive detailed feedback outlining your strengths and how you can improve. We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 15 working days, although you will receive immediate feedback following many of our face-to-face assessments.
Campus and facilities
Our campus and the surrounding area
Our waterfront campus in the historic Royal Docks provides a modern, well-equipped learning environment.
Join us and you'll be able to make the most of our facilities including contemporary lecture theatres and seminar rooms, art studios and exhibition spaces, audio and visual labs and a multimedia production centre.
Features include our 24/7 Docklands library, our £21m SportsDock centre, a campus shop and bookstore, the Children's Garden Nursery, cafés, eateries, a late bar, plus Student Union facilities, including a student lounge.
The University of East London is one of the few London universities to provide on-campus accommodation. Our Docklands Campus Student Village houses close to 1,200 students from around the world. We are well connected to central London and London City Airport is just across the water. We also run a free bus service that connects Docklands with Stratford campuses.
Who teaches this course
This course is delivered by the School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering.
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.
- Course leader
Dr Samir Morad
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Dr Roger Carpenter
Department of Bioscience, School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience - Course leader
Mohammed Meah
Department of Bioscience, School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience - Course leader
Dr Gary Doyle
Department of Bioscience and Sport, School Of Health, Sport And Bioscience - Course leader
Kalok Lee
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Jaswinder Lota
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Dr Subramaniam Arunachalam
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering - Course leader
Sarah Catmur
Department of Engineering & Construction, School Of Architecture, Computing And Engineering
What our students and staff say

The discipline of bioengineering has grown rapidly around the world over the last 20 years. This growth has been driven by the medical challenges brought by the need for new treatments for chronic conditions, and to respond rapidly to new disease challenges as they arise. Studying biomedical engineering at UEL will give you the skills and abilities as a professional engineer to be at the forefront of delivering great solutions for some of the world's biggest medical problems."
Dr Samir Morad
Programme Leader for BEng (Hons) Biomedical Engineering

As a mature student, the opportunity to be able to enrol on the foundation year and change my career path provided me with social mobility and propelled me into a career which is interesting, rewarding and that I love doing. I can't praise the teaching staff enough, without them it would not have been possible for me to achieve my full potential.”
Dee Davis
BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science (with Foundation Year) graduate, Specialist biomedical scientist (virology), Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust