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Biomedical Sciences: Careers and employability

100% of our 2016 graduates in BSc Healthcare Science (Life Sciences) found employment or went on to further study within six months of graduating.

88% of our 2016 graduates in Biomedical Science found employment or went on to further study within six months of graduating.

In Biomedical Sciences you study normal life processes in humans and gain an understanding of disease processes, the methods used in their investigation, and the identification and development of therapeutic intervention strategies.

Although the subjects you cover are broadly similar to the pre-clinical components of a medical degree course, we aim to produce graduates who understand disease from a scientific perspective.

We produce highly educated and yet flexible biomedical scientists, with excellent career prospects.

Some graduates choose laboratory-based careers while others opt for scientific but non-laboratory-based employment.

Biomedical Science Labs

What jobs do our graduates do?

Laboratory-based careers

Microbiology Lab equipment

These include medical research either in hospitals, universities or research institutes.

Research opportunities also exist in the pharmaceutical companies such as Astra Zeneca, Fisons, Johnson & Johnson, SmithKline Beecham and Glaxo/Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline), Merck Sharp and Dohme, or Smith & Nephew.

Some graduates enter the public sector working as clinical scientists or medical laboratory scientific officers in hospital laboratories, or work as scientists in public health laboratories or forensic science laboratories.

The food industry also employs a number of our graduates, particularly those specialising in microbiology.
Microbiology Lab equipment

Non-laboratory-based careers

Computational Chemistry lab in Analytical Centre

The opportunities here are very wide.

Within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry there are careers as clinical trials co-ordinators, and as regulatory affairs executives (involving drug registration and patents).

In addition there are opportunities in medical information services, medical sales and medical writing and publishing. The Health and Safety Executive and the Forces also provide career openings.

Some of our graduates have also found careers in banking and management, or as computer programmers, distribution trainees, trading standards officers, and even a leprosy worker in Nepal.
Computational Chemistry lab in Analytical Centre

Further Study

Graduating student

Approximately 20% of our graduates chose to continue their studies, either at Bradford or at another university by undertaking research degrees such as a PhD.

Others seek a more vocational qualification in dietetics, health service management, a taught Master's degree in a specialist discipline (for example, immunology, forensic science, biochemistry, genetics), or by studying for a Postgraduate Certificate of Education to qualify for a teaching career.

Some of our students have also progressed to the new specialist graduate medical programmes, such as the Physician Associate MSc.
Graduating student