UTS course code: C10115
UAC code: 607013
Testamur title: Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science
Abbreviation: BSc
Course Director: Dr Mary Davey
Course fee: HECS (local); $8,250 per semester (international)
Total credit points: 144

Overview
Course aims
Admission requirements
Advanced standing
Attendance
Course duration
Course structure
Course program
Assessment
Honours
Professional recognition
Other information

Overview

This course provides an in-depth understanding of biological processes with emphasis on human biomedical science and laboratory experimentation. Major areas of study include biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, immunology, haematology and pathology. Students acquire familiarity with advanced instruments and technology and are encouraged to participate in seminar activities. In third year, students complete a number of elective subjects, totalling a minimum of 48 credit points. At least one half of these must be designated biomedical science electives, however students wishing to obtain a solid grounding in biomedical science are advised to choose their additional electives from the table of Recommended electives for the Biomedical Science and Medical Science courses. Electives may, however, be taken from a wide range of areas offered within the Faculty of Science or within the University. See the Second majors section of this handbook and your Course Director for more details. Students can undertake the Diploma in Scientific Practice¹, a period of industrial training providing preparation for employment in the field.

Footnotes:
1. The Diploma in Scientific Practice is not available to international students.

Course aims

This course aims to provide an understanding of how the body functions at a cellular and whole organ level; how this function is disturbed by trauma, or inherited, or acquired by infectious disease; and how disease states are diagnosed by clinical laboratory tests. Students also gain an understanding of current medical research aimed at improving diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease. The aim is to produce professional biomedical scientists with highly adaptable and practical scientific skills accompanied by a thorough grounding in theory. It encompasses a number of interface areas between modern technology, biology and medicine. Graduates can expect to find employment in a range of areas including working with clinical pathologists, surgeons and other medical specialists in the control and elimination of disease. The course also provides an excellent preparation for entry to graduate medical degrees. Other career opportunities for biomedical scientists are in Commonwealth and State health departments, forensic biology laboratories, the Repatriation Department, CSIRO, universities, medical research institutes, pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, biotechnology companies, private pathology laboratories and veterinary laboratories. These industries are dependent on a high level of professional competence in experimental techniques in disciplines such as biochemistry, microbiology and pathology. The course also provides the underpinning knowledge and experimental skills for graduates to progress further to a career in biomedical research by undertaking an Honours degree.

Admission requirements

Australian students are required to apply for admission through the NSW University Admissions Centre (UAC). For school leavers, admission is based on UAI scores. We recommend that HSC studies include the following subjects: HSC Mathematics, English and at least one science subject. Non-current school leavers should apply through UAC in addition to submitting a Personal Statement to UTS. Applications are taken from September to December each year.

International students should contact the UTS International Office for application procedures. In addition to academic requirements, students are required to meet English language proficiency requirements. Further details are available from the International Office.

Advanced standing

UTS recognises prior tertiary level learning, including that from other universities and TAFE (Associate Diploma and Diploma only). Once a student's application to study has been accepted, they may apply to receive recognition of successful prior learning, and may therefore be able to complete the course in less than the standard time. Applications for credits and exemptions should be made to the Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Science.

Attendance

Full-time attendance involves approximately 24 hours each week at the University. This enables a full stage of the course to be completed in one semester. Part-time attendance involves approximately 12 hours each week at the University. This form of attendance allows students to complete a full stage in one year. It is expected that employers will release part-time students for at least one half-day per week for attendance at classes.

Course duration

Students can complete the course in:

• three years, full time
• six years, part time
• four years, full time with successful completion of the Diploma in Scientific Practice, or
• four years, full time with Honours.

Other patterns of attendance may also be permitted. Contact the Course Director for advice.

Course structure

Subjects are divided into core subjects and elective subjects, some of which may form a coherent second major strand. All students enrolled in the degree must satisfactorily complete all core subjects for award of the degree and, in addition, must satisfactorily complete the required number of credit points of elective/second major subjects. Students generally choose these subjects with a particular theme or area of expertise in mind. Several recommended subject strands, which provide strengths in specific disciplines within biomedical science, are listed below. Electives that are highly relevant or complementary to biomedical science are also listed in the table of Recommended electives for the Biomedical Science and Medical Science courses. Students should also refer to the section on Recommended Science strands and Second majors and contact the Biomedical Science Course Director for advice on selecting second majors and electives. It should be noted that timetable constraints may prevent the undertaking of some elective combinations.

Course program

Full-time program

Footnotes:
1. For details of electives recommended for the Biomedical Science degree, see the table of Recommended electives for the Biomedical Science and Medical Science courses. Students can also choose electives/second majors from Designated Biomedical electives listed above.
2. This subject will only be offered in block mode in Summer session.

Part-time program

Spring semester
65022 Chemistry 2A 6cp
91702 Medical Science 2 6cp

Spring semester
91313 Biochemistry 1 6cp
xxxxx Elective/second major¹ 6cp

Spring semester
91132 Molecular Biology 1 6cp
or
91326 Analytical Biochemistry 6cp
xxxxx Elective/second major¹ 6cp

Spring semester
91330 Epidemiology and Public Health Microbiology 6cp
or
91351 Immunology 1 3cp
and
91355 Haematology 1 3cp
xxxxx Elective/second major¹ 6cp

Spring semester
Choose at least two of the following Designated Biomedical Science electives
91345 Biochemistry, Genes and Disease 6cp
91129 Transfusion Science 6cp
91359 Immunology 2 6cp
91352 Parasitology 6cp
91131 Cytopathology Part B³ 6cp
plus
xxxxx Electives/second major¹ 6cp

Footnotes:
1. For details of electives recommended for the Biomedical Science degree, see the table of Recommended electives for the Biomedical Science and Medical Science courses. Students can also choose from Designated Biomedical electives listed in Stage 5.
2. The order in which part-time students undertake Stage 3, 4, 5 and 6 subjects, is determined by the fact that subjects are offered in appropriate time slots in alternate years only. Students entering the program in even and odd years will take their preferred combination of subjects in a different sequence.
3. This subject will only be offered in block mode in Summer session.

Recommended subject strands

To fulfil the requirements of Stages 5 and 6 of the Biomedical Science degree course, students must complete at least two Designated Biomedical Science electives in Stage 5 and one in Stage 6 (or equivalent part-time Stages), totalling a minimum of 24 credit points, plus another 24 credit points of electives/second major subjects which may be drawn from the recommended biomedical science electives or from another part of the Faculty or elsewhere in the University. The following combinations constitute a cohesive strand of study in a particular discipline or related disciplines.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology strand

Microbiology strand

Pathology strand

Footnotes:
1. For a list of Designated Biomedical Science electives see the table of Recommended electives for the Biomedical Science and Medical Science courses (denoted 'D').
2. This subject will only be offered in block mode in Summer session.

Immunology and Molecular Biology strand

Footnotes:
1. For a list of Designated Biomedical Science electives see the table of Recommended electives for the Biomedical Science and Medical Science courses (denoted 'D').

Recommended electives for the Biomedical Science and Medical Science courses

A = Autumn semester S = Spring semester Y = Full-year subject C = Core subject for that course
D = Designated elective for Biomedical Science (At least 24 credit points of these subjects are required for this degree.)
NR = Not recommended

Footnotes:
1. The Stage 5 and 6 subjects marked (o) will run in part-time mode in odd years only; those marked (e) will run in part-time mode in even years only. All electives are offered in full-time mode every year.
2. This subject will only be offered in block mode in Summer session.
3. Supervision form must be completed and approved by the relevant Course Director.
4. This may include subjects from other courses within the biological and biomedical sciences, subjects from another UTS school or faculty, or subjects from another university undertaken on a concurrent study basis, e.g. Viruses and Disease at University of NSW. Appropriate subjects from other universities may be counted as designated Year 3 electives for Biomedical Science if approved by the Course Director. See the list of Recommended Science strands.
5. These subjects are offered in different semesters in some years.

Note: Subjects recommended for particular stages may be undertaken by part-time students when programmable, provided the prerequisites are met. Owing to timetable constraints, not all electives may be available to students in any given semester.

AIMS Accredited Program of Study

Students wishing to meet the requirements for membership of the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS) should select 91351 Immunology 1 and 91355 Haematology 1 as Stage 4 electives, and select all Stage 5 and 6 electives from the list of Designated Biomedical Science electives (denoted 'D' in the table of Recommended electives for the Biomedical Science and Medical Science courses).

Assessment

Depending on the subjects chosen, students can expect to undergo a variety of assessment types before completion of this course including formal and informal examinations, assignments and essays, practical reports and write-ups, and seminar presentations. Assessment tasks may be based on individual or group work. For further details on individual subjects, see the Subject Descriptions section, or contact the subject's coordinator.

Honours

The Honours program is designed to introduce students to research work in biomedical science. It allows selected students to continue on with postgraduate studies if desired and enhances their employment prospects. For further information see the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biomedical Science.

Professional recognition

Graduates of this course who have completed studies in relevant clinical areas (see Recommended subject strands above) are eligible for membership of the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists (AIMS).

Other information

All academic inquiries should be made to:

Course Director, Biomedical Science
Dr Mary Davey
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
telephone (02) 9514 4065
fax (02) 9514 4026
email Mary.Davey@uts.edu.au