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Biomedical, Health & Life Sciences  (BHS1)

BSc (NFQ Level 8) · Academic Year 2024/2025
School
School of Medicine
Attendance
Full Time
Level
Undergraduate
NFQ Level
8
Award
Bachelor of Science
Mode of Delivery
On Campus
Programme Director
Professor Bill Watson
Overall Programme Credits:
240
Programme Credits:
Stage 1
Core/Option: 55 Electives: 5
Stage 2
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 3
Core/Option: 50 Electives: 10
Stage 4
Core/Option: 60 Electives: 0
Major/Minor Core & Option Credits:
Stage 1: 55
Stage 2: 50
Stage 3: 50
Stage 4: 60

Curricular information is subject to change.

If human health and disease research interests you, this exciting new degree will provide you with the fundamental knowledge and skills you require.

The Biomedical Health and Life Science multi-disciplinary BSc honours degree is designed to offer a unique environment to students in which they will become multi-disciplinary scientists at the interface of Biomedical Science and Medicine in order to translate scientific knowledge and discoveries to impact on global human health and disease.



The programme values and therefore encourages the development of an enquiring, collaborative, critical and analytical approach to learning that will engender an intellectual and professional approach to the understanding of the complexity of human health and disease.



The programme offers a unique learning environment at both an academic research and hospital setting delivered by internationally recognised research active scientists and clinicians. In addition to the traditional lecturing approach the programme promotes the use of small group learning, journal club and ethical review style discussions to develop the critical thinking and reflection of the scientific approach and impact on patient outcomes and society as scientific knowledge is brought into clinical utility. The research project places an emphasis on clinically relevant research questions where the student also gains a respect for working with clinical material and an understanding of the steps to bring these ideas into clinical use. The programme utilises a blended approach to assessment including project work and presentations.


1 - Demonstrate a knowledge of body functions in health and disease underpinned by molecular, biochemical and pathobiological processes.
2 - Work in a multi-disciplinary scientific and clinical team environment with an appreciation of what each discipline can bring to the integration and transfer of knowledge to impact on patient outcomes.
3 - Undertake a professional approach and respectfulness in their interaction with patient material and research questions.
4 - Apply scientific methodology to identify solutions to clinically relevant questions in the areas of prevention, diagnosis and interventions of human disease.
5 - Implement a professional and passionate approach to lifelong, self-directed and collaborative learning throughout their careers.
6 - Appreciate the importance of scientific enquiry and how to translate scientific knowledge to clinical utility with a vision to making an impact on global health and disease.
7 - Practise as a scientist and implement the scientific process of generating clinically relevant hypothesises as well as design, plan, conduct and evaluate the outcome of scientific experiments.
8 - Think critically about what they learn and their research findings.
9 - Impart their knowledge and analysis through written and oral media to audiences ranging from scientists, clinicians, patients and the general lay public.
10 - Organise their time and activities to deliver specific planned objectives.
11 - Position themselves to contribute to the path of discovery to enhance global health.
12 - Act as responsible global citizens, including a commitment to social and cultural diversity, equity and ethics.

If human health and disease research interests you, this exciting new degree will provide you with the fundamental knowledge and skills you require.

This new degree will appeal to anyone who has a keen interest in science and who wishes to study the effect modern diseases have on the normal function of the healthy human body. You will also learn how scientifically driven investigation can advance our knowledge of disease treatment and prevention.

The programme provides you with a wide breadth of education and training across a range of modern medical and biological sciences and focuses on the application of scientific developments in the prevention and alleviation of disease.

Stage 1 in the programme involves a number of modules concerned with modern basic biomedical laboratory sciences. The subject areas in the core modules of this stage will include relevant aspects of anatomy, biochemistry, biophysics, chemistry, cytology, histology and physiology.

Subsequent study of disease processes will enable you to proceed to further learning about the research-based development of new and more effective means of diagnosing, treating and preventing illness. The flexible modular structure of this programme will allow you to specialise in areas of investigative biomedical science that especially interest you, particularly in the later stages of the degree course.

You may apply to study abroad for either a semester or a year through the Erasmus programme or on a non-EU exchange. UCD has over 200 Erasmus partners in Europe and an increasing number of non-EU exchange agreements with universities in the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and elsewhere.

Please visit the Erasmus section by clicking on the UCD Global website

The majority of graduates follow careers in biomedical research, undertaking MSc and PhD higher degrees. They also have a high success rate for entry to Graduate Entry Medicine and pursue opportunities in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well as other areas allied to health.

UCD Health Sciences Programme Office Health Sciences Centre (Ground floor)
Belfield,
Dublin 4

Tel: +353 1 716 6656
Email: healthscience@ucd.ie
Web: www.ucd.ie/healthsciences


Stage 1

Any student who did NOT receive a grade of C3 or better in Chemistry in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) examination MUST enrol to the module CHEM00010 Introductory Chemistry but no other students should enrol to that module.

Stage 4

Students undertaking their research project abroad must contact BHLS@ucd.ie

Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

Module Type Module   Trimester Credits
Stage 1 Core Modules
ANAT10110 Clinical Human Anatomy I Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
ANAT20030 Basic Tissues & Early Develop Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
PATH10010 Translational Research Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
PATH10020 Basic Principles of Cell Biolo Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
PHYC10120 Physics in Medicine Autumn  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
ANAT10120 Clinical Human Anatomy II Spring  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
CHEM10050 Basis of Organic and Biological Chemistry Spring  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
MDSA10210 Science Medicine and Society Spring  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
PATH10200 Basic Principles of Genetics Spring  5
Stage 1 Core Modules
PHYC10130 Physics II Medical Science Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - B)1 of:
Students who did NOT receive a grade of C3 or better in Chemistry in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) MUST register to the module CHEM00010 Introductory Chemistry.
All other students should select CHEM10040.
CHEM00010 Introductory Chemistry Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - B)1 of:
Students who did NOT receive a grade of C3 or better in Chemistry in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) MUST register to the module CHEM00010 Introductory Chemistry.
All other students should select CHEM10040.
CHEM10040 The Molecular World Autumn  5
Stage 1 Options - C)1 of:
Students have the option of choosing one of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose one elective module of their choice. For students choosing STAT10050, please select the Spring offering and not the Autumn.
STAT10050 Practical Statistics Autumn and Spring (separate)  5
Stage 1 Options - C)1 of:
Students have the option of choosing one of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose one elective module of their choice. For students choosing STAT10050, please select the Spring offering and not the Autumn.
BIOL10070 Biology for the Modern World Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - C)1 of:
Students have the option of choosing one of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose one elective module of their choice. For students choosing STAT10050, please select the Spring offering and not the Autumn.
EDUC10280 Why Trust Science? Spring  5
Stage 1 Options - C)1 of:
Students have the option of choosing one of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose one elective module of their choice. For students choosing STAT10050, please select the Spring offering and not the Autumn.
PERS10020 Fundamentals of S & C Online Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
BMOL20060 Biomolecular Lab Skills 1 Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
BMOL20090 Molecular Genetics and Biotech Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
BMOL20110 Biomolecular Sciences Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
STAT20070 Data Modelling for Science Autumn  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
BIOC20060 Biochemistry in Action Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
BMOL20070 Biomolecular Lab Skills 2 Spring  5
Stage 2 Core Modules
PHAR20040 Pharmacology:Biomedical Scienc Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.
CHEM20090 Chemistry for Biology Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.
FDSC20010 Food Macronutrients Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.
MDSA20010 Gastrointestinal Tract and Liver Biology Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - A) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.
PHYS20050 Cell-Cell Communication Autumn  5
Stage 2 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.Students that wish to take Respiratory Physiology (PHYS30020), please contact BHLS@ucd.ie to be manually registered to this module.
FDSC20020 Nutritional Energy Metabolism Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.Students that wish to take Respiratory Physiology (PHYS30020), please contact BHLS@ucd.ie to be manually registered to this module.
MDSA20170 Vascular Biology Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.Students that wish to take Respiratory Physiology (PHYS30020), please contact BHLS@ucd.ie to be manually registered to this module.
NEUR20050 Principles of Neuroscience Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - B) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.Students that wish to take Respiratory Physiology (PHYS30020), please contact BHLS@ucd.ie to be manually registered to this module.
PHYS30020 Respiratory Physiology Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - C) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.
MDSA20180 Cardiac Biology Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - C) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.
MDSA20190 Renal Biology Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - C) Min 1 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.
MICR20050 Microbiology in Medicine, Biotechnology and the Environment Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - D)2 of:
Students have the option of choosing two of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose two elective modules of their choice.
FDSC10010 Food Diet and Health Autumn and Spring (separate)  5
Stage 2 Options - D)2 of:
Students have the option of choosing two of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose two elective modules of their choice.
PHTY20280 Born to Run: The Science of Human Endurance Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - D)2 of:
Students have the option of choosing two of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose two elective modules of their choice.
VET20180 Introduction to One Health-Bridging Human & Veterinary Medical Sciences Spring  5
Stage 2 Options - D)2 of:
Students have the option of choosing two of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose two elective modules of their choice.
MDSA30280 SSRA Research Elective I Summer  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
BMOL30040 Receptor-mediated cell signalling Autumn  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
MEIN30240 Bioinformatics Autumn  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
PATH30080 Disease Mechanisms & Pharmacological Principles Autumn  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
PHAR30020 Endocrine, Renal and Reproductive Pharmacology Spring  5
Stage 3 Core Modules
RDGY30760 Introduction to Research BHLS Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
BIOC30030 Biochemist's Toolkit Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
BMOL30050 Genomics and Proteomics Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
GENE30030 Genetic Basis of Disease Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
GENE30040 Introduction to Programming for Biologists Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
MEMI30010 Medical Microbiology Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
PHYS30040 Endocrine Physiology Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
PHYS30190 Experimental Physiology Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
PHYS30270 The Brain and Motor Control Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - A)3 of:
Please choose one of the following modules.If you wish to take both PHYS30190 and GENE30040, please contact BHLS@ucd.ie Please note, it is not possible to select BIOC30030, GENE30030 and PHYS30190 as a combination of modules.
RDGY30520 Medical Imaging (Clin/Res) Spring  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 2 of:
Please choose two of the following modules.
CLIP30240 Stem Cells in Medicine Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 2 of:
Please choose two of the following modules.
PHAR30010 Chemotherapeutic Agents Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - B) Min 2 of:
Please choose two of the following modules.
PHAR30060 Central Nervous Systems Diseases Autumn  5
Stage 3 Options - C)2 of:
Students have the option of choosing two of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose two elective modules of their choice.
IA20010 Creative Thinking & Innovation Autumn and Spring (separate)  5
Stage 3 Options - C)2 of:
Students have the option of choosing two of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose two elective modules of their choice.
IA20160 Creative Thinking & Innovation (Online) Autumn and Spring (separate)  5
Stage 3 Options - C)2 of:
Students have the option of choosing two of the following in-programme option modules or they can choose two elective modules of their choice.
MDSA30280 SSRA Research Elective I Summer  5
Stage 4 Core Modules
PATH40240 Research Project: BSc BHLS 2 Trimester duration (Aut-Spr)  25
Stage 4 Core Modules
PATH40030 Journal and Ethical Review Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B)1 of:
Select one core module
PATH40020 Clinical Biomarkers Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - B)1 of:
Select one core module
PHAR40030 Advanced cardiovascular pharmacology: mechanisms and pharmacotherapy in atherothrombotic disease Autumn  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
BIOC40060 Advanced Neurochemistry Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
BMOL40050 Advanced Cancer Biology and Pharmacology Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
GENE40030 Advanced Mechanisms of Gene Regulation Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
GENE40040 Model organism genetics: a modern experimental approach Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
GENE40050 Human Genetics & Disease Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
MEIN40230 Personalized Medicine Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
PATH30060 Genetics, Perinatal and Paediatric Diseases Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
PHAR40040 Emerging therapies: Cloning, gene therapy and stem cells Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
PHAR40050 Drug Discovery and Development I Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
PHAR40060 Advanced Renal Pharmacology: disease development and treatment Spring  5
Stage 4 Options - C)5 of:
Please note if you choose PATH30060 you cannot choose PHAR40040 or BIOC40060.
RDGY30520 Medical Imaging (Clin/Res) Spring  5

See the UCD Assessment website for further details

Module Weighting Info
 
  Award GPA
Programme Module Weightings Rule Description Description >= <=
BHMED004 Stage 4 - 70.00%
Stage 3 - 30.00%
Standard Honours Award First Class Honours

3.68

4.20

Second Class Honours, Grade 1

3.08

3.67

Second Class Honours, Grade 2

2.48

3.07

Pass

2.00

2.47