Postgraduate Biomedical Sciences Courses at University of Reading

Biomedical science is a branch of health science with a focus on what happens in the human body at the cellular and molecular level. Biomedical scientists investigate biological processes, conduct research, analyse data and contribute to advancements in medical knowledge, fostering improvements in medicine and technology.

To study at PhD level, you’ll need to already have very strong undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in biomedical science or a very closely related subject like biochemistry, or medical discipline. Additionally, you will need to submit a proposal for a piece of original research which you intend to pursue during the course, whichwill form the basis for your work.

There are over 40 biomedical science PhD courses available in the UK, and these typically take between three and six years to complete.

What to Expect

A PhD in biomedical sciences represents the pinnacle of academic study in the field, so you can expect to do a lot of self-guided research, laboratory work, academic writing and regular presentations of your findings. You’ll mainly be working towards completing a dissertation, which is the major focus of your research work, and will engage with a topic within a biomedical field of your choosing such as molecular biology, genetics, or medical microbiology.

You’ll read a lot of research papers, perform plenty of data analysis and produce your PhD dissertation under the supervision of your academic tutors. After submitting the dissertation, you’ll be called back to defend it in front of a panel of academics and once you’ve passed this, you can graduate, well prepared for roles as biomedical researchers, academic professionals or industry scientists in the UK and abroad.