Biomedical Materials Science -

The B Med Sc Programme

Biomedical Materials Science is a relatively new subject area bringing together several disciplines including human biology, materials science, engineering design and materials development and processing for clinical applications. It is responsible for developing and improving materials used in the human body to replace or repair damaged tissues and therefore has close links with the Medical and Dental professions who actually use and implant these biomaterials.

The course is intended for students who have an interest in scientific and engineering developments in medicine and would like to contribute to further improvements in medical care and therefore obtain an Honours Degree with direct clinical relevance.

The biomedical materials science course is a joint programme based in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry with teaching contributed by the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine and Metallurgy & Materials. The result of this combination means that you will benefit from teaching from a wide range of staff including leading orthopaedic surgeons, dentists and materials engineers. All undertake research in their subjects so each course is up to date and at the forefront of knowledge.

The majority of your time will be spent on the main University of Birmingham campus in the Schools of Medicine and Metallurgy & Materials although you will also have some teaching in the School of Dentistry which is situated close to the city centre of Birmingham. This means that you will spend time in three different schools and mix with different groups of students.

Career Prospects

As your course has a significant biological and materials science input, you will be well prepared for careers in either of these areas within universities, industry or medical research. However the area where these subjects overlap and materials interact with biological systems, which is essentially biomaterials, is where you will have the best preparation and careers are possible again in either universities or industry with companies that manufacture artificial prostheses, drug delivery systems or dental materials for example.

Alternatively you could use your degree as a broad based education before undertaking a career in teaching, accountancy or management. The University of Birmingham Careers Centre in conjunction with the Biomaterials Unit provides help with careers and securing suitable employment.

Contact Information

Further information regarding the Biomedical Materials Science (BJ95) course contents, admissions procedures and visits should be requested from: