What is the qualification?
BSc (Hons) (NFQ Level 8)
What are the entry requirements?
Typical CAO Point Range 600
Leaving Certificate:
O6/H7 in English, Irish, Mathematics, a third language, a laboratory science subject and one other recognised subject.
What are the entry requirements for international students?
Click below for equivalent entry requirements information for:
What is the length of the course?
4 Years
What is the average intake?
40
Why is this course for me?
This course will appeal to those with a keen interest in science and in how research and technology can impact on human health. You’ll learn how scientifically driven investigations can advance our knowledge of disease prevention, detection and treatment. The programme will immerse you in modern medical and biological sciences, and focus on the application of scientific developments. The flexible, modular structure of this degree allows you to specialize in the areas of investigative biomedical science that interest you, particularly in the later stages of the degree.
What will I study?
First Year
You will take modules in:
Second & Third Year
You’ll continue with modules in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Physiology. You’ll also start to integrate modules focusing on specific diseases and disease processes, in order to learn more about the development of new, more effective means of diagnosing, treating and preventing illness. Supporting modules include:
Fourth Year
You’ll build skills in biomedical research through interactions with international researchers in a range of disease areas. These are undertaken within the School of Medicine and its affiliated teaching hospitals.
The degree will develop your fundamental knowledge in the translation of scientific discovery into clinical utilisation.
You will take modules in:
You’ll have the opportunity to be involved in peer-reviewed abstracts and publications and to present at national and international meetings.
You’ll experience an innovative mix of learning methods, including lectures, small group tutorials, research projects and laboratory-based learning.
Assessment methods include end-of trimester exams, continuous assessment, report writing and oral presentations.
For detailed information on subject content click here.
Do you need to have a good understanding of technology for the course?
No, it helps if you have an understanding of biology, chemistry and physics but we cover these in the first year so it is not a requirement.
What are the employment opportunities?
A Science degree can lead to many careers in lifelong learning. BHLS trains a new generation of translational scientists who are at the interface of science and medicine and undertake a research career in biomedical research and be able to work with scientists and clinicians and take scientific ideas into a clinical setting.
About 50% of our graduates go on to do a masters or PhD in science or even in business. To be able to take a scientific discovery into industry you need to know how to market it. About 20% of our graduates go into Graduate Entry to Medicine. These students have identified the importance of BHLS but now want to be more actively involved in medicine and will likely become clinical scientist doing research in their clinical field.
Students have also gone on to do a range of other careers including scientific writing.
What will the points be?
It depends each year on how many people apply. Increased numbers of applications drive the points up. Don’t worry about the points – work hard and put it on your choices but have other options too. Through Science at UCD you can get into things like pharmacology and biochemistry. This isn’t the only programme in which you can study disease related specialties.
Are you able to specialise within the degree?
This is one of the unique aspects of the BHLS programme. You come in in your first year and you have to do chemistry, physic, human anatomy, human cell biology and a translational research module so that you can understand what the progamme is all about from an early stage. You work in groups to define translational research. We bring in Principal Investigators (PI) who are doing translational research to show you how their research has developed and been brough to clinical utility and we look at scientific papers in particular areas.
Then in stage two and three, you have core modules in Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Genetics etc. and you can choose some disease oriented modules which are also taken by medical students so you can learn how to understand the diagnose and the symptoms and how to treat disease including – respiratory, cardiovascular, cancer – which is unique to the BHLS programme. There is a lot of flexibility which allows you to build modules around areas of interest.
In final year, it is a research focused year in which you do a research project. Semester 1 in final year is when you work in a translational research laboratory either in Belfield or affiliated hospitals or in Lund in Sweden as part of our Erasmus program. You can choose a project depending on the disease area you have chosen such as cancer or cardiovascular disease.
We teach our scientists to become critical thinkers, innovators and lifelong learners.
Can you transfer from BHLS to Medicine if you get the HPAT that year?
Transferring is not possible. If you resit your HPAT and apply to join the Medicine degree in UCD you will enter from the start of the programme joining Stage 1. You can apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for stage 1 modules. More information on RPL can be found here.
What’s the difference between this course and biomedical engineering?
Biomedical science is looking at the study of disease on the clinical side. Engineering is engineering. One of our Principal Investigators (PIs) who offers a research project is an engineer. Some of our researchers are looking into how cells interact with their matrix and the bioengineering component of flexibility and the tension and how that might affect the development of cancer, for example. Engineering is important for the understanding the scaffolding and growing of cells for the production of drugs and so it will help us with the understanding of disease as well.
Is there a lot of maths involved in the course?
You can’t really get away from maths in a science degree. Maths teaches you very important skills of problem solving. Genomics and proteomics and metabolomics – we can’t analyse this data without computers and programming skills which involves maths. Maths is more interesting when you apply it to a subject you are applying it/integrating it into.
Do graduates earn a lot of money?
You’ll be a long time in your career before you make lots of money. Scientists are driven by questioning how things work and learning. Those with a post doc earn 30 – 60K a year, senior post-docs can earn up to 80K.
If you want to make money, go into business.
How many people typically apply for the course?
We take on 40 students each year.
Can you take a job and not work in a lab?
Yes you can go into business. Working for a technology company developing new drugs or diagnostics to help understand diseases to help in clinical practice.
You can work in the regulatory side of drugs industry too, for example.
Is leaving cert chemistry needed?
You don’t need it but you will cover two chemistry modules in stage 1.
Is it a good pathway to Graduate Entry Medicine?
Yes, about 20% of our graduates do this. It helps as clinicians who follow this route have a very strong background in science.
Is there time spent researching stem cells?
We have a module on stem cells in stage three which is taken with UCD medicine students – it’s an optional module.
Can you go into a hospital laboratory?
No – you would need to do a biomedical science degree.
Can we see a timetable?
Go into BHLS to see all the modules you do in each stage.
Can you transfer to another course after a year like science?
You can only apply for entry to another course if you have enough points that are required for that year.
What is the course load like?
Any science degree has a busy course load. You have labs, practicals, and classes.
Is there a study abroad opportunity?
In stage 4 you can do your research project in Lund University in Sweden. We are looking to extend Erasmus opportunities to other stages.
Is physics involved?
Yes, you do it in stage one – fluid flow and biomechanics of how cells act with other cells are important things to know before learning about cell biology and diseases. You don’t have to have studied physics before.
Can you do a general science course before you do this?
You wouldn’t do a science degree and then a BHLS degree as there would be too much overlap.
Are there internships?
The research projects are like internships. You can also do the SSRA which is a summer research project which can be done in Ireland or overseas.
Is it difficult to get into immunology or pathology afterwards?
It depends on what aspect of pathology which is an important research area studying the mechanisms of disease.
Are you ever based in hospitals?
Yes – you could do your research modules in a hospital.
Are the facilities good?
UCD is a state of the art, modern university with outstanding facilities in the medical school which include an anatomy dissection laboratory in the Health Science Building and research laboratories in the O'Brien Centre for Science.
What kinds of topics are covered in the course?
You have core modules and then disease-oriented modules depending on your interest. See here for a full list of the course modules.
Is a lot of time spent in labs in the course?
Research is changing – we use a lot of technology now such as genomics, proteomics and metabolomics which is automated. A lot of our time is now spent on designing experiments and analysing the results.
Is the HPAT required?
No
What’s the difference between BHLS and medicine?
BHLS is medicine and science, medicine is teaching doctors to practice medicine.
Is BHLS purely disease oriented?
No, the degree integrates, biochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology with disease. We get you to build a framework around the diseases you are interested in.
Understanding disease is based on biomedical research. Clinicians implement what we discover. If a researcher comes up with new biomarkers for prostate cancer, clinicians are informed and they implement them in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Scientists discovered the vaccine for COVID-19 and clinicians implemented it.
What is translational research?
It is translating scientific ideas from the bench into clinical practice at the bedside.
We research the mechanisms of disease and come up with ways to treat them effectively and then translate that into clinical practice.
How are students assessed?
Course work and exams, projects, group presentations, and papers.
What are the course hours like?
Full time. Up to 40 hours a week of direct and self directed learning.
What would a graduate do in a day?
It depends on what you choose – lab work, research, business.
Are there any other pathways to get into undergraduate courses.
CAO, DARE, HEAR.
Is it similar to any other courses at UCD?
No, it is unique. The science programme for example covers general science modules in the first two stages then you specialise. You start BHLS specialising from the start.
Does this course give you any qualifications?
Yes, a BSc and a unique insight into a specific disease area.
Can you take modules with this degree?
UCD horizons allows students to do elective modules which can be used to broaden your knowledge in a specific area like other sciences modules or languages, law or business.
Can you work in clinical trials after graduating?
Yes, a number of our students do this. You can do a masters in clinical trials (UCD offers one) to become a clinical trials specialists and run trials around the world. It is a very interesting area.
What sort of person does this degree suit?
Science suits people who are inquisitive and enjoy understanding how things work and are looking to improve how things work.
Do you spend a lot of time working with other people?
Scientists were considered to work in isolation but this is changing and collaboration is fundamentally important to how we work as scientists. You have to collaborate. You are involved in networks with scientists around the world across multi-disciplines. We are now also getting more involved in working with patients and patient advocate groups to understand what they want to get out of research and what their needs are. We work with clinicians but we now also work with patients.
Do pharmaceutical companies employ graduates?
Yes and biotech companies.