Bachelor of Biomedical Science
Course code/s: Melbourne (SBMS)
This course is designed to provide a broad training in the biomedical sciences in order to lead to:
- employment in the biomedical research field (e.g. pharmaceutical companies, biomedical scientific instrument suppliers, medical research institutes, hospitals, public service departments dealing with health care)
- postgraduate studies in the medical sciences
- graduate entry to medicine.
The course is designed to provide a foundation year in science (with a focus on biology and chemistry), a choice of biomedical subjects in second year (biochemistry, human anatomy, human physiology, genetics, microbiology) and a specialised course in biomedical science in third year.
Seminar program
The seminar program is an integral part of the medical science course. Seminars are held regularly throughout both semesters and students in their final year must attend at least two thirds of the seminars.
Course structure
The course is of three years full-time or equivalent part-time duration and requires the completion of 360 credit points. The course structure is outlined below. Electives are normally selected from the list of recommended subjects provided for each year level, but other subjects may be taken with the approval of the course adviser.
As a guide, useful electives for those aiming at graduate entry to medicine are, in the first year, STA1LS (Statistics for Life Sciences), and in the second year 75 credit points from human anatomy, human physiology, genetics or microbiology. For those considering a career in medical biotechnology, useful second year electives include chemistry, genetics and microbiology.
Students should be careful in selecting second year subjects to ensure that the appropriate prerequisites have been met for the intended program of study at the third year and at Honours level.
First year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | General Principles of Chemistry | CHE1GEN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Organisation and Function of Cells and Organisms | BIO1OF | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Applications of Chemistry | CHE1APL | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Genetics, Human Biology and Evolution | BIO1GEN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 | First year level electives. Students in this course are not permitted to enrol in HBS1API or HBS1HRB. | 60 |
Recommended subject options are:
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Calculus and Number Systems | MAT1CNS | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Discrete Mathematics | MAT1DM | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Infections and Epidemics | MIC1IEP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Information Technology Fundamentals | CSE1ITF | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience 1A | PSY1BNA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Experimental Foundations of Psychological Science1 | PSY1EFP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Physics for Life Sciences A | PHY1LSA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Principles of Physics A | PHY1SCA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 or TE-SEM-2 | Statistics for Life Sciences | STA1LS | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Calculus and Linear Algebra | MAT1CLA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Behavioural Neuroscience 1B | PSY1BNB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Mathematical Applications in Biology | MAT1MAB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Physics for Life Sciences B | PHY1LSB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Principles of Physics B | PHY1SCB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Clinical Foundations of Psychological Science1 | PSY1CFP | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Public Health for Nutrition Studies | PHE1BHN | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Statistical Science | STA1SS | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Statistics for Psychology1 | STA1PSY | 15 |
Key: 1 Student should include STA1PSY in their choice of subjects.
Second year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Introduction to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | BCH2IBM | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Metabolic Biochemistry and Cell Biology | BCH2MBC | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Introduction to Biomedical Science | MED2BMS | 15 |
| Plus a further 30 credit points must be selected from the following list: | |||
| TE-SEM-1 | Molecular and Human Genetics | GEN2MHG | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Human Anatomy A | HBS2HAA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Human Physiology Theory A | HBS2PTA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Human Physiology Practicum A | HBS2PPA | 15 |
| TE-SEM-1 | Introductory Microbiology | MIC2MI | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Ecological Genetics and Evolution | GEN2EGE | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Human Anatomy B | HBS2HAB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Human Physiology Theory B | HBS2PTB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Human Physiology Practicum B | HBS2PPB | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Medical and Veterinary Microbiology | MIC2MMV | 15 |
| An additional 45 credit points may be selected from any second year level subjects. It is recommended that students select further subjects from those listed above or below. | |||
| TE-SEM-1 | Medical Statistics | STA2AMS | 15 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Animal Physiology | ZOO2AP | 15 |
Third year (120 credit points)
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Advanced Topics in Medical Science A | MED3MSA | 30 |
| TE-SEM-2 | Advanced Topics in Medical Science B | MED3MSB | 30 |
| TE-SEM-1 / TE-SEM-2 | Choose third year level subjects to a total of 60 credit points | 60 |
Honours
Honours degree students are selected based on their performance in the final year of the pass degree course, and complete their honours year by satisfying the normal criteria for Honours in their selected discipline area. Students must obtain a minimum average of 60% across all of their third year subjects and obtain at least 65% in subjects germane to the selected Honours discipline to the value of 60 credit points. An Honours year may be taken in any of the departments contributing to the pass degree course for which they have the appropriate prerequisites, or in the interdisciplinary program Medical Science Honours (MED4HNB).
Please note: Some of these subjects may not be offered in the current year. For a full description of subjects, including the subject name, subject code, credit points, campus/location, teaching period and availability, subject coordinator, class requirements, assessment, prerequisites and readings, please click on the appropriate Subject Code or refer to the Subject/Unit Database at www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public.