Healthcare Science (Medical Engineering), BSc (Hons)

Accredited by The National School of Healthcare and Science

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Tuition Fees Covered

If you can commit to working in Wales for two years after graduating

Key Course Details

3 Year Full Time

UCAS Code: B850
Mode of Study: Blended Study
Typical Offer (view equivalents): BBB
Location: Singleton Park Campus

Start Date	Tuition Fees - Year 1
Sep 2023	NHS

Accredited by The National School of Healthcare and Science

Course Overview

Our BSc Healthcare Science in Medical Engineering will give you the expert training you need to begin a rewarding and highly skilled career working in the healthcare profession as a medical engineer. As a practitioner you’ll be undertaking a hands-on role with medical devices, working with a wide range of equipment commonly encountered in the hospital environment. For example, you may specialise in certain types of equipment such as that used in renal or radiotherapy treatment.

Over three years you will learn about the medical equipment lifecycle, including acceptance testing of new equipment, introduction of equipment and devices into service, advising on the correct use of equipment, addressing patient safety issues and safely disposing of old devices. You will combine in-depth academic work with practical clinical and technological skills in a range of specialised healthcare settings.

Medical engineering is an exciting and varied role where you’ll use your expertise in electronic or mechanical engineering to undertake these activities and perhaps become involved in modifying or constructing equipment as well. It is an exciting, continually developing field that requires a high level of responsibility and technical skill.

As your career progresses, you will have excellent opportunities for advanced practice and further study to Masters and doctoral level.

Why Medical Engineering at Swansea?

Our course is accredited by the National School of Healthcare and Science.

Many of our academic staff are also practising healthcare scientists, providing an unrivalled combination of scientific rigour and professional expertise.

If you can commit to working in Wales for two years after graduating, you could get your tuition fees covered in full through the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme, as well as maintenance funding of up to £4,491 and a reduced rate loan from Student Finance.

Please see our NHS Funding webpage to check your eligibility for funding before applying.

Places are also available if you receive sponsorship from a healthcare employer and in some circumstances; we may accept self-funded places with standard tuition fees if you are able to secure your own work placement.

Your Medical Engineering experience

Our excellent facilities include a realistic clinical suite so you can put your theoretical knowledge into practice in an environment that reflects as closely as possible the actual conditions that you will experience when you go on placement.

Half of your course will be taught at our Singleton Park campus on the edge of the beautiful Gower Peninsula and the other half will take place in healthcare settings.

We have very strong links with healthcare providers and Welsh health boards, opening up a wide range of clinical placement opportunities for you.

Medical Engineering Careers

Job prospects are excellent, with nearly 100 per cent of Healthcare Sciences students going on to work in their chosen profession within six months of graduating (Destination of Leavers in HE Study, 2018)

The NHS starting salary for Medical Engineers is around £24,214, rising to £43,772. There are also many opportunities to work in research, education, management, and the private sector.

Modules

Year 1 (Level 4)

FHEQ 4 Undergraduate / HECert

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Scientific Basis of Engineering	Academic Year	40	SHC142
Professional Practice 1	September-January	10	SHC150
Anatomy and Physiology for Healthcare Science	Academic Year	30	SHC151
Pathophysiology for Healthcare Science	Academic Year	20	SHC152
Basics of Mathematics and Physics for Healthcare Science	September-January	10	SHC153
Informatics and Statistics	Academic Year	10	SHC161

Year 2 (Level 5)

FHEQ 5 Undergraduate / HEDip

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Professional Practice 2	Academic Year	10	SHC230
Research Methods and Statistics	Academic Year	10	SHC231
Healthcare Science Work Based Placement 1 (Medical Engineering)	Academic Year	10	SHC233ME
Medical Equipment Lifecycle	Academic Year	10	SHC245
Fluid Mechanics, Biomechanics and Materials	Academic Year	20	SHC248
Innovation and Medical Devices	Academic Year	40	SHC249
Instrumentation Signal Processing and Imaging	The College - Autumn Term (Sep - Dec)	20	SHC232

Year 3 (Level 6)

FHEQ 6 Undergraduate / Honours

Compulsory Modules

Module Name	Module Duration	Credits	Module Code
Professional Practice 3	September-June	10	SHC330
Healthcare Science Research Project	September-January	30	SHC331
Healthcare Science Work Based Placement 2 (Medical Engineering)	Academic Year	20	SHC332ME
Medical Engineering in the Clinical Environment	Academic Year	30	SHC348
Science and Principles supporting Medical Engineering	Academic Year	30	SHC349

Entry Requirements

Typical A-level Offer

Minimum BBB at A level, including maths or physics.

Typical Access to Science Offer

Distinction and Merit profile against the rules of combination. We do not accept Access to Healthcare or Access to Healthcare and Nursing.

Typical BTEC Offer

DDD

Typical Welsh BACC Offer

Pass at B and either BB at A level (including Maths or Physics) or DD at BTEC

Irish Leaving Certificate

345

A minimum of five grade A*-C GCSE passes, including Welsh/English language, Maths and Science.

If you are offered a place you will also need:

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, or approved equivalent

You should also familiarise yourself with the

If you are not applying for a WEDS funded place please ensure you have secured sponsorship from your healthcare employer and your own placement before applying. Please contact Admissions Tutor, Joe Purden.

How You're Taught

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students.

Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching.

Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study.

We assess your learning through a variety of methods including essays, presentations, examinations and portfolios of practical skill.

You will have the chance to put your academic learning into practice with 50% academic study and 50% practical work placements.

You will attend 50 weeks of placement before graduating. Work placements normally run from 8.30 am until 5 pm, Monday to Friday, with a half-day to study each week.

This course offers some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

Welsh Provision

Some provision

There are opportunities for Welsh speakers to study some elements of this course through the medium of Welsh but there is not yet enough provision to reach 40 credits in each year.

Academi Hywel Teifi is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea University. We can offer you:

Access to generous Welsh-language study scholarships or bursaries.
Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh.
Access to the Arwain mobile app for the latest information about Welsh-medium courses and modules available to download free on the App Store and Google Play.
An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
The option to receive your personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually.
The option to write and submit your coursework or exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be marked in Welsh.
A Welsh-speaking Academic Mentor.
One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.
Opportunity to be a member of the Swansea University Branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

To learn more about the above and all the opportunities available to you through the medium of Welsh, visit Academi Hywel Teifi's undergraduate pages.

Professional Body Accreditation

Accredited by the National School of Healthcare and Science

Meet Your Lecturers

Joe Purden

Esso Karan

Faye Morton

Tuition Fees

Start Date	UK	International
September 2022	NHS	N/A
September 2023	NHS

Fees for full time Undergraduate UK students may be increased in subsequent years of study by an inflationary amount determined by Welsh Government.

Fees for full time Undergraduate EU/International students will increase by 3% for each subsequent year of study.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

Funding and Scholarships

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Please see our NHS Funding webpage to check your eligibility for funding before applying.

Additional Costs

Access to your own digital device/the appropriate IT kit will be essential during your time studying at Swansea University. Access to wifi in your accommodation will also be essential to allow you to fully engage with your programme. See our dedicated webpages for further guidance on suitable devices to purchase, and for a full guide on getting your device set up.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but not limited to):

Travel to and from campus
Printing, photocopying, binding, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
Purchase of books or texts
Gowns for graduation ceremonies

Careers and Employability

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
Advice and guidance on postgraduate study and funding
Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

Academic Support

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal academic mentor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

Academic writing
Maths and statistics
Critical thinking
Time management
Digital skills
Presentation skills
Note taking
Revision, memory and exam techniques
English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

Study Abroad and Global Opportunities

To learn more about study abroad, visit our Go Global webpages. Enrolment on a programme with a semester/year abroad does not guarantee you a semester/year abroad placement. Spaces are limited and subject to a competitive selection process. In the event you do not secure a semester/year abroad placement, you will be transferred to the standard variant of your degree scheme without a semester or year abroad.

International summer programmes are open to students from all colleges. Programmes typically range from 2 to 6 weeks, across destinations such as China, Zambia, South Korea, Japan, Canada and across Europe. For more information about programmes and eligibility visit our Summer Abroad webpages.

How to Apply

Apply now – UK, EU and international students.

For further guidance please visit our how to apply pages.

EU students - visa and immigration information is available and will be regularly updated on our information for EU students page.

Application Deadlines

We recommend that you submit your application to our courses as early as you can in advance of our application deadlines. Courses will close earlier than the application deadlines listed if all available places are filled. You can find further information on our Application Deadlines webpage.