Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Life Sciences and Global Sustainable Development

at University of Warwick United Kingdom

BSc Health and Medical sciences, a course offered by Warwick, enables students to investigate current local and global problems in health from multiple perspectives.

Wherever we look in the world, health and medical services are struggling to cope with the rising demand and increasing burden of disease. Advances in the scientific understanding of health and disease, along with technological innovations offer exciting opportunities for improved health, but also present novel challenges to our health systems in terms of developing affordable and accessible treatment and health management strategies.

Multiple factors ranging from our genes to our lifestyle and interactions within society will influence our physical and mental health and wellbeing. Multidisciplinary solutions to health problems must be multi-faceted and comprehensive, requiring individuals who have the skills to work across boundaries as agents for change.

The BSc in Health and Medical Sciences will help you understand current local and global problems in health through the integrated perspectives of health science and medical science. Medical sciences, including molecular biology, genetics and epigenetics, physiology, anatomy, immunology, pharmacology, discovery science and clinical trials, aims to promote an in-depth understanding of human biology, health and disease from the level of DNA, cells, and systems in the human body up to the level of patient as a whole.

Health Sciences, including health care systems, patient safety, ethics, human behaviour, psychology of health, sociology, epidemiology and health economics aims to promote an in-depth understanding of health problems from the level of individuals, families, the workplace, up to the level of societies and populations. Therefore, this course will equip you with the essential skills to be able to make a valuable contribution to health in our society, both locally and globally.

Case-based learning, a signature educational approach for Warwick Medical School, and small group teaching is a feature of the course as is technology enhanced learning. These progressive learning methods ensure our graduates are highly competent and employable across a broad range of careers in health and medical sciences.

As an Engineering student at Warwick, you will develop an in-depth understanding of the classical principles of Engineering by following a general engineering programme for the first four terms. You can then choose to specialise in Biomedical Systems Engineering, learning to apply systems methodology and concepts from other Engineering disciplines to the modelling, analysis of, and interventions for, biomedical problems.

The degree reflects our strengths and industry collaborations in biomedical systems modelling, pharmacology, and healthcare technology, explored from a systems perspective.

By choosing the MEng degree you can explore specialist areas of Biomedical Systems Engineering through fourth-year core and optional module choices and a group project.

Study abroad

You may choose to take an intercalated year in industry, research or study abroad between years two and three (BEng and MEng), or between years three and four (MEng only). If you choose to take an intercalated year, this will be reflected in your degree title, and add a year to your degree programme.

As an MEng student you may choose to take your third year as an exchange year at a partner university abroad, subject to academic requirements and approval of study programme.

This course engages you in the systematic study of language with a specific focus on English. You will learn to analyse the structure of English, and the ways people use English to structure the world.

You will explore the evolution of English from a set of dialects on an island to a global lingua franca, and examine ways that English continues to change today. You will learn more generally about how language is formed, acquired, learned, and used. You will develop an extensive set of qualitative and quantitative research skills, and practise oral and written communication intensively.

You will be eminently employable in careers ranging from journalism, media, publishing and marketing to teaching English internationally, and may pursue further study toward fields like speech pathology or speech recognition.

Study abroad

If you wish to spend a year abroad (which we thoroughly recommend), this will take place in your third year, meaning that you will complete your degree in four years instead of three. All students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year abroad at one of our partner universities.

The Student Mobility Team offers support for these activities, and the Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance. Students who elect not to complete the year abroad, or who do not academically qualify for it, may complete the course without a year abroad.

On this unique degree we will encourage you to think independently as you work with experts from across the University. You will create critical responses to both problems in the contemporary world and problems in different times and places. This course is ideal for students interested in taking charge of their own learning and becoming leaders in and outside of the classroom.

The core modules on this course are led by tutors with a passion for liberal education. Using a Problem-Based Learning approach, these modules focus on investigating issues from different disciplinary perspectives. You will learn how to analyse problems and you will investigate and evaluate evidence and interpretations. We will also encourage you to develop your own responses. The core modules will help you to build a toolkit of primary and secondary research skills. They will also prepare you to engage with confidence in different modules across the University.

At the end of the first year, you will choose a pathway. Your pathway allows you to select modules that give you the knowledge, skills, and expertise to be a leader in your area of interest. We will work with you to guide and support your decision about which pathway to follow. We understand that your interests will develop over time, so there is scope to adapt your pathway.

We believe that the skills you develop during your degree are as important as the course content. You will have the opportunity to complete co-curricular certificates and work placements. These will help you develop your professional skills, giving you the edge when it comes to your employability. You will also have the support of our dedicated Employability and Placement Manager, who will provide one-to-one careers guidance.

If you want to broaden your perspective by studying overseas, we can support you to apply for a year's study abroad. You will also have the option to complete a year-long work placement. Students are automatically enrolled on the three-year course. You will have the option to change to a four-year course with an intercalated year in the third year. The intercalated year spent studying abroad or on work placement is subject to departmental academic requirements.

This exciting new course is built on the strength of existing research connections between the four departments that will contribute to it: the departments of Economics, Psychology, and Philosophy, and Warwick Business School (specifically the Behavioural Science Group).

The current attention that this interdisciplinary field of research, particularly the area of Behavioural Science and Behavioural Economics, receives across academia, government and the private sector also makes this course an excellent preparation for a wide range of careers within local government, public health, media, charities and NGOs, marketing and finance.

You will have a choice of interesting potential specialisms and pathways through your course so that you can explore the issues that interest you the most, to graduate with either a BA or a BSc.

Students on all pathways take a course-specific co-taught core capstone module in the final year, which is designed to set the disciplines in interdisciplinary dialogue with each other.

Study abroad

You have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated study abroad year at one of our many partner institutions, extending your degree to four years.

As well as offering an opportunity to experience an alternative university system, studying abroad can also provide the chance to improve language skills and to gain an understanding of a country that can only be gained by living and working in it.

If you are a graduate looking to develop a career in international business, this course will give you the skills and knowledge needed to do business in a global context. You will develop an appreciation of the special requirements for successfully conducting business across national boundaries along with knowledge of relevant theories and their practical application to business cases.

There is a choice of Dissertation or Business in Practice route. If you are considering further academic study (PhD) and you would like the opportunity to research a topic relating to international business, the dissertation enables you to test and apply the techniques and theories you have gained.

If you would like to develop further applied skills to suit your career aspirations, you can complete your studies with one additional elective module and our applied Business in Practice module.

Skills from this degree

• Gain the specialist skills needed to do business in a global context
• Tailor your degree to your own interests with our range of optional modules
• Put your learnings into practice with the applied Business in Practice module
• Access to dedicated CareersPlus service with specialist careers coaches

In this degree, understand and critically engage with the political world. Study the French language and Francophone society and culture. Explore theoretical and empirical approaches to political ideas with an emphasis on France.

Political theory, international relations and French language modules provide the core of the degree. Independent and collaborative study in these areas will develop your abilities in investigative and evaluative research, presentation and critical analysis, and build strong written and oral French communication skills.

The degree features a compulsory year abroad either studying or working in a French-speaking country. You can choose to be abroad in Year Two or Three.

Study abroad

The third year of the degree is usually spent studying and/or on work placement in a country where French is an official language.

Possible study abroad universities include:

• Sciences Po Paris
• Sciences Po Paris-Reims
• Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence
• Sciences Po Bordeaux
• Sciences Po Lyon
• Université de Caen Basse Normandie
• Université de Bourgogne
• Université Paris X Nanterre
• Université Paris IV Sorbonne
• Université Stendhal, Grenoble
• Université des Antilles et de la Guyane (Martinique)
• l'École de Traduction et Interprétation ISTI (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
• Université Bordeaux III

Taking a cross-discipline approach, you will consider the relationships between a functioning society, and how political and legal systems are structured and operate. The course will also develop your understanding of the philosophical origins and basis for law and politics.

You may explore concepts such as justice, freedom, morals and democracy, as well as the formulation and implementation of law and policy across the world. In addition to core modules in each discipline, there is significant flexibility as the course progresses to choose optional modules from within the three departments as well as across the University.

You will have the opportunity to apply to spend a year abroad with one of our international partners and you may also apply to take a work placement.

Study abroad

We support student mobility through year abroad programs. PPL students have the opportunity to apply for an intercalated year of study abroad at one of our prestigious partner universities.

This programme analyses European politics explicitly in the context of both International Relations (IR) and International Political Economy (IPE). It is designed for students keen to understand past and present international relations of Europe, and the EU, amidst times of crisis and in a constantly changing world.

The combination of IR, IPE and the EU makes this programme distinct from many others. The economic crisis in Europe, Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic provide an opportunity to explore how the EU is shaped internally and can respond externally to growing political, economic and societal challenges. This course examines the EU, its significance in and for the world system, its relationships with key developed and emerging countries and regions, and the various ways in which it engages with the international milieu on issues of global significance.

Warwick offers an innovative approach to Hispanic Studies, combining the study of the Spanish language alongside a diverse range of Hispanic cultures across Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas, including Hispanic history in Africa and the Pacific.

In Economics, you will study the choices of consumers, corporations, governments, networks and nations. You will also develop a deep knowledge of global and local economic trends, institutions and policies.

You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, to consolidate and enhance your learning.

Study abroad

We strongly recommend that you take a year abroad as part of your modern languages degree, if you are able to. If you are unable to take a year abroad you may move to a three-year degree. In such cases, you will be required to complete further language reinforcement work. You will also be encouraged to spend time abroad in other ways, during vacation times.

You will usually spend your year abroad doing one of three things:

• Working as a language assistant teaching English in a primary or secondary school
• Studying full-time at a partner university in your chosen country
• On a work placement