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Monash University: University handbooks: Undergraduate handbook: Units indexed by faculty
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Bachelor of Biomedical Science

Course code: 2230 + Course abbreviation: BBiomedSc + Total credit points required: 144 + 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time

Study mode and course location

On-campus (Clayton)

Course description

The Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree will be characterised by providing:

  • a non-specialised degree in biomedical sciences leading to an honours program, or
  • an in-depth specialised program in one area of biomedical science, through the selection of relevant elective units

Course structure

The course is designed as a series of interlinked and consecutive sequences of units. This allows students to readily acquire fluency and proficiency in the concepts, language and fundamentals of the biomedical sciences. The distinctive feature of this educational approach is that students are allowed some flexibility in their choice of units so that they are able to construct a sequence of studies suitable to their own requirements and career aspirations.

Course objectives

On completion of this course, students will: have acquired a basic knowledge of the biomedical sciences in a range of important multidisciplinary areas; have mastered the essential analytic procedures and method of written and oral communication relevant to the field of biomedical sciences; be graduates who are well prepared for potential employment opportunities in most facets of the health care and related industries; be well prepared to embark on further vocational training or postgraduate studies in the biomedical sciences or other discipline areas; have completed a degree which will have been as broadly-based or as specifically focused as each individual student requires; have received training relevant to a range of knowledge-intensive health care industries; understand the relationship of biomedical science to other areas of learning; have acquired skills in modern information technologies, which will enhance their effectiveness in employment as modern biomedical scientists; have been exposed to the research frontier at which advances in biomedical science are occuring; have an appreciation of the ethical and social attitudes and responsibilities which arise as a professional, practising biomedical scientist.

Areas of study

All students in the Bachelor of Biomedical Science course will complete a program which is a combination of core and elective units. Every semester, students will receive more detailed information about all core and elective units from unit convenors and individual unit manuals. These manuals contain detailed information on teaching staff, contact persons, timetables, textbooks, reading guides, supplementary lecture material, details and weighting of assessment methods and procedures including some specific assessment dates. Manuals are available at the commencement of each semester.

Course requirements

These course requirements apply to students commencing studies in 2006 – all other students should refer to the course structure in the handbook for the year in which they commenced their studies.

First year
First semester
  • BMS1011 Biomedical chemistry
  • BMS1021 Cells, tissues and organisms
  • BMS1031 Medical biophysics
  • Elective unit
Second semester
  • BMS1042 Biomedical sciences and society
  • BMS1052 Human neurobiology
  • BMS1062 Molecular biology
  • Elective unit
Second year
First semester
  • BMS2011 Structure of the human body
  • BMS2021 Biochemistry in human function
  • BMS2031 Body systems
  • Elective unit
Second semester
  • BMS2042 Human genetics
  • BMS2052 Microbes in health and disease
  • BMS2062 Introduction to bioinformatics
  • Elective unit
Third year
First semester
  • BMS3021 Molecular medicine and biotechnology
  • 12 points of electives from the biomedical science area
  • 6-point elective from any faculty
Second semester
  • BMS3042 Biomedical basis of disease II
  • 12 points of electives from the biomedical science area
  • 6-point elective from any faculty
Elective units

In third year, students must take two elective units each semester from the biomedical sciences areas (generally these units begin with the prefixes ANT, BCH, BME, BMS, BND, BNS, CEL, GEN, HUP, IMM, MIC, PHA and PHY). Up to six units may be taken from outside the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. The following faculties offer units suitable as electives in various years of the program.

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Students may choose from elective units from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Some of the units offered in the Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics and in the Bachelor of Behavioural Neuroscience are available as electives to students undertaking the Bachelor of Biomedical Science, provided they do not overlap with core units.

First-year electives

The Department of Psychological Medicine offers BME1130 (Health and human behaviour). Nutrition and Dietetics offers three first-year elective units: BND1032 (Social nutrition), BND1010 (Human nutrition: an introduction to nutrients) and BND1022 (Food chemistry).

Faculty of Arts
First-year electives

In principle, all first-year Faculty of Arts units are available as electives for the Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree, subject to their availability, timetable considerations and the rules and regulations of the Faculty of Arts. These include several language units and units from philosophy, geography, sociology, history and politics. Several of these are also available by off-campus and flexible modes. For full details of units and discipline areas, consult the Arts section of this handbook.

Second and third-year electives

The Faculty of Arts has several possible elective units at later year levels, which includes languages, philosophy and geography. For full details of units and disciplines areas, consult the Arts section of this handbook.

Faculty of Business and Economics
First-year electives

Students may choose up to two electives from the discipline areas accounting and finance, business law and taxation, economics, econometrics and business statistics, management, and marketing. For full details of units and discipline areas, consult the Business and Economics section of this handbook.

Second and third-year electives

Students may choose up to two second-year and two third-year electives from all discipline areas in the faculty, provided unit prerequisites are met. For full details of units and discipline areas, consult the Business and Economics section of this handbook.

Faculty of Engineering

Students may choose units offered by the Faculty of Engineering. For full details of units and discipline areas, consult the Faculty of Engineering section of this handbook.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law has agreed to make available a small number of places in certain units to suitably qualified students. Students wishing to be considered for these units need to consult with the Faculty of Law.

Faculty of Information Technology

The Faculty of Information Technology is reviewing the development of elective units for the second and third year of the degree.

Faculty of Science

Students may choose from several units offered by departments from the Faculty of Science. The Department of Mathematics in first year and the Department of Biological Sciences in second and third year are offering several elective units. Students need to be aware that some of the science units may overlap with those of the biomedical sciences (core BMS units) and to refer to the unit outlines and the prohibitions.

Contact details

Telephone: +61 3 9905 1212, email: biomed@med.monash.edu.au or visit www.med.monash.edu.au/biomed/

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