Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Course

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.

The Bachelor of Biomedical Science provides 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.

Each 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.

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 occurring
• 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.

First year

• BMS1011 Biomedical chemistry
• BMS1021 Cells, tissues and organisms
• BMS1031 Medical biophysics
• BMS1042 Biomedical sciences and society
• BMS1052 Human neurobiology
• BMS1062 Molecular biology
• 12 points of electives from any faculty*

Second year

• BMS2011 Structure of the human body
• BMS2021 Biochemistry in human function
• BMS2031 Body systems
• BMS2042 Human genetics
• BMS2052 Microbes in health and disease
• BMS2062 Introduction to bioinformatics
• 12 points of electives from any faculty*

Third year

• BMS3021 Molecular medicine and biotechnology
• BMS3042 Biomedical basis of disease II
• 24 points of level three electives from the biomedical science area**
• 12-points of electives from any faculty*

* Up to six units may be taken from outside the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. The faculties of Arts, Business and Economics, Engineering, Law, Information Technology and Science offer units suitable as electives in various years of the program.

** Generally these units begin with the prefixes ANT, BCH, BME, BMS, BND, BNS, CEL, DEV, ECE, GEN, HUP, IMM, MIC, PHA and PHY.

An additional honours year is available to eligible students.

Bachelor of Biomedical Science