Bachelor of Biomedicine

The Bachelor of Biomedicine at Melbourne is designed to provide excellent education in a broad range of biomedical science and health-related areas of study. The course also equips graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and participate in subsequent pathways to employment, research higher degrees and many professional postgraduate study programs.

The integrated core of the degree builds understanding of the structure and function of the body and consideration of the determinants of health and disease, including genetic, societal and environmental influences.

The course culminates in the final year with subjects that deal with contemporary issues in biomedical science and health, exploring aspects of medical conditions from the molecular level to cellular and population levels.

Students are required to complete a total of 300 points of study, including 125 points of core subjects across the degree. Depth within a particular biomedical science or health-related discipline is achieved by completing 50 points (4 subjects) in a major at Level 3.

Students also take between 50-75 points from other discipline, or 'breadth', study areas, including subjects in the arts, humanities, commerce and other breadth discipline areas . These subjects are designed to build knowledge and skills that bridge disciplines, including sharpening skills of logic, analysis and problem solving. These subjects offer students opportunity to further differentiate their degree.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Biomedicine will have a broad and inter-disciplinary knowledge in biomedical science and health-related disciplines, with in-depth discipline-specific knowledge in at least one area of study that is at the forefront of scientific discovery. 

Graduates will demonstrate skills in scientific methodology, communication, inter-disciplinary teamwork, as well as self-regulated learning.  They will possess an aptitude and enthusiasm to solve tomorrow's problems affecting individuals, communities, populations and our planet. Graduates will be ethical, independent lifelong learners able to communicate and advocate for scientific evidence in diverse social and professional settings. 

Graduates of the Bachelor of Biomedicine will:  

• Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of human biomedical sciences, from molecular to whole body systems with an interdisciplinary understanding of human function;
• Apply knowledge of human biomedical sciences to understand societal and environmental determinants of health and disease, and their impacts at an individual, community and population level;
• Understand why advances in biomedical science and health knowledge are testable and contestable by interdisciplinary scientific inquiry, and how they are shaped and upheld by ethical and scholarly standards;
• Apply rigorous academic integrity and ethical scholarly practices to their own learning, and understand their application and importance in biomedical science and health research;
• Effectively search for, critically evaluate, and discriminate reliable sources of information and apply that information in support of scientific investigation, scholarly debate, and/or social and professional settings;
• Communicate and advocate for evidence-based scientific ideas and knowledge in diverse expert, non-expert and inter-disciplinary settings;
• Demonstrate skills in reflective practice, self-directed learning and effective decision-making, to set personal and learning goals, manage tasks, and evaluate progress;
• Work effectively and respectfully, both individually and in groups to meet a shared goal with people from diverse disciplinary, community and cultural backgrounds;
• Evaluate the role of biomedical science in addressing current issues facing individuals, communities and the global population in relation to health and disease through the lenses of respect, diversity and inclusion, scholarly practices, freedom of speech, sustainability, and student wellbeing and success; and
• Respectfully engage with Indigenous perspectives and cultures, and incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing into a broad understanding of biomedical science and health contexts.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Biomedicine will embody the University of Melbourne graduate attributes.

The integrated core curriculum across all years of the course spans traditional disciplinary boundaries in the development of fundamental understanding of the biomedical sciences, allowing graduates to acquire practical, analytical, problem-solving and communication skills. Graduates will also possess the ability to advocate for biomedical science and scientific research, and evidence-based ideas.

Collaborative learning is emphasised throughout the course as students work in laboratories, tutorials, workshops and small group activities, and undertake peer review.

Studies in the biomedical sciences and health-related disciplines equip students to explore the complex relationships that determine health outcomes in various settings and to become leaders in delivering effective therapies and healthcare strategies to combat threats to individual and public health within local, national and global communities.

The larger University of Melbourne learning community encompasses many aspects of cultural diversity, Indigenous knowledges, diversity and inclusion, integrity and ethics, respect and professional expectations, and students in Biomedicine will be exposed to these during the course.