Program Overview

On our BEng Biomedical Engineering course you will study with expert academics, develop your transferable skills, and learn how to diagnose, prevent and treat disease in this new and emerging field.

Do you have an innate curiosity for human physiology and a keen understanding of mathematics? Learn how the brain works, what techniques exist to monitor different tissues in the human body and to diagnose, prevent and treat disease and restore bodily functions. At Reading, we have the 3rd highest overall student satisfaction score for Bioengineering, Medical and Biomedical Engineering subjects (National Student Survey, 2021).

You will engage in practical lab-based classes enhancing different practical skills. You will also experience techniques such as immuno-fluorescent labelling, microscopy, DNA and protein analysis, EEG recordings, cell culture and aseptic technique and analytical methods. In the National Student Survey 2021, this course achieved a 95% score for overall satisfaction. 95% of students agreed that staff on this course are good at explaining things (NSS 2021).

We are conducting world-renowned research in the fields of neural engineering, rehabilitation and medical technology. During your degree you will have the opportunity to undertake original research in the above fields, while completing your final-year project.

Our new £60m Health and Life Sciences building opened in 2020. As the new home of the School of Biological Sciences, it offers state-of-the-art research and teaching laboratories, seminar rooms, and plenty of study and social space, including a café. The building also houses the Cole Museum of Zoology. The collection, featuring over 3,500 natural history specimens, provides a fantastic resource for biological scientists and the wider community.

Placement
The School of Biological Sciences has excellent relationships with a number of organisations in the world of biomedical engineering, including GSK and Microchip Ltd.

At the end of your second year as a BEng student, you can undertake a one-year placement within the industry. This offers you the opportunity to gain valuable experience in the field while building a network of colleagues who may significantly aid you in your career. During your placement year, you will still be a student of the University of Reading and will have regular contact with an academic overseeing placements.

It is possible to start the three-year BEng programme without a year in industry and still undertake a placement, should you decide to do so - the decision on the placement can be postponed until the start of your second year.