Artificial hip and knee joints, replacement blood vessels and heart valves, artificial teeth and fillings, contact lenses and modern drug delivery systems are just a few of the growing number of applications of biomedical materials.
This degree offers you the opportunity to gain a comprehensive background in the medical science and engineering of materials for repairing or replacing damaged, diseased or missing tissues in the human body. You can make a genuine contribution to improving medical and dental care.
Also referred to as "The Biomaterials Course", the programme is multidisciplinary and taught in several departments, including Dentistry, Medicine, and Metallurgy and Materials. It is administered by the Biomaterials Unit within School of Dentistry which links clinical work with both clinical and scientific research. Most of the state of the art laboratories used have been recently refurbished.
First year
You will study the structure and properties of materials – including polymers, ceramics and metals – anatomy, physiology, introduction to cell and mollecular biology and bacteriology, alongside biomechanics and a general introduction to the development and clinical use of biomaterials. The first year also includes a study skills course providing you with a basic working knowledge of the use of search engines, IT and statistics. Whereever possible, lecture material is reinforced with practical classes. After the examination period in the summer you will visit local hospitals where you will observe, for example, a hip or knee replacement operation being performed.
Second year
In this year you focus on the reactions of the body to biomaterials, how these materials are designed and made into components to be used in medical treatments, and the factors that affect performance of materials in service. Modules include cell and molecular biology, orthopaedic and dental biomaterials, microscopy, infection and immunology and materials design. Practical sessions will give you further experience of handling and testing biomaterials.
Third year
Your final year gives you the opportunity to undertake an original piece of laboratory research as part of your two-semester project, learn more about tissue engineering and biomaterial design, develop your clinical background and deepen your scientific knowledge. You will ultimately present your research project as a dissertation accompanied by a poster, both of which draw on your scientific writing and presentation skills acquired in the first and second year. Your work may ultimately be published in a scientific journal.
Teaching and assessment
This programme enjoys access to excellent facilities, including a dedicated computer cluster within the Biomaterials Unit and a range of state-of-the-art research equipment and instrumentation. Teaching strategies include a combination of lectures, small group teaching and laboratory sessions. Throughout your programme you will gain considerable experience in oral presentation but emphasis is also placed on acquiring skills in scientific writing. Study support material is available online.
Career opportunities
Our graduates have little problem in securing employment or further training. Many go on to do medical and biological research, while others have followed a variety of career options in health care and related areas, such as blood perfusion, optometry, audiology and work in medical device regulatory authorities. Some graduates continue their studies in pursuit of degrees in Medicine or Dentistry. A significant proportion have also entered traditional graduate career areas such as finance, publishing, accounting and IT.
Related links
School of Dentistry website: www.dentistry.bham.ac.uk