Health
What can you do with a Biomedical Science degree?
Quick answer
A Biomedical Science degree commonly leads to roles such as trainee biomedical scientist, laboratory technician and clinical trials assistant. Five years after graduating, Biomedical Science graduates had median earnings of £42,500 (middle half: £32,900–£54,500), and 90.4% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Medical sciences graduates is health and social work (62.1% of those in work).
Biomedical science sits between lab science and healthcare. IBMS-accredited routes matter for some NHS posts. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £24,500
- Median pay after 5 years
- £42,500
- In work or study after 5 years
- 90.4%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 23 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Health and social work
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 6,005
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Biomedical Science degree?
Graduates commonly start as trainee biomedical scientist, laboratory technician, clinical trials assistant or pathology support worker. Biomedical Science also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Trainee biomedical scientist
Works toward registration in an approved lab, running validated methods under supervision.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- ISO 15189 awareness
- analyser operation
- IQC
Laboratory technician
Skills these adverts often ask for
- sample receipt
- aliquoting
- stock
Clinical trials assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- CRF entries
- visit windows
- query logs
Pathology support worker
Skills these adverts often ask for
- phlebotomy support
- tracking
- phone queries
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Biomedical Science graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Medical sciences graduates in UK employment were health and social work (62.1%), professional, scientific and technical services (9.5%) and education (5.8%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was health and social work (51.6%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Health and social work | 62.1% | £41,400 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 9.5% | £42,800 |
| Education | 5.8% | £33,700 |
| Wholesale and retail | 5.5% | £46,500 |
| Administrative and support services | 4% | £39,900 |
| Information and communication | 3.8% | £43,600 |
| Public administration and defence | 3.8% | £37,700 |
| Finance and insurance | 1% | £47,200 |
Most common specific industries
- Hospital activities — 55.3% of graduates in work, median £41,700
- Other human health activities — 3.5% of graduates in work, median £35,900
- Higher education — 2.5% of graduates in work, median £34,500
- Medical and dental practice activities — 2.5% of graduates in work, median £39,500
- Management consultancy activities — 2.5% of graduates in work, median £43,200
- Research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering — 2.5% of graduates in work, median £41,000
How much do Biomedical Science graduates earn?
Official dataBiomedical Science graduates had median earnings of £24,500 one year after graduating and £42,500 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £24,500DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £19,800–£28,900 | 91% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £29,600DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £24,500–£37,000 | 90.1% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £42,500DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £32,900–£54,500 | 90.4% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £49,000DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £36,200–£66,000 | 89.1% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Medical sciences graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Medical sciences graduates measured, Queen Mary University of London had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£53,400), followed by University College London (£52,300) and King's College London (£47,000).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Mary University of London | £53,400 | 70 |
| University College London | £52,300 | 110 |
| King's College London | £47,000 | 295 |
| University of Bristol | £46,800 | 160 |
| University of Edinburgh | £44,700 | 70 |
| City St George's, University of London | £44,500 | 80 |
| University of Hertfordshire | £43,000 | 105 |
| Cardiff University | £42,800 | 85 |
| University of Leeds | £41,700 | 245 |
| London South Bank University | £41,200 | 70 |
Is Biomedical Science the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You want laboratory medicine rather than a ward-based nursing course.
- You are careful with samples, quality systems, and audit.
- You like linking disease processes to test results.
It may not suit you if
- You expected to become a doctor on this degree.
- You dislike shift-style lab rotas or quality paperwork.
- You wanted a purely theoretical biology course.
Interview questions for Biomedical Science graduate roles
EditorialTrainee biomedical scientist and lab-support interviews usually test sample integrity, quality, and knowing the limits of your role. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
A sample arrives unlabelled. What happens next?
What it tests. You do not guess the patient. You follow rejection procedure.
Why might a result need repeating even if the analyser did not alarm?
What it tests. Clinical sense-checking and quality rules.
How do you keep a cold chain honest from receipt to fridge?
What it tests. Time, temperature, and documentation.
A clinician phones for a result you are not authorised to release. What do you say?
What it tests. Role boundaries in a pathology service.
Describe how you would train someone to pipette without contaminating a run.
What it tests. Teaching a method, which labs need from trainees.
Most Biomedical Science courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Biomedical Science graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to biomedical science. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Trainee biomedical scientist…
Prepare your application with graduate cv examples, student cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Biomedical Science?
EditorialHealthcare science practitioner apprenticeships exist in some NHS trusts. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
We have not added verified programme records for this subject yet. Use the official university catalogue for current courses, fees and entry requirements.
Explore the programme finder · Compare programme details · Research international scholarships
Make your next move
Planning to study Biomedical Science in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
Find UK study guidance for your country · Compare international course-fee examples
Explore the international student guide · Build your study budget and checklist
Universities for Biomedical Science in our index
124 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Biomedical Science in the full university explorer.
Show all 124 universities
Name, city, or a CourseToJob subject. Nothing is stored.
Nation
No university matches that search.
Undergraduate applications are made on UCAS, not here.
Biomedical Science degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Biomedical Science degree?
Common starting roles include trainee biomedical scientist, laboratory technician, clinical trials assistant and pathology support worker. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Medical sciences graduates in work were health and social work (62.1%), professional, scientific and technical services (9.5%) and education (5.8%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Biomedical Science graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Biomedical Science graduates of £24,500 one year after graduating, £29,600 three years after graduating, £42,500 five years after graduating and £49,000 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is a Biomedical Science degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 90.4% of Biomedical Science graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £42,500. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Biomedical Science 23 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Medical sciences graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Medical sciences were at Queen Mary University of London (£53,400), University College London (£52,300) and King's College London (£47,000). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Biomedical Science in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.