Biomedical Sciences: Careers and employability

These include medical research either in hospitals, universities or research institutes.

Research opportunities also exist in the pharmaceutical companies such as Astra Zeneca, Fisons, Johnson & Johnson, SmithKline Beecham and Glaxo/Wellcome (now GlaxoSmithKline), Merck Sharp and Dohme, or Smith & Nephew.

Some graduates enter the public sector working as clinical scientists or medical laboratory scientific officers in hospital laboratories, or work as scientists in public health laboratories or forensic science laboratories.

The food industry also employs a number of our graduates, particularly those specialising in microbiology.

The opportunities here are very wide.

Within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry there are careers as clinical trials co-ordinators, and as regulatory affairs executives (involving drug registration and patents).

In addition there are opportunities in medical information services, medical sales and medical writing and publishing. The Health and Safety Executive and the Forces also provide career openings.

Some of our graduates have also found careers in banking and management, or as computer programmers, distribution trainees, trading standards officers, and even a leprosy worker in Nepal.

Approximately 20% of our graduates chose to continue their studies, either at Bradford or at another university by undertaking research degrees such as a PhD.

Others seek a more vocational qualification in dietetics, health service management, a taught Master's degree in a specialist discipline (for example, immunology, forensic science, biochemistry, genetics), or by studying for a Postgraduate Certificate of Education to qualify for a teaching career.

Some of our students have also progressed to the new specialist graduate medical programmes, such as the Physician Associate MSc.