BSc in Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine

Are you interested in applying theory in Biomedicine in projects from industry, healthcare, or academia? Learning how to manage running projects with skills in entrepreneurship and business development. Then the BSc program in Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine will give you exciting years!

LiU will offer the first international bachelor program in Sweden that combines project management skills with practical experience research techniques in the field of biomedicine. Designed in partnership with world-leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies to ensure our graduates have the knowledge and skills required to work at the forefront of biomedical research and innovation.

This Bachelor's program will provide deep theoretical knowledge and practical experience of state-of-the-art research techniques in fundamental biomedical fields; such as cell and molecular biology, medical biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology as well as novel areas of drug discovery, systems biology, bioinformatics, and digital pathology. Throughout the program, you will also work in project-driven courses to apply your knowledge. To ensure that you can translate research breakthroughs into clinical products and services the program trains students in the latest approaches in project management, clinical trial design, bio entrepreneurship, drug regulation, and medical ethics. You will also have the opportunity to spend an entire semester performing research at LiU or at one of our industrial partners, in Sweden or abroad. By educating our students in the theory and practice of innovative biomedical research as well as research management our program aims to develop the biomedical research leaders of the future.

Bioentrepreneurship, project courses

During each semester you will be engaged in real projects from healthcare, industry, or academia. By meeting potential customers with new projects, you will integrate a comprehensive set of personal, interpersonal, and professional biomedical knowledge with laboratory skills. You will take the project through the entire lifecycle of the commercialization process, of services or products, including communication skills to meet other researchers or potential customers. Our goal is to prepare innovative and entrepreneurial students to develop future business or high-impact research in the biomedical field.

Degree

Upon completion of the program with 180 credits, a degree certificate will be awarded after a request from the student with the title Degree of Bachelor of Science in Medical Biology (Medicine Kandidatexamen i Medicinsk biologi).

General objectives

In the Higher Education Act (SFS 1992:1434 including updates), the following general objectives for undergraduate level education have been established:

• Undergraduate level education should be primarily based on knowledge students receive from national programs at the high-school level or equivalent. However, the government may decide on exemptions relating to artistic education.

Education at the undergraduate level will develop the students':

• Ability to make independent and critical assessments,
• Ability to independently identify, formulate and solve problems,
• Preparedness to meet changes in working life.

Within the specific field of education, the students will, in addition to their knowledge and skills, develop the ability to:

• Seek and evaluate knowledge at a scientific level,
• Follow the development of the field,
• Exchange knowledge also with people without specialized knowledge in the field.

Degree objectives

Intended learning outcomes for a Bachelor of Science degree according to the Higher Education Act (SFS 1993:100, appendix 2- the Degree Ordinance).

Knowledge and understanding

For a Degree of Bachelor of Science (180 credits), the student must:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding within the main field of education, including knowledge of the area´s scientific basis, knowledge of relevant methods in the field, in-depth knowledge of specific subjects of the field as well as an understanding of current research issues.

Skills and Abilities

For a Degree of Bachelor of Science (180 credits) the student must:

• demonstrate the ability to find, gather, evaluate and critically interpret and discuss relevant information regarding a specific problem, events, issues, and situations,
• demonstrate the ability to independently identify, formulate and solve problems as well as carry out tasks within given time frames,
• demonstrate the ability to present and discuss information, problems, and solutions in dialogue with different groups, both orally and in writing, and
• demonstrate the skills required to work independently within the field of education.

Judgment ability and approach

For a Degree of Bachelor of Science (180 credits) the student must:

• demonstrate the ability to make judgments within the main field of education with regard to relevant scientific, social, and ethical aspects,
• demonstrate insight into the role of knowledge in society and people's responsibility for how it is used, and
• demonstrate the ability to identify their need for further knowledge and skills development

Besides the objectives above, after completing the program, the students will have obtained the higher institution´s local objectives as well as the local objectives of the program.

Local objectives for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

The student will, after completing the program:

• have the ability to critically appraise situations within academia, healthcare, and industry in order to motivate and evaluate the choice of actions as a professional
• demonstrate knowledge about and understanding of the factors which affect health from a local and global perspective
• have the ability to evaluate and apply knowledge in evidence-based medicine and quality improvement in healthcare
• be able to work for sustainable and health-promoting development of current and coming generations
• have obtained inter-professional skills that enable working in teams with other professions
• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the importance of equality and equal opportunities in society

Local objectives for the Bachelor´s Programme in Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine

Knowledge and understanding

Upon completion of the program, the student should be able to:

• describe the medical and scientific knowledge required to explain human biological and human pathophysiological processes from a molecular and cellular perspective.
• describe analytical and diagnostic methods in medical biology and basic strategies for medical treatment.
• demonstrate understanding of different statistical methods and their application in bioinformatics, systems biology, and biomedical research.
• describe the information and analyses required to evaluate an idea for a new activity, within the field of biomedicine, and demonstrate the ability to collect and analyze relevant information for this purpose.

Skills and Abilities

Upon completion of the program, the student should be able to:

• critically review relevant information regarding a specific challenge within medical biology.
• design and solve theoretical and laboratory challenges and correct scientific and statistical approaches in new and unknown situations under supervision.
• discuss information, ideas, problems, and solutions in the field of medical biology both orally and in writing in a multidisciplinary approach.
• apply advanced medical-biological laboratory methodology required to work independently in the biomedical field.
• actively apply project management models in projects where biomedical issues are translated into services or products.

Judgment ability and approach

Upon completion of the program, the student should be able to:

• reflect on scientific and ethical aspects of medical biology and the importance of biomedical knowledge for society´s development.
• critically assess the needs and ideas within biomedicine from a social and commercial perspective.
• use an entrepreneurial approach to the development and evaluation of biomedical science.

Content

The program comprises 180 credits. The major subject area of the Bachelor's Program in Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine is medical biology. The distribution of subject content is stated in each course syllabus respectively. The program is given at a full-time study pace.

The following courses are included in the program:

Progression

Progression within the main subject area is shown through the learning goals in the course syllabus for each course of the program as well as by proposed course literature in the resource lists. The program has project-integrated courses with continuous development in project management in the medical field. During the earlier parts of the program, there is a greater focus on gaining basic theoretical and laboratory knowledge, while the latter parts of the program increasingly focus on the students being able to use, interpret and develop knowledge in different fields. This will enable students to explain human physiological and biomedical processes, and at a deeper level, understand how biomedical knowledge can be applied to issues in healthcare, industry, and academia from a commercial and social perspective.

Teaching and working methods

At the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, student-centred and problem-based learning make up the foundation of the teaching. The student takes responsibility for, studies, and researches the current content of the courses and study program. The methods of the course work challenge the students to independently formulate questions for learning, to seek knowledge, and in dialog with others judge and evaluate achieved knowledge. Students work together in groups based on reality-based situations to develop their own learning, contribute to co-students' learning, and to practice cooperation. The teacher´s role is to support the students in this way of learning. The programs consist of subject integrated themes, theoretical and practical modules integrated throughout the study program. The study programs at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences cooperate in certain integration modules where inter-professional learning takes place through the participation of students from several professions learning with, about, and from each other. The course methods and integration modules stimulate and support the student´s development of professional and inter-professional competencies as well as prepare the student for cooperation in the coming profession.

The Bachelor´s Program in Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine cooperates with the technical faculty throughout the entire program, as well as with other actors in academia, healthcare, and business through project-integrated courses. Students learn to identify a need or an idea where they can apply their basic biomedical knowledge. During the course of the program, students can work in teams to develop medical ideas into products or services. The students are well prepared to meet the needs of customers, to implement biomedical knowledge, and to manage projects with an entrepreneurial approach. The students are prepared to meet the requirements within project management and communication within their future professions in academia, healthcare, and industry.

Threshold requirements

The content of each semester is built upon previous semesters and will be conducted in order from semester 1 to 4. For admission to the course thesis work (semester 5), at least 90 credits from semesters 1 to 4 are required in the Bachelor´s Programme in Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine.

Courses in semester 6 may be completed before the course exam in semester 5 for those students who have had a study break during semester 5.

Degree thesis

For awarding of a bachelor´s degree, the student must have completed an independent work (degree project) of at least 30 credits in the main field of education, medical biology.