Health Studies (Public Health) with Foundation Year – BSc (Hons)

You will study very broad subjects in your foundation year, which is designed to prepare you for a range of courses, not just one particular BSc degree. Are you interested in a job in health or social care, but don’t want to work in nursing or a clinical setting? Our specially designed Health Studies degree with a Foundation Year will set you up to choose from a number of related careers such as Healthy Lifestyles Officer or a Community Cohesion Researcher.

This course will also appeal if you want to make an impact on issues affecting the health of the population, individuals and local communities – like poverty, pollution, poor housing, access to good quality, affordable food and health inequalities.

Why choose a foundation year course?

By studying a foundation year in Health Sciences, your first year will be spent learning a wide range of broad subject areas which then open up opportunities for you to specialise further in your next year –  which would be the first year of a full degree programme.

You will study very broad subjects in your foundation year, which is designed to prepare you for a range of courses and not just one particular BSc degree.

So although you are studying a BSc in a specific course – BSc Health Studies (Public Health) – the foundation year sets you up for a number of other possible degrees starting the following year. It may be that you don’t end up doing a degree in precisely the same subject as your foundation year.

This flexibility is one of the great things about the foundation year category – Health Sciences, allowing you to find out more about your interests and talents before focusing on a three year degree. The foundation year also helps us at BCU to make sure we help to match you to the degree that fits you best.

What’s covered in the course?

If you have a passion for making a difference, this course will allow you to explore your interests and develop core skills so that you can go on to achieve your goals and ambitions.

You will learn about a wide variety of issues affecting the health of the population such as poverty, pollution, poor housing, access to good quality, affordable food and health inequalities. You will be taught many different skills that are needed in order to improve the health of populations, communities and individuals and will have the opportunity to implement these skills during work placements, in institutions and locations of your choice.

By the end of your undergraduate degree course, you will leave fully empowered to contribute to discussion on the different health systems around the world. You will have gained both knowledge and solid work experience through placements and volunteering projects with our partners, which include public and community health teams in local councils, NHS health projects, housing associations, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.

See what our students say…

Why Choose Us?

• Students are satisfied with this course! We scored 90 per cent for overall satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2017.
• We work in strong partnership with local councils, the NHS, Public Health England and voluntary organisations, which means you can benefit from building relationships with these institutions throughout your degree so that you leave with plenty of experience and employability skills
• You will have the opportunity to study abroad to help extend your skills and experience (last year we sent some students to Taiwan, and they found it invaluable).
• Real-life experience – you will be actively involved in tackling real-life issues all the way throughout your degree, seamlessly merging theory with practice
• Study at our £41 million City South campus that is complete with state-of-the-art facilities and learning environments to make sure you get the most out of your time here
• Excellent experience and placement opportunities available – previous students have been involved in shaping the Birmingham Charter for Health, providing students with practical experience to help boost employability
• Strong links with the UK Public Health Register – the regulatory body for public health professionals and the West Midlands for public health professionals
• Complete support throughout your degree and beyond from our practitioners who have first-hand experience working in local councils, the NHS, international public health settings, the media, voluntary organisations, community and housing settings. Our team also has expertise in health psychology, health economics, health policy, health protection and leadership and management in service improvement

Our students consistently praise the supportive learning environment and the supportive atmosphere here. We’ll do our best to make sure you get the very best from your whole experience and are ready to step into a wide range of the satisfying health careers out there.