Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences with Honours (BBiomedSc(Hons))

Study in Christchurch, Dunedin, or Wellington

The University of Otago has a strong international reputation for biomedical research. The Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences with Honours (BBiomedSc(Hons)) is an eight-month full‑time postgraduate programme which provides an excellent foundation for a career in biomedical research.

You will join your supervisor's research team and be based in their home department. Your supervisor and their team will provide training on all necessary scientific techniques.

The research focus of the BBiomedSc(Hons) provides an excellent foundation for employment in a research laboratory and pursuing master's or PhD studies in a wide range of biomedical sciences.

The BBiomedSc(Hons) is a thesis‑only qualification, comprising 85 per cent research and 15 per cent coursework. There are no final exams.

The coursework includes journal clubs and workshops, such as:

• Human and animal ethics
• Māori context to research
• Mental health and maintaining wellness
• Presentation skills
• Thesis writing skills
• Writing techniques

3 campuses, 6 biomedical fields

Available at our Christchurch, Dunedin, and Wellington campuses, the BBiomedSc(Hons) programme involves supervised research in one of the following departments and schools:

• Dunedin:    
  • Department of Anatomy
  • Department of Biochemistry
  • Department of Microbiology and Immunology
  • Department of Human Nutrition
  • Department of Pathology
  • Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
  • Department of Physiology
• Christchurch:    
  • University of Otago, Christchurch
• Wellington:    
  • University of Otago, Wellington

Your BBiomedSc(Hons) degree is awarded in one of 6 specialisations that reflects the subject of your research project:

• Drugs and Human Health
• Functional Human Biology
• Infection and Immunity
• Molecular Basis of Health and Disease
• Nutrition and Metabolism in Human Health
• Reproduction, Genetics and Development

Relevant skills

After completing your BBiomedSc(Hons) year, you will have developed key career-ready attributes:

• Critical thinking with the ability to access, analyse, integrate, and apply information
• Grounding in the basic disciplines of biomedical science, coupled with advanced research experience in a specific area of interest
• Understanding of the principles of experimental design, and the application of quantitative methods
• Understanding of the broad mechanisms underlying normal and abnormal human biology, and the ability to apply scientific principles to biomedical problems
• Recognition that lifelong learning is required to remain informed in the rapidly-changing field of biomedical sciences
• Self-motivated learning with the ability to work independently, while recognising the value of teamwork

Financial support

Visit the University of Otago postgraduate scholarship database – you may be eligible to apply for multiple scholarships.

The database includes four scholarships particularly suited to BBiomedSc(Hons) students:

• Barbara Heslop Memorial Scholarship (for students in the fields of immunology or pathology)
• Elizabeth Jean Trotter 400-level Scholarship in Biomedical Sciences
• School of Biomedical Sciences Māori Postgraduate Scholarship (for Māori students)
• School of Biomedical Sciences Pacific Peoples' Postgraduate Scholarship (for Pacific students)

Entry requirements

You must have completed the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences (BBiomedSc), or an equivalent qualification, with an average grade of at least B+ for the appropriate four 300‑level papers of the major subject, and have passed one further paper at 300‑level to make a total of 90 points at 300‑level. You must normally have passed papers worth at least 108 points, at 200‑level or above, during your third year of study.