School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences

BSc (Hons) Medical Physiology and Diagnostics with Sandwich Placement

BSc (Hons) Sandwich 4 years

Spend a full year embedded in a real healthcare or industry placement, then graduate with the hands-on experience most employers ask for and few graduates arrive with.

Spend a full year embedded in a real healthcare or industry placement, then graduate with the hands-on experience most employers ask for and few graduates arrive with.

Award
BSc (Hons)
Start date(s)
14 September 2026
UCAS Code
B123
Course specifications
Course length
Sandwich (4 years)
Campus location
University: City Campus
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

BSc (Hons) Medical Physiology and Diagnostics with Sandwich Placement is a four-year degree that builds a full, credit-bearing year of workplace experience into your studies — between Level 5 and your final year — alongside specialist training in cardiac or respiratory and sleep physiology.

  • A full year in the workplace, not a token placement: your third year is spent on a genuine sandwich placement, in a healthcare setting or industry, giving you sustained experience most three-year graduates simply don't have.
  • You choose where that year takes you: search out and apply for a placement that matches the direction you want your career to take, in the NHS or in industry, with support from the course team throughout.
  • Specialist clinical training either side of it: study cardiac and respiratory/sleep physiology together in Year 1, then commit to your specialism from Level 5, so you go into placement with real technical grounding already behind you.
  • A safety net if your plans change: if a placement doesn't work out or your priorities shift, you can transfer onto the standard three-year Medical Physiology and Diagnostics degree without losing your progress.
  • Taught by people who work in the field: clinical practitioners and active researchers lead your teaching, so the theory you take into placement reflects current NHS practice.
  • A research project shaped by real experience: complete your final-year research project after your placement year, drawing on what you've seen in practice to shape your investigation.

What's unique about this course?

This isn't a course with an optional placement bolted on. The sandwich year is a dedicated, credit-bearing part of your degree, sitting between your specialist studies and your final year — not an extra you arrange around them.

  • A dedicated placement module, not an add-on: your third year carries its own 40 credits, recognising workplace learning as core to your degree rather than extra-curricular.
  • Structured support before and during placement: preparation sessions get you ready to apply and perform, and you'll stay in regular contact with a university supervisor and your workplace supervisor throughout the year.
  • Reflection built into the structure: dedicated reflective sessions help you connect what you learn on placement back to your academic studies, rather than leaving that link to chance.
  • Four years to build a stronger CV: the extra year means you graduate with a full, documented year of professional experience alongside your degree — not just a summer internship.
  • Freedom to choose your placement sector: whether you're drawn to the NHS, private healthcare or wider industry, you decide where your placement year takes you.

What happens on the course?

Your first two years follow the same foundations as our standard Medical Physiology and Diagnostics degree: core anatomy, physiology and cell biology in Year 1, then a choice of specialism — Cardiac Physiology or Respiratory and Sleep Physiology — as you move into Year 2. Year 3 is where this course diverges: it's given over entirely to your sandwich placement.

During your placement year, you'll:

  • Source and secure a placement in a healthcare or industry setting, supported by the course team and the University's Careers, Enterprise and The Workplace team
  • Apply your theoretical knowledge in a live clinical or professional environment
  • Stay connected to the University through supervisor contact and reflective sessions
  • Return for your final year with practical experience that directly informs your study and research project

In your fourth and final year, you'll complete your specialism's advanced module, take Applied Physiology, and carry out an independent research project — now shaped by a year of real workplace insight most students don't get until after they graduate. Assessment throughout the degree mixes case studies, lab reports, presentations, essays and exams, giving you multiple ways to show what you know.


If your placement plans change, you can transfer onto the standard three-year Medical Physiology and Diagnostics degree without losing your progress.

Placements on the course

We’ve built professional placements into every degree, every student will be guaranteed a professional placement. Our placements give you the real-world exposure and proven experience your CV needs, while building the industry networks essential for your career.

These short-term, structured experiences include:

  • Short duration: condensed work-like experience in professional environments
  • Academic integration: always linked to coursework, assessments or professional development modules
  • Project-based learning: students work on specific tasks or research with an organisation
  • Flexible format: can be in-person, remote, hybrid or virtual
  • Skill development: enhances workplace skills like communication, teamwork and problem-solving
  • Experiential learning: helping to close the gap between knowledge gained and the skills needed to succeed

Employability on the course

Employability isn't something you build towards on this course — it's built in, a full year before you graduate.

  • A year of genuine workplace experience: your sandwich placement gives you a substantial, referenceable block of professional experience to put on your CV and discuss in interviews.
  • Help finding the right placement: the course team and a dedicated faculty advisor from the University's Careers, Enterprise and The Workplace team support your search, application and interview preparation.
  • Supervised in practice, not just on paper: regular contact with a workplace supervisor and university tutor throughout your placement year keeps your learning on track.
  • A degree shaped by employer expectations: teaching and assessment throughout the course draw on current clinical and industry practice, so what you learn stays relevant to what employers need.
  • Career pathways backed by experience: graduate with a head start toward the NHS Scientist Training Programme, Graduate Diploma in Cardiac or Respiratory Physiology, Echocardiography Training, Physician Associate routes, or postgraduate study — all backed by a year already spent in the field.

Course Modules

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

  • A placement year that's genuinely supported: preparation sessions, a university supervisor, workplace supervisor contact, and reflective sessions run throughout your placement year.
  • A safety net built into the course: if your placement plans change, you can transfer onto the standard three-year Medical Physiology and Diagnostics degree without losing your progress.
  • Practitioners and researchers either side of your placement: current NHS practice and cutting-edge diagnostics shape your teaching before and after your year in the workplace.
  • Personal support across all four years: a Personal Tutor, Student Success Coach and dedicated careers advisor stay with you from induction through to graduation.
  • A genuinely multidisciplinary cohort: study alongside students from across healthcare disciplines, based at City Campus in the heart of the West Midlands.

Alongside the scientific and clinical skills of the standard degree, a full year in placement adds workplace skills you can only build through sustained, real experience. By graduation you'll be able to:

  • Apply anatomy, physiology and disease knowledge in a live clinical or professional setting, not just in the classroom
  • Interpret diagnostic data to support real patient care or business decisions, and reflect critically on that experience
  • Communicate confidently as a working member of a healthcare or industry team
  • Manage your own professional development — sourcing opportunities, meeting workplace expectations and acting on feedback
  • Design, conduct and interpret physiological investigations, informed by a year of practical insight
  • Use professional and digital tools with the confidence of someone who has already worked in the sector

Location Mode Sep intake Fee Year
Home Sandwich £9790 per year 2026-27
International Sandwich £18700 per year 2026-27

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed.


If a tuition fee is not showing, we may not offer this intake for this course. Please check the start date information on the course finder for start dates.

GCSE English and Maths at grade C+/4. No equivalences are accepted. 

PLUS EITHER

  • 96 UCAS points
  • A Levels AA or BCD to include Biology passed with minimum grade B
  • BTEC L3 Extended Diploma or OCR Cambridge L3 Technical Extended Diploma in Applied Science - grades MMM
  • Access to HE Diploma Full Award (60 credits), with 45 Level 3 credits of which 36 must be in Science, with at least 27 at Distinction and the rest at Merit. No pass grades are accepted
  • T Level - P - Core grade needs to be C or above

You may be requested to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check after your first year of study on this course.

 

Students must usually have studied for a minimum of two years post GCSE level. However, we will consider applications from mature students who do not have two years of post-16 study, where they have relevant work experience. Please see http://wlv.ac.uk/mature for further information.

If you've got other qualifications or relevant experience, please contact The Gateway for further advice before applying.

International entry requirements and application guidance can be found at http://www.wlv.ac.uk/international/apply

English language requirements also apply

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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How we compare

Find out how our course is rated on Discover Uni, the official website for comparing UK higher education courses.

Find out how our course is rated on Discover Uni, the official website for comparing UK higher education courses.

Sandwich Course