Is a Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni the right degree for you?
You’ve come to the right place to find out! We cover everything you need to know about this degree from majors to assessments.
Check it out!
What is a Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni?
Core Units and Majors
How to Get into a Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
What is a Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni?
The Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni is a degree that gives students a wealth of knowledge across many different disciplines! Students will build their knowledge in the realm of various sciences, including Biomedical, Chemical, Biological and Biomolecular.
This degree is excellent for students who want to further their studies and become academic researchers or eventually become doctors, or even students who want to do lab research or become lab technicians.
Can this degree be studied with another?
You can studied Medical Sciences with another undergraduate degree — this means that when you graduate, you will emerge with double the qualifications! But, this also means that you’ll have to spend some extra time at uni in order to complete the required units.
Popular additions to the Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni include:
Careers
There are many different paths that can be taken once you graduate from Medical Science. They include:
- Biotechnologist
- Drug discovery and development researcher
- Forensic scientist
- Genetic counsellor
- Health researcher
- Histologist
- Hospital scientist
- Medical researcher
- Pharmacologist
- Scientific officer with pharmaceutical, pathology and reproductive technology companies
With further study, students can also pursue careers in research, academia and even become doctors! We’ve researched the Top 5 Medical Schools in Australia – check them out here!
If you’re looking for a direct path into medicine, have a read of our 99+ ATAR Scorer Guide here!
Core Units and Majors
Within the Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni, there are a multitude of different majors that can be undertaken. However, as well as majors, core units must also be taken as part of the Medical Sciences degree.
Some of the core units include Introduction to Anatomy, Genes to Organisms and Foundations of Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences 1. Other core units you’ll be taking are:
- Human Biology — This unit is based on humanity as a whole and how we interact with the world outside of ourselves. It delves into topics such as human disease, anatomy and the global impact we have.
- Foundations in Medical Sciences — This unit gives students the fundamental foundation skills needed to work and successfully engage within a lab.
- Introductory Statistics — This unit provides students with a broad understanding of data and statistical concepts, with a scope on the scientific realm.
What are the Majors?
There are five different majors students can select from. They include:
- Anatomy and Physiology — This major has a focus on the human body. It revolves around the structure and functions our bodies have.
- Genomics and Medical Informatics — This major has a focus on the technology within the process of genetics and our understanding of disease and infection.
- Infectious Disease and Biosecurity — This major looks into how we as humanity deal with outbreaks, clusters and onset of disease and infection, on a global level.
- Medical Chemistry — This major allows students to understand the advent of medicine and be on the forefront for new discoveries within this discipline.
- Neuroscience — This major has a focus on the nervous system, from cells to our actions and behaviours. It gives students an in-depth understanding of our actions and patterns.
Internships
Internships are not a compulsory to complete in order to graduate from this degree. They are, however, highly encouraged for students to get some real world, hands-on experience.
Macquarie Uni runs a PACE unit within Biological Sciences that can be chosen as an elective.
How to Get into a Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni
The ATAR cut off to gain guaranteed entry into the Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni is 85. However, if you aren’t able to obtain this ATAR, there are other ways into this degree!
Macquarie University Pathway Program
Undertaking this program, students can reach their academic goals by completing a year of a diploma relevant to Medical Sciences — which is a diploma within the Science Stream.
Successful completion will allow for entry into the first year of your desired degree! Students can undertake standard or accelerated versions of this diploma — more info can be found here.
Are there any prerequisite subjects?
There are no prerequisite subjects that are needed to be completed during HSC year to gain admission to the Bachelor of Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni. However, it is recommended that students study HSC Mathematics Advanced and HSC Chemistry to develop a foundational understanding.
Scholarships
Macquarie Uni hosts lots of different scholarships, based on academic excellence, equity and more. To see if you are eligible for any scholarships, have a look at the ones they offer here!
What’s the Teaching Format?
Degrees at Macquarie Uni are studied across semesters — meaning that there are two teaching periods each year with breaks in between. The different modes of teaching for Medical Sciences, in particular, are lectures, tutorials and labs.
Class Structure
Within lectures, you and 100 to 300 other students are taught a lot of new theories across an hour or sometimes two hours. The lecturer tends to discuss new concepts, material and ideas to the class.
After lectures, you’ll be discussing the content in a smaller classroom of 25 students for your tutorials — these tend to go for an hour or two. Within this space, you are able to ask questions, do activities and gain a more in-depth understanding and perspective of the content covered in lectures.
The most interactive kind of learning will happen in labs, which are like high school science pracs times a million (but with only 25 students in the class)! They involve a practical implementation of the theoretical ideas discussed in tutorials and lectures, and usually run for two hours.
How much time do you spend on campus?
The contact hours for a Medical Science student are quite high, with the class contact time averaging to be around 19 to 21 hours per week. You and your cohort will become best buddies with all the time you’ll be spending together!
Assessments
Just like the degree itself, the assessments are presented in a broad and varying way! But here is a general guide as to what you can expect for each subject:
Midterm assessment — This will be an exam on everything covered until halfway through a semester.
Group Work Assignments — Students will learn to work cohesively together and become excellent team players with group work! You’ll often be asked to do group presentations or reports, but within labs, you’ll have to work as a team to test out your own or assigned theories or hypotheses.
Solo Assignments — This could be a project, presentation, or an article review. Students will learn to work cohesively together and become excellent team players with group work!
Final Exam — This exam extensively covers anything and everything learned within the term.
Skills That You Refine and Learn
Studying Medical Sciences at Macquarie Uni, there are many different skills you will develop or further enhance.
Within labs, you will collaborate with others. This is a necessary skill to build upon — being a team player and lifting your weight when required in assessments is a valuable asset.
Students will form their own ideas and theories through testing and researching different hypotheses created. This degree also helps students to develop a “can-do” attitude and ability to flex their brains!
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
The Bachelor of Medical Sciences falls under Macquarie Uni’s large Faculty of Science and Engineering! However, at Macquarie Uni, you aren’t just a number — the lecturers and tutors are here to help and get the best out of their students!
Their passion for the subject and their industry experience is transferred to their students, with peers being willing to help out one another in need or even just become new friends.
While there currently isn’t a Medical Sciences society at Macquarie, there are lots of other interest, culture and hobby based societies. From Disney Appreciation to Philanthropy, MQU’s got a society for you.
You can check them all out here!
Mentoring
Macquarie University also hosts a first-year mentee program; the Macquarie University Peer Mentors help first-year students to settle into university life and study! This program takes away any animosity students may have and creates a safe space for students to ask questions, find like-minded people and foster a welcoming entry into uni.
Interested in the pros and cons of this degree? Check out our article here!
Matilda Elliott is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and a Communication graduate with a major in Journalism at Western Sydney University. You can find some of her published work in a range of platforms including SBS World News, The Music Network and within her own creative exploits with her twin sister. Matilda is a lover of listening, helping people to tell their stories, making genuine connections, clowning around in her circus troupe and dancing like no one is watching at live music shows!
