BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science
Key Details
- Award
- Degree of Bachelor of Science
- UCAS Course Code
- B780
- Typical Offer
- ABB
- Contextual Offer
- BBC
- Course Length
- 3 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2025
Why you should choose us
Course Overview
Study for a degree in Paramedic Science and take your first steps towards a career where you can make a real difference where it’s needed most. In this fast-paced profession you’ll be tackling difficult and demanding situations, thinking on your feet, using your initiative and making conscientious, patient-centered decisions every day.
Both challenging and exciting, our course will equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to assess, treat, diagnose, supply and administer medicines, and to manage, discharge and refer patients in urgent, emergency, critical and non-hospital settings. Our course is endorsed by the College of Paramedics and will leave you with all of the skills and knowledge necessary to enter a fulfilling career in paramedic science.
Year-on-year, you’ll build on your skills, knowledge and experience, developing a solid foundation for your paramedic career. You’ll explore real human anatomy in our anatomy suite. And you’ll work side-by-side with other students and healthcare professionals. Throughout the course, you’ll complete placements on ambulances, specialist units and in general practice, so you can put the theory you’ve learnt to use. You’ll also have the opportunity to undertake an elective placement in your final year that will make your programme unique and tailored to your interests.
At UEA, we have a variety of facilities, courses and resources which will make you particularly skilled, knowledgeable, and employable. You’ll be able to take the Resuscitation Council’s eAdvanced Life Support course, leaving you with an internationally-recognised certification. You’ll spend time in our anatomy suite, giving you hands-on experience with the different systems of the human body. Finally, external placements will allow you to gain skills and form connections which will aid you in beginning your post-graduate career.
After finishing your course, you’ll have all of the training needed to register with the Health and Care Professions Council as a licensed paramedic. Upon registration, you’ll be able to enter a number of diverse and challenging career paths in both NHS and private practice. You’ll also be well set up to continue your studies as a clinical researcher or educator.
Not sure how to prepare for university interviews? We offer free mock interview days for students who might need extra support.
Accreditations
Our three-year BSc in Paramedic Science was the very first in the UK to enable students to qualify with a nationally recognised qualification in Advanced Life Support, as accredited by the Resuscitation Council UK.
Designed and delivered in line with College of Paramedics curriculum guidance framework, it’ll provide you with a contemporary and complete paramedic education. As a result our Paramedic Science degree is Endorsed by the College of Paramedics
Our degree programme is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) which means that once you successfully graduate you’ll be entitled to register as a paramedic.
Study and Modules
Structure
During your Paramedic Science degree, you’ll take modules focusing on themes such as communication, psychological and sociological factors affecting health, evidence-based practice, and leadership, as well as anatomy, physiology and pharmacology.
Throughout the programme, you’ll undertake clinical placements to contextualise your learning and put theory into practice. And – year-on-year – you’ll develop your knowledge, skills and experience, enhancing your understanding of how various concepts integrate. You’ll gain a solid foundation on which to build a balanced approach to practice, and a successful career as a paramedic.
In your first year as a paramedic student, you’ll learn basic fundamentals including anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology, and how these relate to the psychosocial complexity paramedics encounter in clinical practice. You’ll develop skills in communication, philosophy and evidence-based practice so that you can begin your journey as a professional fit for contemporary paramedicine.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
All years have a blended approach to teaching and learning incorporating a mix of online and face to face theory, skills and simulation delivered in our high spec simulation centre, and placement experiences that complement and contextualize theory.
We employ a spiral curriculum that each year deepens your understanding of important theories and concepts essential for paramedic practice. Each year of the program covers themes relating to anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology; the impact of social and psychological factors on paramedic practice; evidence-based practice and skills needed for research; and philosophical questions relating to ethics, reasoning and other aspects of professionalism.
We’re totally committed to and passionate about the work we do, and we have the knowledge, skills and experience to maximise your potential as a paramedic of the future.
Im your first year, we’ll enable your transition into university by enhancing your study skills and giving you an introduction to the complexity you’ll encounter in practice. You’ll learn fundamental clinical skills and techniques in practical workshops, underpinned by academic study. You’ll then learn to begin to apply the theory to patient scenarios in simulation-based-education and in clinical practice.
Assessment
Your progress will be assessed on a regular basis throughout the course, ensuring that your learning and development are on track. We have a range of assessment methods, all of which are designed to support your learning while preparing you for your future as a paramedic.
Our range of assessments in this year includes examinations, written essays, and practical assessments. You’ll also be assessed on how well you can put your skills into practice in placement.
Structure
In Year Two, the focus is on developing your paramedic practice. You will build on the fundamentals from Year One and be able to demonstrate skills in critical care, resuscitation and advanced life support that are essential to ambulance paramedic practice. You’ll simultaneously deepen and develop your understanding of psychology and sociology, taking an evidence-based approach to mental health and illness, substance misuse and many other common features of paramedic practice.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
You’ll build on and develop your professional identity with clinical placements where you can really get to grips with the theory in practice, developing the values and behaviors essential to being a safe, respected and trustworthy paramedic. Throughout this year you’ll be honing your clinical judgement and reasoning skills.
Assessment
With an increasing emphasis on your academic skills in analysis and application of theory to practice you’ll undertake a blend of assessment types in this year. You’ll complete essays, exams, spoken word assessments and placement based assessments too.
Structure
In your third and final year, you’ll be working to enhance your paramedic practice with technical skills in the assessment and management of a wide range of minor injuries and minor illnesses across the lifespan, as well as developing skills in health promotion. This will complement what you already know about the care of the acutely sick and injured and prepare you for the reality of practice. You’ll undertake an evidence-based quality improvement project, refine your skills as an independent learner setting you up for a career as a life-long learner, and learn about the principles of how to become an effective leader of the future.
You have the option to enhance your studies by taking an elective, self-funded two- to four-week placement anywhere in the world in your final year. Your placement can take the form you choose and will enable you to adapt the course to your own interests and strengths.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
In your third year you’ll develop the enhanced skills necessary to take your paramedic practice to the next level by honing your skills in scholarship and research, developing your practice in patient assessment and management, growing your leadership and influencing skills, and planning how you’ll continue your professional development after you graduate and register as a paramedic.
Assessment
Our focus in your third year is ensuring you’re ready to face the world of work as a paramedic. We use several different types of assessment in this year including an interview, a literature review, other written assessments, practical exams that focus on your enhanced assessment and management skills, and examinations that test your ability to justify your practice including the use of drugs paramedics can give in practice and your ability to read and interpret electrocardiograms.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK fee-paying students. The entry point is in September each year.
We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.
You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.
- English and Mathematics
All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade C or grade 4
We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.
- Additional GCSE Requirements
We also require 5 GCSEs at a minimum grade C or grade 4, including Mathematics and English Language.
If you hold or are working towards Mathematics and English Language GCSEs, but do not hold 5 GCSEs, please contact Admissions.
- Contextual Offers
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
A levels
ABB including Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry.
Contextual offer: BBC including Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry.
Where applicable Science A levels awarded by an English exam board require a pass in the practical element.
BTEC
DDM.
Contextual offer: DMM.
See BTEC / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 section below for accepted subjects.
Combinations of BTEC and A levels
Diploma: DD plus B at A level.
Contextual Offer: DD plus C at A Level
Extended Certificate: D plus BB at A level.
Contextual Offer: D plus BC at A Level.
BTEC in Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration are all excluded from our BTEC offers.
See BTEC / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 section below for accepted subjects and combinations.
Access to HE Diploma
Pass the Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 30 credits at Level 3 and Merit in 15 credits at Level 3 in a Health, Care or Science subject, including 12 credits in Biology or Chemistry.
T levels
Obtain an overall Pass including B in the core of the T Level and Distinction in the Occupational Specialism. We accept: Health, Healthcare Science or Science.
- Further Examples of Typical Entry Requirements
Bachelor’s Degree (hons)
- 2.1 in Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry
- 2.2 in Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry with BBB at A Level
Alternative subjects can also be considered alongside grade B in A Level Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry.
BTEC / OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3
Grade requirements:
• DDM (made up of Extended Certificate, Diploma or Extended Diploma subjects)
• DD (made up of Extended Certificate or Diploma subjects) plus B at A level
• D (Extended Certificate) plus BB at A level
Subject requirements:
Please note: Unfortunately, we are not able to accept all BTEC/OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 subjects for this course. Please check the list below carefully to see what we can accept. If your subject is not listed below, then we do not accept it for entry to this course.
Our subject requirements are:
• Extended Diploma in one of the subjects listed below
• A combination of BTEC/OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 subjects, all of which are in Health, Care, Applied Psychology or Science, with at least one of the subjects to include one of the options listed below
• Any BTEC/OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 subjects in Health, Care, Applied Psychology or Science, taken in combination with A level Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry or PE
• A combination of one of the BTEC/OCR Cambridge Technical Level 3 subject options below alongside A levels in any subject(s)
Applied Human Biology (2018 RQF suite) – must include one of the following units:
• Functional physiology
• Diseases, disorders, treatments and therapies
Applied Science (2010 QCF suite) – must include at least two of the following units:
• Physiology of human body systems
• Physiology of human regulation and reproduction
• Diseases and infections
Applied Science (2016 RQF suite) – must include at least two of the following units:
• Physiology of human body systems
• Human regulation and reproduction
• Biological molecules and metabolic pathways
• Diseases and infections
• Applications of Inorganic Chemistry
• Applications of Organic Chemistry
Applied Science (2020 RQF suite) – must include at least two of the following units:
• Principles and applications of biology II
• Functional physiology of the human body system
• Human reproduction and regulation
• Biological molecules and metabolic pathways
• Diseases and infections
Fitness Services (2016 RQF suite) – Extended Certificate, Diploma or Extended Diploma.
Sport (2010 QCF suite) – must include at least two of the following units:
• Fitness testing for sport and exercise
• Exercise, health and lifestyle
• Sports injuries
• Sports and exercise massage
• Research investigation in sports and exercise sciences
• Applied sport and exercise physiology
Sport (2016 RQF suite) – Extended Certificate, Diploma or Extended Diploma.
Sport and Exercise Science (2016 RQF suite) – Diploma or Extended Diploma.
Sport and Physical Activity (OCR Cambridge Technical - 2016 suite) – Extended Diploma. Diploma or Extended Certificate must include at least two of the following units:
• Improving Fitness for Sport and Physical Activity
• Biomechanics and Movement Analysis
• Physical Activity for Specific Groups
• Sports Injuries and Rehabilitation
Sports Coaching and Development (2019 RQF suite) – Extended Diploma only. Must include at least three of the following units:
• Anatomy and Physiology in Sport
• Sporting Injuries
• Functional Sports Massage
• Fitness Training
Sporting Excellence and Performance (2019 RQF suite) – Diploma or Extended Diploma only.
Sport, Fitness and Personal Training (2019 RQF suite) – Extended Certificate, Diploma or Extended Diploma.
Sport and Outdoor Activities (2019 RQF suite) – Extended Diploma only. Must include all of the following units:
• Anatomy and physiology in sport
• Sports injuries
• Fitness training
BTEC Public Services, BTEC Uniformed Services and BTEC Business Administration are not accepted to make up any grades.
Certificate of Higher Education
60% in Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry, plus BBB at A Level.
Diploma of Higher Education
60% in Year 2, in Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry.
Alternative subjects can also be considered alongside grade B in A Level Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry.
Foundation Degree
60% in Year 2, in Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry.
Alternative subjects can also be considered alongside grade B in A Level Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry.
Foundation Year
65% or above in a Foundation Year of an undergraduate degree programme at a UK university, in Biology, Human Biology, PE or Chemistry, plus BBB at A Level.
International Baccalaureate
32 with HL 5 in Biology, Chemistry or Sports, Exercise & Health Science.
Irish Leaving Certificate
3 subjects at H2 and 3 subjects at H3, including Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry or PE.
Open University
60 credits at 65% or above, in Biology, Human Biology or Chemistry.
Scottish Advanced Highers
BCC including Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry or PE.
A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable.
Scottish Highers
AAABB including grade A in Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry or PE.
A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable.
Additional Information
We welcome and value a wide range of alternative qualifications, and we also recognise that some students might take a mixture of some of the qualifications above. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.
Please note that we do not consider A Levels in General Studies or Critical Thinking, Apprenticeships, NVQs (any level) or Work-based Level 3 Diplomas (previously NVQs) to meet the minimum academic entry requirements, although these can be used as evidence of recent study.
Graduates may wish to consider our accelerated Masters programmes.
- Non-Academic Entry Requirements
Offers will be made to applicants after completion of successful interviews and will be subject to a satisfactory occupational health check (including evidence of appropriate immunisations), an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and two satisfactory references. We will let you know what you need to do (and when) to meet these conditions if you are successful in gaining an offer.
If you have previously studied at degree level in a health based subject, we will want to see that you have passed all of the study that you have undertaken. We’ll be unable to consider you for this course if you’ve obtained an academic fail from a previous health based degree programme, including where an exit award has been achieved.
- Interviews
The strongest applicants will be invited to interview. Please note that meeting (or being predicted to meet) the minimum academic entry requirements will not guarantee that you will be selected for interview.
Interview invitations will be sent by email. Please keep a close eye on all emails from UEA after you submit your UCAS application. For more information on the application process and what to expect at each step, take a look at our handy Applying to HSC infographic, which explains the application journey from start to finish.
Interview format
Our interviews for 2025 will take place on our campus. The format will match the process outlined in our animation: What to expect from a Health Science interview at UEA, as closely as possible. You will be invited to book your interview for a morning or afternoon session by email. The email will include the arrival time and building location. We use a variety of the buildings on our campus for interviews, but they will either be on our Main Campus or on our West Campus (which is around a 20-minute walk from the centre of the Main Campus, near the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital). The session will last no longer than 3 hours in total. Applicants who are based outside of England at the point of applying will be offered an online interview.
As part of the session, you will take part in ‘multiple mini-interviews’ with academic members of staff from the School of Health Sciences at UEA, clinicians from the profession, service users* and/or current UEA students from the course.
*A ‘service user’ is someone who has access to use health or social care services or could be affected by the services of health and social care professionals.
You will undertake your ‘multiple mini-interview’ alongside 1 or 2 other applicants for the course. Together, you will be taken to your interview room, which will be furnished with three interview stations. You will attend each interview station in turn, rotating with the other applicants you have been grouped with.
Before you visit each interview station, you will be given time to read some information. The information will include the interview questions or topics that you will be asked about. You will then be given a set amount of time with the interviewer(s), who will ask you the questions verbally.
The other applicants who you have been grouped together with will be following the same process as you at the same time. They will be speaking to alternate interviewer(s) to you simultaneously. You will all continue the process above until you have been interviewed at all three interview stations.
As part of your interview day, you will also have an opportunity to join some other sessions, for which you will not be assessed. The sessions are an opportunity for you to learn more about the course, the university, the students that study here, and for you to ask questions of current students and teaching staff. There may be an opportunity to undertake some practical skills during some of these sessions, if possible. There may also be an opportunity to tour the teaching facilities. These parts of your interview day are not compulsory, and do not form part of the assessment.
Interview questions
At each interview station you will be asked questions that focus on a particular domain. The order in which you are asked about these domains will be variable. The domains are:
- Your knowledge of the professional field for which you are applying.
- Your personal qualities and suitability for the profession. To help with discussion around this domain, you may be asked to consider a scenario and asked questions about how you would respond to it. You will be given time to read the scenario before you approach the interview station, and it will also be read to you by the interviewer(s).
- Your understanding of and suitability for the course at UEA.
On all interview stations, interviewers will also consider your ability to clearly present information and communicate your responses effectively.
Experience of healthcare
We are aware that it is a difficult time to try to gain relevant experience in healthcare. First time applicants to Nursing, Midwifery and the Allied Health Professions will all be in a similar situation.
Clinical work experience will not generally be a requirement for applying to train in healthcare. We will be looking for you to show that you are able to work with people, that you appreciate the health and social care setting, and that you understand what a career in health will involve. While we will expect you to show some understanding of what it is like to be the professional of your choice, part of this involves demonstrating that you know what it is like to work in a responsible role, particularly with the public.
Note that your experiences are only as valuable as the way you talk about them and what understanding you take from them. It is important that you think about how you might be able to demonstrate your understanding of healthcare, that you can relate this to experience or research, and that you can explain what you have learned.
What type of experience or research do you need?
Any activity, life experience or research that helps you to prepare for training to be a healthcare professional will help. This means any activity that allows you to demonstrate that you have:
- Had people-focused experience of providing a service, care, support or help to others, and that you understand the realities of working in a caring profession.
- Developed some of the values, attitudes and behaviours essential to being a Nurse, Midwife or Allied Health professional such as conscientiousness, effective communication and the ability to interact with a wide variety of people. The values that we are looking for are set out in the NHS Constitution.
- A realistic understanding of Health and Social Care and in particular, the physical, organisational and emotional demands of the career.
Practical ways to gain experience
Keep a reflective diary on what is happening in the news and online. Listen to what healthcare professionals have to say and reflect on this. All healthcare professionals can be a valuable source of information and experience, not just those that work in the specific profession that you are applying for. Demonstrating that you have a sense of all healthcare professions (and how they work together) will help you in both your personal statement and interview.
Volunteer in your spare time if you can, all forms of voluntary work can provide helpful work experience. If volunteer work in the NHS isn’t something that is available to you, think about what else you could explore i.e. working with other people in a caring or service role. Voluntary commitments to community groups (for example groups related to the work of churches, mosques and temples, or other groups such as Scouts or Guides) and online community support groups may also provide valuable experience of taking on responsibility, dealing with people and communicating effectively.
Remember: what is important is what you learn about yourself and about other people, and what you learn about how effective care is delivered and received. How you learn these things is only a small part of the story; it is how you communicate what you learnt that matters.
- Placements
During the course, no less than 50% of your time will be spent on practice placement. This might be in a variety of settings that include hospitals, community services, general practice, social services and voluntary or private organisations. Placement allocation occurs throughout the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.
As this course includes patient facing placements in health or social care settings, and these are a mandatory component of the course, you will need to comply with the placement vaccination policy. Failure to meet the placement vaccination policy may prevent you from joining the course or may lead to your withdrawal from the course in the future. Future employment may also be subject to this condition.
Assessing your fitness to become a registered healthcare professional
Please see our guidance on assessing your fitness.
- Deferred Entry
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.
- Recent Study
We would prefer you to be able to demonstrate evidence of recent academic study within 5 years of the start of the course. If your last qualification will have been completed more than 5 years ago by the time the course starts, please contact Admissions.
- Age on Entry
Applicants for this course need to be aged 18 or over by 31 December 2025. This is owing to the integrated nature of placements within the first year of the course and safeguarding implications. In view of this, applicants who will not be 18 years old or over by this date, should consider applying for deferred entry.
Not sure how to prepare for university interviews? We offer free mock interview days for students who might need extra support.
Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. View our range of Scholarships for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
You can find information regarding additional costs associated on our Fees and finance webpages.
How to Apply
Apply for this course through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), using UCAS Hub.
UCAS Hub is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Your application does not have to be completed all at once. Register or sign in to UCAS to get started.
Once you submit your completed application, UCAS will process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The Institution code for the University of East Anglia is E14.
View our guide to applying through UCAS for useful tips, key dates and further information:
Employability
After the Course
Paramedics are highly sought-after, and many of our graduates go on to work in the NHS ambulance service. However, you could also specialise in critical, urgent or primary care, or focus on non-clinical settings. You could work in an emergency department, the private sector, a walk-in centre, or a GP practice. Or you could even continue in higher education as a lecturer or clinical researcher.
Careers
Although most graduates go on to work in the ambulance services, as a paramedic graduate, you’ll also be sought after in a number of clinical areas. For example:
- Primary care
- Emergency departments
- Education
- Private ambulance services
- Prisons
- Off-shore platforms