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Paramedic Science

BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: B950

Start dates: September 2026

Full time: 3 years

Location: Headington, Headington (Marston Road site)

School(s): School of Sport, Nutrition and Allied Health Professions

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Overview

Responding to 999 calls. Delivering life-saving care. Helping people in their hour of need. Working on the front line is fast-paced and rewarding. If that’s your ambition, we’ll help you get there, training you to become a registered paramedic. We’ll also show you other exciting opportunities so you can forge a career as an allied health professional.

We’ve designed this course to help you care for patients with diverse healthcare needs, in and out of hospital settings. We’ve developed our modules in partnership with healthcare providers including South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

As a student paramedic, you’ll complete placements in a variety of ambulance and healthcare settings in the Thames Valley region. Applying theory to practice is central to your time with us, so you become the best paramedic you can be.

Whether on placement or studying on campus, you’ll be surrounded by support. Our friendly teaching team will share their own experiences and expertise. And you’ll meet other students on the same journey as you by joining the Student Paramedic Society.

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Paramedic Science students in class

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Accredited course

    Our degree is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council meaning employers will value your qualification.

  • Hands-on placements
    You’ll experience at least 14 weeks of clinical practice education each year in diverse settings.
  • Benefit from specialist facilities
    Apply your skills in our specialist clinical skills suites with a range of simulation equipment including a SimBulance.
  • Diverse career opportunities
    Prepare for positions in clinical practice, education, management and research. Learn from a team who have worked as paramedics in a wide range of settings and listen to the stories from their careers as you kickstart your own.
  • Top 5 in the UK
    Paramedic Science is ranked 5th in the Guardian Paramedic Science subject league ranking 2026.
  • Additional language modules

    Our university-wide language programme is available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

  • Accreditation(s)

    Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council

    • Health and Care Professions Council

Course details

Course structure

From novice to fully-fledged paramedic, our course provides you with the knowledge to practise safely and effectively. The curriculum is designed to provide you with the behaviours, clinical experience and values you need for success.

Your learning falls under 5 themes:

  • Applied paramedic professional practice
  • Bioscience knowledge for paramedic practice
  • Evidence-informed paramedic practice
  • Holistic paramedic professional practice
  • Values-based paramedic practice.

You'll learn to assess and manage the patients paramedics encounter, with simulation on campus and at least 14 weeks each year in real clinical settings. This could be within the ambulance service, emergency departments or primary care. You can experience placements in end-of-life care, airway management or paediatric settings to aid your development.

The curriculum is updated to help you more effectively support society. For example, we've added a mental health and wellbeing module to address the growing need for health professionals to understand this area when treating patients and supporting their practice.

Paramedic Science students

Learning and teaching

You will have practical and theory-based modules. We take a research and evidence informed approach to clinical practice. You’ll often reflect on your personal and professional development. 

In health and social care, professional groups work together. You’ll meet students from our wide range of courses, including:

  • health and social care
  • nursing (adult, children's and mental health)
  • midwifery
  • occupational therapy
  • physiotherapy
  • social work.

This helps you understand the other professional roles you’ll encounter in practice. We offer you a wide range of learning resources, including:

  • online lectures
  • handouts and information
  • learning exercises.

Assessment

We will assess you through:

  • Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) - practical exams
  • coursework
  • placement hours/competencies
  • presentations
  • online quizzes
  • vivas.

Study modules

Teaching for this course takes place Face to Face and you can expect around 11 hours of contact time per week. In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.

Contact hours involve activities such as lectures, seminars, practicals, assessments, and academic advising sessions. These hours differ by year of study and typically increase significantly during placements or other types of work-based learning.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

  • Values-Based Practice for Paramedics

    This double module will explore and review foundational concepts, literature and theories for values-based paramedic practice. You will be encouraged to reflect on their values and the relationship with developing a professional identity, role and practice.

    You'll explore key concepts related to ethical, legal, psychological and psycho-social dimensions of values-based practice.You'll also examine literature related to teamwork and leadership, human factors, decision-making and care delivery.

    Within this context, you will be encouraged to consider your role parameters and assess your values-based practice abilities and effectiveness.

  • Fundamentals of Evidence Informed Practice

    This Fundamentals of Evidence-Informed Practice module will give you the foundations for analysing, reviewing, researching and applying evidence to your practice. You will be introduced to research methodologies and explore how these inform the research process, data collection, and interpretation within the context of paramedic care.

    It will encourage an exploration of decision-making processes, considering, for example, socio-economic, ethical, legal and psychological factors that may inform professional judgement. Within this context, you will be encouraged to consider your role parameters and evaluate your effectiveness and decision-making abilities.

  • Fundamentals of Paramedic Patient Assessment and Management

    This module will introduce you to paramedics' professional practice-based learning environments, including clinical and operational environments relevant to developing fundamental professional practice abilities, capabilities, and competencies. You'll be equipped with fundamental theoretical knowledge and practical skills to deliver assisted-level care across the lifespan.

    Through a combination of theoretical sessions, simulation-based education, practical teaching, and supervised practice-based learning placements, you'll develop sound clinical decision-making skills to apply appropriate service user assessment and management strategies. The module will focus on delivering unscheduled urgent and emergency care across the lifespan, while addressing the complex issues involved in managing service users from vulnerable groups.

    All practice development will be evidenced in the Practice Assessment Document and benchmarked to relevant professional and regulatory standards.

  • Bioscience Fundamentals for Paramedics

    This science-focused module, tailored for paramedics, adopts a systems-based and regional approach to exploring anatomy and physiology.
     
    Emphasis is placed on understanding major bodily systems' structure, function, and interconnectivity, focusing on their relevance to clinical practice. Alongside anatomy and physiology, the module introduces some basic pathophysiology of key conditions paramedics encounter across the lifespan.
     
    Throughout the module, a lifespan perspective is integrated. Examples of pathologies deepen understanding of bodily systems and highlight the critical importance of this knowledge in paramedic care.
     
    This module lays the foundations for the subsequent bioscience modules on the course: Level 5 Pathophysiology for Paramedics and Level 6 Applied Pharmacology for Paramedic Practice.

  • Academic and Professional Study Skills

    This module introduces foundation study skills which you will be able to use in academic and professional contexts. It particularly focuses on developing critical thinking skills, which will underpin your educational development and achievements during the course and beyond in professional practice.

    The topics taught will develop your ability to participate in academic learning activities, such as writing and technology, while enhancing your autonomy as a learner through literature searching and selection skills.

Year 2

Compulsory modules

  • Mental Health & Wellbeing for Paramedic Practice

    This module explores mental health across the lifespan and its application to Paramedic practice. The module covers assessment and theoretical perspectives that underpin diagnosis within mental health care, with reference to psychosocial and biomedical theories.
     
    You will develop knowledge, understanding and application of core aspects of mental health care, including assessment, care planning and intervention for various disorders encountered in Paramedic practice.

  • Paramedic Science Research Proposal

    This module will enable you to acquire research-related theoretical knowledge, application, and practical skills of data collection and analysis.
     
    You will examine the evidence base of current paramedic science research methodology, methods and practice.
     
    You'll develop your knowledge of the research process, the associated research methods, recruitment, data collection, data analysis and the ethical considerations and risks associated with health and social care research.
     
    The focus will be on a broad spectrum of research philosophies, and it will prepare you for completing an evidence-based research project in your final year of the BSc (Hons) degree.

  • Developing Applied Paramedic Practice

    This module will develop your professional practice, building on the knowledge and skills acquired in Year 1. You'll develop and demonstrate minimally supervised care in various practice-based learning settings, including non-urgent, urgent, and emergency clinical settings, under professional supervision.

    Through taught sessions, simulation-based education, and supervised practice-based learning placements, you'll develop sound clinical decision-making skills to apply appropriate service user assessment and management strategies in paramedic practice context. The module focuses on resuscitation and emergency care across the lifespan while addressing complex issues involved in managing service users from vulnerable groups.

    All practice development will be evidenced in the Practice Assessment Document and benchmarked to relevant professional and regulatory standards.

  • Pathophysiology for Paramedics

    This double module will provide an in-depth understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning common acute and chronic illnesses encountered in paramedic practice. It will integrate theoretical knowledge with practical application, allowing you to relate this new learning to managing service users, with various diseases and disorders encountered during paramedic practice.
     
    This module builds on the knowledge acquired during your Level 4 studies in foundational bioscience principles for paramedic sciences. It introduces the underpinning pharmacological management of different disease states in preparation for the Level 6 module pharmacology and medicine management for paramedics.

  • Population Health for Paramedics

    This module will enable you to explore the challenges, interventions and potential solutions for enhancing health in local, national and international populations. It will also introduce the broader determinants of health, including environmental and sustainability influences.
     
    It examines the diverse stakeholders and interventions that improve health, well-being and quality of life across populations. It will also allow you to critically explore and appreciate strategies for managing diseases at a public health level, along with approaches to health protection and promotion incorporating ethical and cultural diversity within different populations.

Year 3

Compulsory modules

  • Independent Applied Paramedic Practice

    This module will develop your professional practice, building on knowledge and skills acquired previously. You will develop and demonstrate delivery of independent care in various practice-based learning settings, including non-urgent, urgent, and emergency clinical settings, under professional supervision. The module emphasises clinical decision-making, enabling you to apply assessment and management strategies in paramedic practice contexts.

    Through taught sessions, simulation-based education, and supervised practice-based learning placements, you'll develop your clinical decision-making to apply appropriate assessment and management strategies. The module focuses on developing leadership in providing urgent and emergency care across the lifespan while addressing the complex issues of managing service users from vulnerable groups.

    All practice development will be evidenced in the Practice Assessment Document and benchmarked to relevant professional and regulatory standards.

  • Applied Pharmacology for Paramedic Practice

    This module focuses on the knowledge, understanding and application of pharmacology and medicine administration from the paramedic perspective.
     
    Your learning will build on the knowledge, understanding and practice experience gained through the first year module, Bioscience Fundamentals for Paramedics, and the Year 2 module, Pathophysiology for Paramedics.

  • Paramedic Science Research Project

    This evidence-informed practice module allows you to investigate a subject of individual interest through a research or service improvement project.  Your project will follow an appropriate research methodology, address a research question and employ appropriate research methods to answer this.
     
    You'll demonstrate abilities to undertake a literature review, search and identify relevant research, analyse and critically evaluate evidence, and present findings in an appropriate format. Seminars will be used to develop these skills and specialised data collection, analysis and presentation. Submission formats may be a dissertation, empirical research, presentation of a poster or journal article in consultation with the module leader/research project supervisor.
     
    This is an honours-level double module, which is completed by the middle of the final semester. It will help you to bring together the academic skills you have gained through the courses's preceding theory and practice modules.

  • Preparation for Paramedic Professional Practice

    This single module will prepare you to transition from student paramedic to registered Paramedic with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). It will explore the various career opportunities available to registrants and outline the requirements for continuing professional development to maintain registration as a Paramedic.
     
    During the module, there will be an emphasis on consolidating reflective practice and continuing professional development as an independent skilled practitioner. There will also be a focus on evidence-based practice, allowing you to engage with experts in your field. These professionals will share insights about their roles and how they relate to the paramedic professional context.

  • Transition to Independent Paramedic Practice

    This module reflects upon and consolidates the values, skills, knowledge and attributes essential for preparing you for independent practice as a paramedic. It will emphasise theoretical understanding and practical experiences, contextualising theoretical knowledge with experiential practice and reflection.
     
    By examining conflict resolution in actual incidents, you will analyse how these situations might have been handled more effectively. Additionally, the module will explore developing technologies in emergency medical settings, including the development of manual handling aids for patient treatments and the advantages for clinicians.
     
    Furthermore, you'll investigate quality assurance processes established within healthcare to safeguard patients and clinicians. This will involve reviewing a patient's lifespan, changing values, and considering how treatment preferences and legal considerations change.

Work placements

Compulsory modules

  • Work placements

    Clinical placements are a core part of your programme, where you'll develop behaviours, competencies and skills required to practise as a modern paramedic. As a Student Paramedic, you'll experience between 15 and 19 weeks of practice-based learning each year.
     

    These clinical placements will allow you to integrate theory and clinical practice, supporting your practice development. You'll follow the programme's practice-based learning structure, developing and applying ‘Fundamentals’ in Year 1, ‘Developing Skills’ in Year 2, and ‘Enhanced’ in Year 3.
     

    You will experience placement, including with South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SCAS), to learn safe and effective practice with paramedics in this setting. You'll also gain experience in other healthcare, social care and community settings, supporting your professional development.
     

    More information about placement locations, allocation, quality assurance and reasonable adjustments can be found on the Practice Education site.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Careers

Your employability is a top priority for us. As you prepare to graduate, we’ll invite you to a careers fair where you’ll meet employers who will explain different career paths and spend time answering your questions. We’ll also provide support with writing applications and interviewing.

Paramedics work in a variety of healthcare settings with pathways such as: 
  • clinical practice
  • research
  • education  
  • management.
There are career opportunities at the specialist, advanced and consultant levels in paramedic practice. Opportunities are available in NHS Ambulance Trusts, where many of our graduates work but you might also find work in other NHS/alternative organisations.

Perhaps you’ll specialise in an area like critical care or forensic medicine. Maybe you’ll work with colleagues in general practice. There are even more niche opportunities like working on cruise ships or oil rigs, which appeal to graduates who want to have an international career.

Professional accreditation

Please note that the Health and Care Professional Council's approval is subject to review and can be withdrawn at any time.

Our Staff

Shelly Everett

Shelly Everett is a Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science and teaches on the Anatomy and Physiology, Pathophysiology, Developing Paramedic Patient assessment and Management modules.

Read more about Shelly
Left
Right

Shelly Everett

Shelly Everett is a Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science and teaches on the Anatomy and Physiology, Pathophysiology, Developing Paramedic Patient assessment and Management modules.

Read more about Shelly

Entry requirements

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 112

A Level: BBC

IB Points: 27

BTEC: DMM

Contextual offer

What is a contextual offer?

UCAS Tariff Points: 88

A Level: CCD

IB Points: 24

BTEC: MMM

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process


Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCAS


International applicants
Apply direct to the University

Full time international applicants can also apply through UCAS

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,535
International full time
£17,750
Home (UK) full time
£9,790
International full time
£18,250

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2025 / 26
Home (UK) full time
£9,535
International full time
£17,750
2026 / 27
Home (UK) full time
£9,790
International full time
£18,250

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

For further information please see our tuition fees FAQs.

Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Financial support and scholarships

All eligible Paramedic Science students on courses from September 2020 (new and continuing) will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. For more information please visit NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF).

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

 

You will be required to undertake clinical placements spent in a variety of settings across the Thames Valley region. You will need a car to travel to these settings and transport allowances will not be provided.

You will need to purchase a stethoscope suitable for practice and clinical assessment and examination of patients. You will also need a copy of the National Clinical Guidelines and associated pocket book. Further information on additional costs for healthcare courses can be found here.

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.