A nurse tutors two interns working in a hospital

Placements and Internships

Opportunities in Bioscience

A high quality placement brings with it a wide range of benefits and positive impacts. It provides you with the opportunity to gain experience and specific skills in your sector of choice as well as allowing you to experience the quality of work that will be required in graduate employment. You also gain a better understanding of the sector enabling you to make a more informed choice when looking for your graduate job.

The placement year is an excellent opportunity to get 'a foot in the door' with a desired company. In 2015 over 40% of all graduate jobs went to a candidate who had previous work experience with that company and the placement year is the best way to gain this experience. Lancaster students often return from their placement having been offered a graduate job for when they complete their degree.

The accreditation logo for the IBMS, which certifies a course meets their standards

BSc Biomedical Science (B990) - NHS placement for IBMS certificate of competence

Students on the IBMS-accredited Biomedical Science (B990) degree are eligible to apply for highly competitive placements within the NHS. If you wish to pursue a career as a Biomedical Scientist in the NHS, this is the best route for you to achieve your goal. If successful, you will begin your placement following completion of your second year of studies, finishing at the end of August the following year. You will complete a portfolio during your year which is examined by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS).

On satisfactory completion, you will be awarded a certificate of competence by the IBMS allowing you, following graduation, to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), a requirement for employment in the NHS as a Biomedical Scientist.

Learn about our accredited course

Rebecca Shepard: Biomedical Science (Placement Year) BSc Hons

"Not only is the Biomedical Science course accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science, but I had the opportunity to spend a year on placement in an NHS hospital laboratory, gaining professional qualifications alongside my degree. I graduated in 2014, with first class honours and as the recipient of the Institute of Biomedical Science President’s Prize."

Internship opportunities

Tab Content: MAC clinical research

In 2016 four students gained paid internships, each lasting for a year.

In both 2018 and 2019 three students each undertook a ten-week long internships at MAC Clinical during the summer vacation period

Tab Content: Ghana Summer School

Following a successful pilot in 2016 the 'Ghana Global Health' module was introduced for the 2016-17 academic year. There are eight places available on this module, and students apply duing Lent term of year 2. Internships are integrated into the course; in 2016 this included a project at Vetrgaard Fransen, a mosquito insecticide testing facility for the world's largest mosquito bed-net manufacturer.

Tab Content: Lancaster internships

Since 2016 we have been able to place Biomedical and Life Sciences undergraduates in paid summer internships at Lancaster University. Research topics have included: Alzheimer's disease, biochemistry, cancer biology, DNA replication, immunology, microbiology and tropical infectious diseases. Here's what our students had to say:

  • 'Confirmed that I would like to pursue a career in research'
  • 'I have matured personally'
  • 'I was allowed to try (and fail) with new techniques...this helped me to learn better and they are skills I am far more confident with now'
  • 'I didn't want to leave!'


Furthermore, two students gained internships in digital roles. One developed a new divisional student blog site with a focus on enhancing students’ employability, whilst the second helped develop an electronic attendance monitoring system.

Tab Content: North-west cancer research

North West Cancer Research provided funding for three undergraduate internships between their second and third years. These eight-week projects give the students the opportunity to get involved with cutting edge research at Lancaster, working on projects aimed at understanding the molecular changes that underpin cancer as well as new approaches for treating the disease.

Tab Content: Other internship opportunities

We regularly receive information about internships and other schemes available to students both in the UK and abroad. Placements can vary in duration from a few weeks to a year. Whilst these are competitive, BLS and the University Careers Service will support your application.

Furthermore, if you are able to arrange your own internship, we can help you implement it.