Paramedic Science BSc (Hons)

UCAS code B780

Location

Centre for Health Innovation Stafford

Gain the vital skills to become a paramedic and help save lives every day.

You’ll spend up to a third of your time on placements and dealing with real-life emergencies. It will involve doing shifts alongside experienced paramedics from West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Some students also complete elective placements as far afield as South Africa and Gibraltar, or work with search and rescue, air ambulance and hazardous response teams.

You’ll learn how to diagnose and assess patients, administer medication, manage airways, give life support, deal with injuries and more complex cases.

On campus, you’ll follow a patient’s journey using our simulation facilities. You could be treating manikin patients at home, inside our training ambulance or in our giant immersive space that doubles up as a variety of emergency scenes. We’ve even got a simulated A&E.

As the degree is validated by the Health and Care Professions Council, you’ll be able to apply to become a registered paramedic upon graduation.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science

Work placements

As training to be a paramedic also demands real-world experience, you will undertake an assessed practice learning placement in each year of study.

For real-world training, placement hours comply with guidance from the College of Paramedics and include working a full range of shifts alongside a dedicated paramedic from the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Course content

First year:

You will learn basic clinical skills, including how to check blood pressure, temperature and ECG measurements, manage wounds and administer medication. We will also introduce you to human biology and the body at a cellular level. You’ll look at supporting vulnerable patients, such as those with mental health issues and learning or physical disabilities.

Once you have studied the theory, you will put it into action in our clinical skills labs and through simulated scenarios. You will also apply your skills on an ambulance service placement, where you’ll assess patients, do simple diagnoses and simple drug administration.

Second year:

You will have an introduction to evidence-based care and research methods. We will also delve into pathophysiology and pharmacology, so you get to know more about the body and how to use a full range of drugs.

You’ll take part in a mass casualty simulation, where you will go out with ambulance crews and triage and treat patients. It will give you a valuable insight into how to work as a team during a real large-scale emergency.

On ambulance practice, you will cover life support skills, more complex diagnostics, and management of patients who may require intravenous interventions.

Third year:

You will look at managing patients with complex care needs, such as long-term conditions. As well as the primary complaint, it may involve other illnesses. We cover patient safety and how human behaviour, pressure and ambulance systems can all be contributory factors.

You will do an in-depth research project into healthcare practice. It could be anything from a questionnaire on student mental health through to a review of existing research. We will also look at career development for paramedics.

On placement, you’ll be able to deal with chronic illness and complex care, and also get involved in major incident management.

Academic year

The course operates on a modular basis. Each credit taken equates to a total study time of around 10 hours. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study and assessment activity.

All students take a total of 120 credits per level and 360 credits for the degree as a whole. Your overall grade for the course and your degree classification are based on the marks obtained for modules taken at levels 5 and 6.

Professional body accreditation

Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for the purpose of providing eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC as a paramedic.

Health & Care Professions Council

Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for the purpose of providing eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC as a paramedic.

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module where available.

Entry requirements

Typical UCAS offer: 112-120 points, plus GCSE in Mathematics and English at Grade C (4) or above.

  • GCE A Levels - grades BBC or equivalent
  • Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM
  • Access to HE Diploma - Pass Access with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points. Applicants to Staffs who are taking the Access to HE Diploma receive a reduced tariff point offer as part of our access and participation plan activity
  • UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall
  • OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM
  • T Levels - Eligible T Level applications will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of P (A*-C) or Higher Pass as a condition of offer

All applicants must be 18 years or over upon commencement of the programme.

All applicants who are shortlisted for the BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science will be invited to attend a Selection Day at the Centre of Excellence. Whilst part of this day will be a short face-to-face interview, it also gives applicants the opportunity to see and experience our brilliant facilities, meet our Academics and to get to speak with others who have applied to the programme.

All applications must be able to communicate in English to the standard equivalent to Level 7 IELTS with no elements below 6.5.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country.

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Facilities

Paramedic Training Ambulance

Paramedic students and other student clinicians who may have pre-hospital involvement, can hone their skills in our very own fully kitted training ambulance, allowing our students to practice realistic scenarios and to prepare for their placements.

View virtual tour

Immersive Suites

Our immersive suites can simulate almost any environment from hospital to office and house to roadside. The suite allows 360 projection with realistic sounds from that environment.

Watch video View virtual tour

Lifelike Living Space (Stafford)

The lifelike living space lets you practice your skills in a variety of non-clinical settings, including our configurable house environment.

Watch video View virtual tour

Clinical Training Facilities

Our labs provide the environment for you to learn fundamental skills associated with emergency pre-hospital care. Read more

This includes: advanced patient assessment techniques, airway management, obtaining intramuscular, intravenous and intraosseous access, advanced life-support skills.

Careers

Graduates can apply for employment within any NHS or private pre-hospital organisation. Typically, graduates will gain employment with NHS Ambulance Trusts and with a range of private providers.

All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team

All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, and laboratory practicals. Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups of around 16-18 students. You will be taught in first-class learning spaces throughout your course.

Assessment

Your course will provide you with opportunities to test your understanding of your subject informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. Each module normally includes practice or ‘formative’ assessments, for which you receive feedback from your tutor. Practice assessments are developmental and any grades you receive for them do not count towards your module mark. There is a formal or ‘summative’ assessment at the end of each module. This includes a range of coursework assessments, such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations, final year, independent project, and written examinations. The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark.

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include:

  • study skills such as reading, note-taking and presentation skills
  • written English, including punctuation and grammatical accuracy
  • academic writing and how to reference
  • research skills
  • critical thinking and understanding arguments
  • revision, assessment and examination skills
  • time management

Additional support

Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Feedback

You will normally receive feedback on coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission. Examination feedback may take a variety of formats. However, as a minimum, generic feedback will be made available to all students who take written examinations.

Your overall workload will consist of class contact hours, independent learning, assessment activity and study visits where appropriate. Your actual contact hours will depend on the subject area and professional body requirements.

However, you can normally expect that time spent in scheduled teaching and learning activity will be highest in Level 4, decreasing in Levels 5 and 6 as independent learning becomes more significant.

Year 1

22% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
42% of time in independent study
36% of time in work based learning

Year 2

20% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
39% of time in independent study
41% of time in work based learning

Year 3

17% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
48% of time in independent study
35% of time in work based learning

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars, laboratory or other timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve utilising a range of digital resources including our virtual learning environment; reading journals, articles and books; working on individual and group projects; undertaking research in the library; preparing coursework assignments and presentations and preparing for examinations. Your independent learning will be supported by a range of excellent facilities. These include the library, open access computer facilities, informal learning zones, a range of laboratories and performance and studio spaces.

Year 1

50% practical assessments
38% coursework
13% written exams

Year 2

38% practical assessments
25% coursework
38% written exams

Year 3

50% practical assessments
50% coursework
0% written exams

Staff

You will be taught by an expert teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics and professional practitioners with industry experience. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teaching training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader.

Your tutors are experienced practitioners who will bring real-life experiences to your learning using the most up-to-date skills and technologies

Gavin Johnson

Course Director

Course Director and HCPC registered Paramedic. Areas of interest include Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors within the pre-hospital emergency environment.

Gavin's profile

Sarah Postles

Course Director

I am a Lecturer in Paramedic Science with an interest in Advanced Practice and the evolving role of the Paramedic in the wider health service.

Sarah's profile

Nigel Williams

Senior Lecturer

Nigel has performed a variety of roles in his long career in the NHS and private sector healthcare. Since qualifying as a Nurse over 20yrs ago he has gained expertise in patient quality and safety, Clinical audit, and pre-hospital care.

Nigel's profile

Benjamin Hallam

Senior Lecturer

Following a traumatic accident and a deeply unsatisfactory experience with pre-hospital clinicians, I was inspired to pursue a career as a paramedic.

Benjamin's profile

Rebecca Colthup

Lecturer

I joined the university in December 2021 as a full-time lecturer on the Paramedic Science team. I have 15 years’ experience working for the NHS for both the West Midlands and East of England Ambulance Trusts.

Rebecca's profile

Rebecca Jenkins

Lecturer

I am a Lecturer in Paramedic Science and a Level 4 Practice Placement Lead. An HCPC-registered paramedic, I specialise in clinical skills, evidence-based practice, and student support in practice-based learning.

Rebecca's profile

Laura Birkett

Lecturer In Paramedic Science

Laura is a practising paramedic and new to Higher Education. She is passionate about people and provided good quality care and educating others around the subject of pre-hospital emergency medicine.

Laura's profile

Tina Spittle

Senior Lecturer

Tina is the paramedic placement lead for the UG degree. Tina is a operational paramedic and is passionate about providing students with the best placement experience consolidating theoretical knowledge with clinical skills to provide holistic care.

Tina's profile

John Durham

Lecturer

John is a registered Paramedic as well as a lecturer and active researcher. His main area of interest is continuing professional development and inclusivity with a focus on ADHD.

John's profile

Rachael Grant-Smith

Lecturer

Rachael is a HCPC registered Paramedic and is a Paramedic Lecturer.

Rachael's profile

Aron Cook

Lecturer

I am a Paramedic Science lecturer with a keen focus on Clinical Skills, Resuscitation and Trauma.

Aron's profile

Amy Halck

Senior Lecturer

I am the Course Lead for Paramedic Science who trained and worked in South Africa for over 10 years before moving to the UK in 2021.

Amy's profile

Sarah Bateman

Lecturer

Colin Bishop

Lecturer

Fees

For the course starting on 22 September 2025 the tuition fees are:

Study option UK / Channel Islands International
Full-time £9,535 per year of study £19,000 per year of study

UK and Channel Island students: This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX**. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any change as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

**RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

Included in the fees:

The school provide Occupational Health screening, DBS and a full uniform to all students. 
Not included in the fees:

There may be costs to the student associated with travelling to practice learning placements and occasional visits for training at other university campuses and external facilities such as ‘Safeside at Eastside’.

Some students may choose to take an elective placement outside of our standard Practice Learning Placement circuit. Where this is the case, the costs associated with travel, accommodation, insurance etc will be the responsibility of individual students.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS ONLY

International Students, like all others, should be aware of the additional costs they will incur of travelling to their Practice Learning Placements (which constitutes fifty per cent of the course over three years). This is in addition to the costs associated with studying away from home such as accommodation.
Accommodation and living costs

Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Sources of financial support

If you receive funding from Student Finance you may be eligible to apply for additional benefits. Details can be obtained by reading our additional funding web pages, or visiting www.gov.uk.

Scholarships and additional funding

As an undergraduate student at Staffordshire, you may be eligible for additional financial support through one of our scholarships and bursaries. You can visit our funding page to find out more and check your eligibility.

Our students

What we can simulate is coming into the ambulance, bringing a patient to a ward-based environment. We can also do simulations with the nursing students and midwifery, so we can do a handover to them in an A&E environment. We can do outdoor simulations as well to get used to environments and put on the pressure and get us thinking in those more kind of difficult environments.

Bridie Benson

Student

When you see something you've done, it’s like ‘Wow, I've made a difference’. You can tell you've made a difference, and you can see someone improve and it really, really make you feel good.

Thomas Rafter

Paramedic Science Student

Apply

Location Award Study option Start date
Centre for Health Innovation Stafford BSc (Hons) Full-time 22 September 2025 Apply now

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at University of Staffordshire, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of University of Staffordshire enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.

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