Medicine and healthcare
Paramedic science
BSc approved by the Health and Care Professions Council
Overview
Paramedic science trains you to assess and treat people in emergencies and to decide whether they need hospital care. You study anatomy, trauma, medical emergencies and the law around consent, and you ride out with ambulance services on placement. It is a registered profession. A general health degree is not the same approval. The work is physical, time-pressured and often happens outside a hospital. Students who enjoy it can think clearly when a scene is chaotic and are willing to work nights and weekends.
You want to register as a paramedic and work in emergency care.
Medicine, nursing and first-aid courses do not replace an approved paramedic degree.
People who stay practical under pressure and like working outside a single building.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Year 1
- Emergency care foundations
- Bioscience
- Ambulance placement
Later years
- Complex emergencies
- Clinical decision-making
- Professional practice
Skills
Useful before you start
- Calm decision-making
- Fitness for the role
- Science
- Driving confidence later in training
Developed during the degree
- Emergency assessment
- Scene management
- Clear handover
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Lectures, Simulation, Ambulance placements.
Assessment often includes Exams, Practical scenarios, Placement portfolios.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate. Shift placements are part of the course.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | BBC–BBB. A science is often useful. No single A-level is universal. |
| IB Diploma | No UCL figure is stored for BBC or BBB. The stored UCL table runs from ABB to A*A*A. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | No Manchester social-sciences AP example is stored for BBC or BBB. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
A science is often useful. No single A-level is universal.
Often recommended: Biology.
Useful preparation: Chemistry, Physical Education.
GCSE and IGCSE
Many healthcare courses expect English language and mathematics, and often sciences, at GCSE or IGCSE. Grade thresholds differ. No single grade is stored as a national rule. International GCSEs are not automatically treated as GCSEs by every university.
Indicative only. The degree must be HCPC-approved. Fitness and disclosure checks apply.
Other ways in
- A degree apprenticeship is an employment route, not a second version of the same timetable.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
No individual UK course page is stored yet for this subject. Use the university site.
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Paramedic
Direct qualifying route
Registration requires an HCPC-approved qualification.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.