How you'll study as an undergraduate

Your learning experience

You will learn in lectures, small group seminars, laboratory practical lessons and placements – a mix of teaching methods to provide an engaging experience.

Learn how to design and execute experiments, work independently as well as in teams, use mathematical and programming skills to build innovative devices to improve healthcare and enhance people’s lives.

Hands-on experience

You’ll gain practical experience in a wide range of techniques such as designing electrical circuit, soldering, programming and signal processing in Matlab.

Learn from experts

You will learn from leading experts in the field, who are currently expanding the field of biomedical engineering. What you learn will be informed by the latest discoveries.

Placements

Placements give you the opportunity to work in the biomedical field with supervision from experts from industry or the University, learn new skills and increase your visibility to employers.

Our School has excellent relationships with employers in the field. Students in previous years have undertaken placements with GlaxoSmithKline, Microsoft, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Virgin Media, Royal Berkshire Hospital, and other major organisations.

Year-long placements

In our BEng Biomedical Engineering course, you have the option to undertake a year-long placement between your penultimate and final year of study.

Placement module

If you don't wish to undertake a one-year placement, you can take a 10-credit placement module. This second-year module allows you to work with our industrial partners over a shorter time period, usually over the summer.

Research placements

You may wish to undertake a summer research placement as part of our Reading Internship Scheme. You will have the opportunity to conduct research under the supervision of internationally renowned leaders.

Our past undergraduate placement students have presented their research at the Houses of Parliament and published and presented their work at international conferences. Some have also gone on to complete PhDs, embark on successful research careers, or form their own start-up companies.

Placement support

We have a dedicated staff member in charge of placements. They support you to find excellent opportunities to break into a biomedical engineering career while accessing the knowledge and facilities of the academic world.

The University is keen that everyone's placement should be as useful as possible. Learn more about institution-wide support for placements.