Cardiovascular Medicine

The BSc Cardiovascular Medicine programme focuses on the application of scientific methods to clinical problems and on understanding the physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology of cardiovascular disease. The course provides the opportunity for students interested in cardiology, vascular surgery, anaesthetics and related subject areas to build upon their existing knowledge of cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology. The course comprises a well balanced taught component covering a range of topics related to cardiovascular physiology/pathophysiology and research methodology and an extensive individual research project.

For the most up to date information please read about BSc Cardiovascular Medicine on the School website.

Research project

You will undertake a research project of six months' duration, which in most cases will be laboratory-based, addressing a research topic in cardiovascular medicine. Some examples of previous intercalated cardiovascular research projects are:

• Cardiovascular Disease in Type 2 Diabetes: The role of reactive oxygen species in the development and progression vascular complications
• Role of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in the assessment of patients with aortic and mitral valve disease
• Regulation of blood clot formation and lysis by the LOX-1 scavenger receptor: an alternative therapeutic target?Investigating variation in hospital acute coronary syndrome outcomes: A linked national cohort study
• Role of Fibrinolysis Inhibitor in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Students who are accepted to intercalate in Cardiovascular Medicine are invited to express a preference for three projects and allocation to projects takes place with reference to student preference. We aim to let students know their project allocation by the end of July.

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Modules Year 3

Compulsory modules

• Cardiovascular Pumps, Pipes and Electrics 10 credits
• Paper Commentary 10 credits
• Integrated Cardiovascular Physiology 10 credits
• The Cardiovascular Patient 10 credits
• Research Project in Cardiovascular Medicine 60 credits
• Cardiovascular Molecular Pharmacology 10 credits
• Research Methods for Clinical Sciences 10 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Cardiovascular Medicine BSc in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

The programme is structured on the University's modular scheme and students complete 120 credits. The programme comprises 6 x 10 credit taught modules and a 1 x 60 credit research project module. Each module is assessed separately. At the end of the year the examiners view the grades obtained by you for each module and recommend the award of the classified degree of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the programme students should have provided evidence of being able to:

• demonstrate in depth knowledge and understanding of the integrated processes underlying the development and management of cardiovascular diseases and apply knowledge of cardiovascular physiology, pharmacology and current evidence-based clinical guidelines in the context of theoretical case-based problems.
• make appropriate use of and appreciate the uncertainty, ambiguity and limitations of knowledge.
• analyse the contents of original articles and critically evaluate the articles with respect to study design, analytical methods and presentation and interpretation of research findings.
• demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and synthesise information from scholarly publications to develop and sustain an argument related to particular aspects of recent cardiovascular research.
• apply knowledge and understanding of cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology to initiate and carry out an extended research project and accurately deploy appropriate standard statistical methods to analyse and critically evaluate data.
• demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
• conform to professional boundaries and norms where applicable and demonstrate professional competencies, some of which will be informed by recent research/scholarship.

The emphasis of the course work and examinations is on development and demonstration of a critical approach rather than on the acquisition and conveying of information.

Assessment

The programme is assessed by a combination of written coursework (including literature reviews, project report, abstract, practical reports), computer-based exercises, multiple choice questions (MCQ), poster presentations and unseen examinations. The majority of end of term examinations will essay-based and not MCQ.

The research project is assessed by a combination of literature review, project report and oral presentation.

Assessments include assessment for learning (formative assessment; pass/fail but do not contribute to final degree classification) and assessment for progression (summative assessment; graded and count towards the final degree classification).