Medical Physiology

Course detail Description

The Medical Physiology BSc course will give you a sound introduction to the mechanisms that underlie the function of the body in health and disease, at the cellular, tissue, organ and whole human levels.

This course forms part of the suite of ‘Common Year 1’ courses within the School of Bioscience Education. These comprise Anatomy, Developmental & Human Biology; Biochemistry; Biomedical Science; Medical Physiology; Molecular Genetics; Neuroscience; Pharmacology; Pharmacology & Molecular Genetics. Once you have successfully completed year 1, you can choose to switch to any other course within this suite.

Your second year allows greater flexibility, but retains a core of Physiology modules that cover endocrinology and physiological control systems, and with at least one module chosen from options in neuroscience, cell biology and a physiology library project.

Your final year modules reflect the research interests of the academic staff. In particular you will benefit from the wide range of expertise at King's in neuroscience, developmental biology, physiology of extreme environments, cardiovascular and muscle physiology, endocrinology and reproduction.

Alternatively, after the ‘Common Year 1’ course, you can apply to transfer to one of our four-year MSci courses: Biochemistry MSci; Molecular Genetics MSci; Neuroscience MSci; In year three you can apply to transfer to the four-year Integrated Pharmacology & Physiology for Research MSci.

Teaching

Teaching on this course takes place in lectures, seminars and tutorials and through practical laboratory work. The rest of your time will be spent on self-study, including reading, research and writing assignments.

Course stage

Percentage of time in scheduled learning & teaching activities

Percentage of time in guided independent study

Percentage of time on placements

Year 1

25%

75%

-

Year 2

21%

79%

-

Year 3

30%

70%

-

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a combination of coursework, examinations and practical observation.

Course stage

Percentage of assessment by written exams

Percentage of assessment by practical exams

Percentage of assessment by coursework

Year 1

78%

5%

17%

Year 2

66%

6%

28%

Year 3

58%

13%

34%

Studying abroad

You also have the opportunity to study abroad for your full second year. Partner universities currently include:

• The Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden

• University of Skövde, Sweden

• The University of Melbourne, Australia

• National University of Singapore

• The University of California

• The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Integrated Pharmacology & Physiology for Research MSci

During Year 3 you can apply to transfer to the four-year MSci Integrated Pharmacology & Physiology for Research, on which you will be required to take a 90-credit research project, usually at an external industrial provider within the UK, during your fourth year. A contribution by the university is given to cover additional living costs during the project up to a maximum of £2,000.

Regulating body

King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students.

Location

This course is primarily taught at our Guy’s and Waterloo Campuses, both on the South Bank of the Thames, putting you at the heart of everything London has to offer in terms of academic resources and also close to its social and entertainment attractions.

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Structure

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3

Year 1

Courses are divided into modules. You will take modules totalling 360 credits.

This is a three-year course based on a combination of required and optional modules. There are options to switch to any other course in the Bioscience suite or to a four-year MSci after Year 1. You can also choose to study abroad during Year 2.

You are required to take:

• Biochemistry (15 credits)

• Chemistry for the Biosciences (15 credits)

• Genetics and Molecular Biology (15 credits)

• Cell Biology & Neuroscience (15 credits)

• Fundamentals of Physiology & Anatomy (30 credits)

• Fundamentals of Pharmacology (15 credits)

• Skills for the Biosciences (15 credits)

There are no optional modules for this course in Year 1.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Year 2 You will also have the opportunity to study abroad for your second year at one of our partner universities. See the course description for more information. Required Modules

You are required to take:

• Endocrinology & Reproduction (15 credits)

• Physiological Control Exercise & Environment (15 credits)

In addition, you will take at least one of the following modules (all four may be taken):

• Cell Biology A (15 credits)

• Report on a Physiological Topic (15 credits)

• Neuroscience (30 credits)

• Physiology & Pharmacology of the Central Nervous System (15 credits)

Take sufficient credits to bring your total for the year to 120 from a range of optional modules which may typically include:

• The modules listed above

• Animal Models of Disease & Injury (15 credits)

• Bioinformatics (15 credits)

• Comparative Physiology (15 credits)

• Drug Discovery & Development (15 credits)

• Emergence of Vertebrate Form & Function (15 credits)

• Essentials of Embryology (15 credits)

• Gene Cloning & Expression (15 credits)

• Human & Molecular Genetics (15 credits)

• Immune System in Medical Microbiology (15 credits)

• Introduction to Stem Cells (15 credits)

• Protein Structure & Function (15 credits)

• Psychology (15 credits)

• Social Impact of the Biosciences (15 credits)

• Tissue Pathology (15 credits)

• A modern language (15 credits)

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Year 3 During Year 3 you can apply to transfer to the four-year MSci Integrated Pharmacology & Physiology for Research, on which you will be required to take a 90-credit research project, usually at an external industrial provider within the UK, during your fourth year. A contribution by the university is given to cover additional living costs during the project up to a maximum of £2,000. Required Modules

You are required to take at least 75 credits of physiology related modules, including one of the following project modules:

• Physiology Laboratory Project: based in a research laboratory – please note that allocation to a laboratory project will depend on academic performance in year 2. (45 credits)

• Physiology Library Project: a supervised study in a physiological topic of your choice. (15 credits)

• Project Design in Physiology: designing a research project, writing a research grant application. (30 credits)

• Social Impact of the Biosciences – please note that this module is only available to students who take Social Impact of the Biosciences in year 2. (15 credits)

Take sufficient credits to bring your total for the year to 120, from a range of optional modules which may typically include:

• Cardiovascular & Respiratory Control (30 credits)

• Cell Physiology (15 credits)

• Endocrinology of Diabetes (15 credits)

• Experimental Physiology (15 credits)

• Extreme Physiology (30 credits)

• Muscle (15 credits)

• Neuroendocrinology (15 credits)

• Biology of Lung Disease (15 credits)

• Reproductive Physiology (15 credits)

• Topics in Regenerative Medicine (15 credits)

• Vascular Physiology (30 credits)

• Advanced Biophysical Techniques (15 credits)

• Molecular Genetics of Model Organisms (15 credits)

• Biomedical Diagnostics (15 credits)

• Cellular & Systems Neuroscience (30 credits)

• Molecular Basis of Human Disease (15 credits)

• Molecular Immunology (15 credits)

• Forensic Genetics & Toxicology (15 credits)

• Cardiovascular Pharmacology (15 credits)

• Cell & Molecular Pharmacology (30 credits)

• Pharmacology of Inflammation (15 credits)

• Cellular Basis of Drug Dependence (30 credits)

• Pharmacology of Neurological & Psychiatric Disorders (15 credits)

• Biology of Cancer (30 credits)

• Developmental Neurobiology (30 credits)

• Cellular Basis of Disease (15 credits)

• Mechanisms of Development (30 credits)

• Behavioural Science (15 credits)

Please note that some modules with a high practical component are capped, which means that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who select that particular module.

During Year 3 you can apply to transfer to the four-year MSci Integrated Pharmacology & Physiology for Research, on which you will be required to take a 90-credit research project, usually at an external industrial provider within the UK, during your fourth year. A contribution by the university is given to cover additional living costs during the project up to a maximum of £2,000.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.