Diploma in Biomedical Sciences (R14)

What is Biomedical Science?

Biomedical Sciences cover a wide range of subjects from molecules to microbes to medicine, from body systems to diagnostic sciences, and from human genome to health issues. The mastery of the Biomedical Sciences is associated with a passion for science and the desire to contribute towards understanding fundamental processes of health and disease through a relentless process of questioning. Students will be equipped with a firm grounding in the concepts and fundamentals of the biomedical sciences; an appreciation of the biomedical industry, its best practices and societal considerations.

What’s so special about Republic Polytechnic’s Diploma in Biomedical Sciences (DBMS) programme?

In this programme, students will be given a broad-based biomedical science education with options for specialisation in biomedical sciences or medical laboratory diagnostics. The programme prepares students to play a part in combating diseases by building the foundation for a career in medical research or in medical diagnostic laboratories.

Students would be offered opportunities for industrial attachments/projects during their course of study. These opportunities prepare students for real-life employment situations that would equip them with professional, interpersonal and collaborative skills.

A popular pathway for further education undertaken by students is the International Programme in Biomedical Sciences (IPBMS). The International Programme is the result of a collaborative effort between Republic Polytechnic and the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia. It offers polytechnic students in the field of biomedical sciences additional pathways to gain a degree in Biomedical Science.

Students who qualify can enrol in the IPBMS programme. The IPBMS programme will allow students to gain entry into the final year of a Degree in Biomedical Sciences at Monash University.

A highlight of this programme is that it opens pathways to a wide variety of careers and higher education options after graduation, including entry into nursing, life sciences, and other related degree programmes.

What are the specialisation options available for this diploma programme?

There are 2 specialisation options for DBMS, namely (1) Biomedical Sciences and (2) Medical Laboratory Technology.

Biomedical Sciences

This involves the multi-disciplinary study of health and diseases. You will learn about the biological and molecular sciences underpinning modern medicine. The approach allows you to develop an understanding of normal life processes and the nature of changes occurring in diseases.

To master the Biomedical Sciences, several attributes are key-among them is a passion for science, the desire to improve human lives and a relentless drive to persevere against uncertainty and the unknown.

This specialisation provides you with the flexibility of pursuing areas of study that pique your interest while providing a solid foundation for further studies.

Besides reading for Monash University’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences, you can seek further education in life sciences and other disciplines locally as well as at other overseas universities.

Medical Laboratory Technology

Powerful technologies are available to diagnose disease states. These are organised in specialised laboratories that support healthcare as well as clinical research. This specialisation option prepares you for a career as a medical technologist in these laboratories.

Possessing an enviable medical infrastructure and being a centre of excellence for medicine in Southeast Asia, Singapore conducts a sustainable volume of medical laboratory tests. Hence, the growing need for well-trained and competent medical technologists.

This specialisation option provides you with the opportunity to combine the study of biology and chemistry with the exploration of state-of-the-art diagnostic technology. You will find it rewarding to apply your understanding of science to solve real-life health problems in a medical laboratory setting.

What is the difference between Biomedical Science and Biotechnology?

Students enrolled in the Diploma in Biomedical Sciences (DBMS) course and the Diploma in Biotechnology (DBIO) course share several common modules like chemistry, molecular cell biology, microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, etc. The DBMS course focuses specifically for a career in medical diagnostics or in biomedical research areas. DBIO course focus industrial applications of biology, such as biologics, food production or plant tissue culture.

How does this course at Republic Polytechnic compare to those found in other polytechnics?

The course structure of our programme is very similar to the diploma programmes offered by other polytechnics. The main difference is that our programme will be delivered using the Problem-based Learning (PBL) approach, and is managed and developed by a team of medical doctors, technologists and researchers. The diploma programme offers a wider range of specialisation options compared to other polytechnics.

Who will be teaching this programme?

Our staff comprises people from the academia and industry with international experience and perspectives. Some of us have participated very actively in the development of biomedical science in Singapore and are still involved in its growth.

Career Prospects

DBMS graduates can work in hospitals and laboratories as junior medical or laboratory technologists in research, diagnostics and therapeutics, and as biomedical sales and marketing executives. They can also work as laboratory technicians in biomedical and pharmaceutical research laboratories.

Further Studies

As the programme equips graduates with a broad biomedical science foundation, graduates can pursue further studies at universities, both here and abroad, in biomedical sciences and many other disciplines. Locally, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological Institute (NTU) offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes which focus on biomedical sciences. You may pursue further education in these local universities after the diploma programme, if you meet the entry criteria for university admission. There are also many overseas universities that offer degree programmes in biomedical sciences.

There are many universities that offer degree programmes in biomedical sciences.  You may be granted up to two years of exemption from related three- or four-year degree courses at well-known overseas universities such as University of Melbourne, University of Queensland, Monash University, University of Abertay Dundee, Newcastle University (UK), Fairleigh Dickinson University (USA).