The programs within the Department of Biomedical Sciences provide students with knowledge and skills of the rapidly expanding fields of basic science, medicine and research. The integration of courses from these areas with a broad range of courses taken from other disciplines—such as the arts and sciences and business—provides the student with the maximum educational background and the critical thinking skills required to succeed in the increasingly demanding field of biomedical sciences.

The department offers four programs leading to the bachelor of science degree: Biomedical Sciences, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, a Dual-Degree Bachelor/Master of Health Science in Biomedical Sciences, plus a Dual-Degree BS/MHS Biomedical Sciences to Pathologists’ Assistant. Due to the expansion of medical information and techniques, the department also offers several graduate degree programs including Cardiovascular Perfusion, Pathologists’ Assistant and Biomedical Sciences (with concentrations in Medical Sciences and Microbiology). The focus of each of these programs is to educate students for the critical thinking necessary to function successfully within their chosen profession.

The Department of Biomedical Sciences integrates and coordinates the activities of related biomedical sciences programs that may be conveniently grouped under the generic title “biomedical sciences.” The inclusion of these programs, which have many elements in common, under the direction of a single administrative unit encourages the mixing of ideas and disciplines. It allows both the lateral and the upward mobility of students enrolled in closely related curricula and permits the faculty to cut across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The rapid expansion of basic medical information, methodology and technology in recent years has increased the demand for specially trained personnel to perform in the clinical and research laboratories of hospitals, medical schools and government health facilities, and in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The healthcare system has a need for development of interdisciplinary skills to keep pace with sophisticated scientific developments and their applications in the biomedical sciences.

Students in biomedical science programs can enroll in independent study courses in biomedical science, microbiology and health sciences that enable them to collaborate with faculty in research laboratories. By definition, an independent study includes course content not offered by another Quinnipiac Catalog course. However, it must involve contact hours and scholarly activities equivalent to any regularly offered course. These courses often include review of the scientific literature in the field of the research project and creation of a “product,” such as a term essay, a series of short papers, laboratory or project reports, a portfolio or presentation at a scientific meeting. Students are limited to no more than 8 credits of Biomedical Science (BMS) independent studies.

Students should refer to Pre-Medical Studies for information about the Pre-Medical Studies Program.