- guardian.co.uk, Thursday 1 May 2008 01.09 BST
Students with a model body. Photograph: Don McPhee
What will I learn?
Anatomy and physiology should certainly not be seen as the poor relation to a degree in medicine, taken by people who couldn't pass their BMat test.
In fact, anatomy and physiology degrees are really for those who are fascinated by the science of medicine, but don't fancy becoming doctors.
In study terms this means you'll learn about the structure of the body and how it functions. You'll gain an understanding of the causes, diagnosis and treatment of disease and how they affect different parts of the body. You could learn, for example, how cells develop, how limbs form in the right places, and even how muscle groups are used in different sports. You may also touch on hot topics like cell cloning, bioinformatics, genetic engineering and perhaps even the impact of malaria or HIV on a human being.
If you're taking this course chances are you'll be interested in researching your own ideas, which is a good thing because most courses will include a hefty research project in the final year. Produce a good final paper and it could be the start of a career in academia.
What skills will it give me?
You should walk away from a degree with an excellent knowledge of how the body works and an understanding of the biology, genetics, immunology, pharmacology and disease processes.
Investigating some of the more high profile - which usually means controversial - areas of this field, such as genomics or food safety, you should be able to debate the pros and cons of the issues and be able to articulate an argument.
You'll have a working knowledge of how diseases develop and how this affects the function of the body, as well as being able to identify risks - if you spray a field with a certain chemical could it damage eyesight, for example - and how they can be prevented.
The research project will demonstrate you have the academic skills to accomplish all of these things - identify an area to study, present your findings clearly, and articulate the results - as well as those crucial soft skills, such as independent thinking, the ability to work in a team and commitment.
What job can I get?
If you loved the research side of your course, then a career in science research could be right up your street. This will require extra study, but you will be able to specialise in an area of particular interest. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to stay in a university, because pharmaceutical companies, charities and government departments, among others, need researchers.
Teaching is another option, either as a university lecturer or in a school, which would please the government no end as it often bemoans the lack of good science teachers and is concerned about the drop in the number of students getting excited by the subject.
What will look good on the CV?
· The ability to demonstrate laboratory skills and planning experiments
· execute independent research
· analyse and interpret data
· For the full range of skills you can develop through a degree in anatomy and physiology click here (pdf), and for more on biomedical science, click here (pdf).
