Undergraduate courses Health Sciences Track Biotechnologies Microbiology and Health Risks Neurosciences and Behavioural Sciences Pathophysiology, Environment and Health
This programme is taught in French.
field(s) of training :
Science, Technology, Health
diploma level :
Bachelor's degree (three-year degree)
duration of the program :
3 years
Course overview
You’re interested in sciences? You wish to use them in fields such as biology, human or animal health? Join the bachelor’s programme in Health Sciences and specialise yourself either in Fundamental and Applied Biology for Health or in Health Sciences with an option!
The bachelor’s in Health Sciences is part of the bachelors’ programmes with a Health Sciences (in French LAS for Licences accès santé) optional course of the University of Caen Normandy. These bachelors’ allow students to apply to medical studies (midwifery, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and physiotherapy). The bachelor’s with a Health Sciences option provides the basics in health in order to prepare you to these selective studies. During the three years of the bachelor’s, you will have 2 tries to access medical studies. For more information, read the FAQ on the entry requirements for medical studies (in French).
With this three-year full-time programme, you will acquire solid skills in biological sciences. The courses rely both on theoretical courses (lectures) and practical courses (seminars and practical labs); once you have obtained the fundamentals, you will carry out more and more experimentations. In Year 3, you will have to choose between four specialisations:
- Biotechnologies
- Microbiology and Health Risks
- Neurosciences and Behavioural Sciences
- Pathophysiology, Environment and Health
Highlights
In Year 2, the bachelor's offers two optional courses in chemistry, if you want to:
- Prepare an entrance exam (veterinary studies, engineering school...)
- Enter the bachelor's programme in Chemistry (changing course often takes place at the end of the 3rd semester, based on application file)
Welcoming international students
Since 2019, the University of Caen Normandy has been awarded the "Bienvenue en France" label by Campus France, highlighting the quality of the university's welcome for international students.
Application requirements
Entry requirements
To enter this bachelor’s, you should graduate from a high school diploma with majors in Life and Earth Sciences, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
Applicants must provide:
- Previous academic results
- Cover letter and resume
Language proficiency requirements
Minimum French proficiency level required: B2 (Year 1), C1 (Year 2 and 3)
Specific conditions
Entry requirements for Year 2 or 3
If you have completed a bachelor’s programme in Biology or Biochemistry or another scientific or medical programme, you can also apply to the bachelor’s in Health Sciences!
Apply and register
The registration process takes place in 3 steps:
Application process
Admission and registration requirements may vary depending on your nationality, country of residence, foreign secondary school leaving certificate, and the nature of your programme of study. Discover how to apply to the University of Caen Normandy.
Course structure
Courses
- Take place on the campuses of the University of Caen Normandy:
- Campus 1 in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3
- Campus 2 and/or Campus 5 in Year 3, depending on your specialisations
- Some courses can be taught online on eCampus, the e-learning platform of the University of Caen Normandy
- Amount to 500 hours per year, approximately 20 hours per week, and are completed by personal work
Course units
The bachelor’s in Health Sciences provides the basics in biology. Each year is divided into 10 course units.
In Year 1, you will attend courses on general scientific disciplines (mathematics, physics, chemistry) and transversal disciplines (English and digital skills). In Year 2, you will improve your knowledge and skills in biology, especially with the following courses:
- Cellular and molecular biology
- Biochemistry
- Biodiversity related to Health
- Physiology
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
- Immunology
- Experimental methods
Finally, in Year 3, you will specialise in a field of your choice:
- Biotechnologies
- Microbiology and Health Risks
- Neurosciences and Behavioural Sciences
- Pathophysiology, Environment and Health
Note that, since scientific English is instrumental in Health Sciences, some course resources will be in English.
Internships and placements
The bachelor’s programme includes an optional internship that can last up to 6 weeks. You can do your internship in Year 2 or Year 3, in a company or a laboratory, in France or abroad, and thus, for example, visit a laboratory and discover first-hand research activities. Since the internship is optional, it will not be graded.
Coursework and assessment
The course lasts 3 years and is divided in 6 semesters, each comprising several courses units. Each semester is divided into two groups of course units: disciplinary and transversal. These two groups do not compensate each other, but the units of a same group compensate each other within the same semester.
Examinations are held at the end of each semester and are graded on a scale from 0 to 20, 20 being the best grade. Grade compensation is organized without eliminatory marks and on the basis of the general average obtained in every course unit:
- Over each semester
- Over the 2 semesters of the same year
To successfully complete a semester, you must have an average mark of at least 10 points out of 20. If you have not completed your semester, you can retake the courses units you failed; you do not have to retake the courses in which you have obtained at least 10 points out of 20.
Language
French
Study abroad
The bachelor’s in Health Sciences welcomes foreign students each year! You wish to go abroad (website in French)? Thanks to exchange programmes such as Erasmus or university networks, you can study abroad for a semester or a year! You can also do an internship abroad.
Learning outcome
By the end of this course, you will be able to
- Use scientific concepts in cellular and molecular studies as well as fundamentals in physiology of the main functions, allowing you to understand state-of-the-art biology challenges
- Identify the fundamentals of the organisation and the functions of living beings, both in the developmental and evolutive dimensions
- Use the main methods of analysis for living beings, both on the microscopic and macroscopic levels
- Choose and implement theoretical tools to exploit experimental results
- Analyse biological data to analyse the main regulation systems in organisms and their metabolism: nervous system, endocrine system, immune system
Further study
Once you’ve obtained your bachelor’s degree, you can pursue your studies with:
- Masters’ programmes
- Integrative Biology and Physiology
- Biology and Health, and either specialise in Oncology, Immunology and Genetics or in Systemic Physiology and Integrative Physiopathology
- Microbiology
- Innovation, Company and Society
- Drug Sciences
- Public Health
- Scientific and Technical Mediation and Information
- Engineering degrees such as biotechnologies or the Agrifood Industry programme of the ESIX Normandie, that you can access as soon as you have completed Year 2
- Programmes preparing to teaching exams
Careers
The bachelor’s degree is the first step to pursue careers related to sciences applied to health. According to our last surveys, 8 students out of 10 went further with their studies after graduating from their bachelor’s degree. Hence your career will depend on your specialisation and the diploma you pursue after your bachelor’s.
Biology encompasses many branches and a wide range of professional opportunities: research, industry (pharmaceuticals or agri-food), teaching… Moreover, you can have opportunities in public services (if you pass the corresponding exams) directly after obtaining your bachelor’s degree.
Address
Université de Caen Normandie
UFR des Sciences
Esplanade de la Paix · CS 14032 · 14032 Caen Cedex 5
France
Course leader
formation : Catherine Bauge · catherine.bauge@unicaen.fr
formation : Vincent Hanoux · vincent.hanoux@unicaen.fr