A radiographer taking an x-ray for a patient.

BSc(Hons) Diagnostic Radiography

Entry year
2024/25
Course code
B821
Application
UCAS
Level
Undergraduate
School
School of Health and Social Wellbeing
Tariff points
120
Campus
Glenside Campus
Duration
Three years
Delivery
Full-time
Programme leader
Karen Dunmall

This course is open for applications

Page last updated 19 February 2024

Introduction

Develop specialist diagnostic radiography knowledge and skills. You'll have access to industry-standard technology and undertake work placements in NHS and private healthcare settings.

Accreditations and partnerships:

Why study diagnostic radiography?

Most hospital patients don't receive treatment without some form of diagnostic assessment.

Computer or digital radiography equipment uses plain imaging to assess the chest and skeleton. Specialist imaging equipment such as ultrasound, computerised tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear medicine help diagnose surgical, medical or vascular conditions, and complex injuries.

To produce and interpret these diagnostic images properly, radiographers need specialist knowledge in radiation science, technology, anatomy, physiology and pathology.

A £5,000 per year training grant is available for home students along with an additional £1,000 per year grant because diagnostic radiographers are in demand in the UK and worldwide. Further information is available on the NHS Business Services website.

Why UWE Bristol?

BSc(Hons) Diagnostic Radiography is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), so you will be eligible to apply for registration with them when you graduate.

You'll learn in industry-standard facilities where you'll observe and practise diagnostic procedures.

Get to grips with operating highly specialised equipment such as the Shaderware virtual reality x-ray laboratory. Study the science that underpins effective diagnosis. Develop strong interprofessional and interpersonal skills.

The course has a strong practical focus, incorporating evidence-based learning, simulations and placements throughout. You'll engage with patients, clinical radiographers and other healthcare professionals on placements, in class and online.

You'll spend about half the course on clinical work placements in the NHS and private healthcare organisations. There's also the chance to develop and apply your skills working abroad.

Where can it take me?

Diagnostic radiographers are in demand, with exciting career opportunities for graduates in the NHS and private radiography departments in the UK and worldwide.

You can also develop a specialism by studying a master's in a field such as ultrasound, nuclear medicine or radiotherapy.

Structure

Content

The University is currently reviewing the curriculum for this programme from year one onwards. The module areas you will study are listed below, however the final module titles are subject to approval as the changes go through university and relevant PSRB approval.

Year one

You will study:

  • Physical Sciences and Imaging Technology 1
  • Fundamentals of Human Anatomy and Physiology
  • Diagnostic Radiography Professional Practice 1
  • Clinical Context and Applications of Diagnostic Radiography 1
  • Principles of Radiographic Imaging Technique.

Year two

You will study:

  • Professional Behaviour and Health Psychology
  • Informing Practice through Research and Inquiry
  • Clinical Context and Applications of Diagnostic Radiography 2
  • Physical Sciences and Imaging Technology 2
  • Diagnostic Radiography Professional Practice 2.

Final year

You will study:

  • Healthy Futures
  • Research and Evidence in Practice
  • Continuous Professional Development and Employability Skills
  • Skills for Informing Practice
  • Diagnostic Radiography Professional Practice 3.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

Learning and Teaching

We use a mix of lectures, practical sessions, experiments, student-led seminars, e-learning, guided self-study and problem-based learning, using scenarios and case studies, to develop your understanding and skills

Develop a solid foundation in imaging science, and apply that knowledge to new technologies and procedures.

Study professional practice theory, and explore ethical, legal and professional principles, role development and employability.

Learn with other professional groups to develop your inter-professional relationships and collaboration skills.

Go on clinical placements, building on the complexity of imaging to prepare you for practice.

Research is integral to the course and will help with your future professional development as a radiographer.

Like all radiography students, you'll be allocated one of the radiography lecturers as your personal tutor.

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Approximate percentage of time you'll spend in different learning activities*:

YearScheduled learning and teaching studyIndependent studyPlacement study
117%50%33%
215%46%39%
319%48%33%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year.

Network and learn

Meet with visiting NHS professionals and service users at our regular events to get a holistic view of the health service.

Raise your profile

Put yourself forward to present work at the Society of Radiographers' conferences. Our students have won prizes for presenting, and others have published work in professional journals.

Assessment

We'll assess you using a mixture of examinations, assignments, case studies, appraisals of clinical skills, student-led presentations, your clinical portfolio, research dissertation, weblogs and wikis.

Learn more about assessments.

Approximate percentage of marks awarded by each assessment method*:

YearWritten exam assessmentCoursework assessmentPractical exam assessment
162%25%13%
222%65%13%
30%50%50%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year.

Features

Professional accreditation

This course is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which means you will be eligible to apply for registration with them when you graduate.

The course is accredited by the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR).

Placements

UWE Bristol's geographical area for placement provision covers the whole of the South, South West and West of England. Placements across this region help support and provide a wealth of clinical experience across many areas within the NHS healthcare service and the Private Voluntary and Independent sector. These placements are vital to meet the professional regulatory body standards in practice for our affiliated health and social care courses.

To access this variety of opportunities within the health and social care courses, there's an expectation that all students at times will have to travel across large areas. In some cases this can be more than 50 miles away and may be outside of normal working hours due to the nature of shift work on some courses. 

When considering your application to these courses, you must ensure you have means to travel to your placement location at unsociable hours, and/or funds available to secure short-term accommodation options to participate in your placement, if required.

You'll go on a variety of placements to increase your experience, helping you to become more adaptable. The variety of clinical placements you'll experience will make you highly employable, developing your skills, industry knowledge and professional network.

We have excellent links with hospitals and private healthcare organisations. You'll spend half the course applying your knowledge and building your professional skills on a number of different placements.

We offer variety of work environments to choose from, so you can find a location that suits you.

International opportunities

Add international experience to your degree by going on a five-week pre-qualifying placement abroad during your final year, or applying for a place on the Work the World programme.

Study facilities

Benefit from our highly specialist facilities, including our Skills and Simulation Centre, to support you in your studies.

Explore the use and production of x-rays, and develop positioning and patient-related skills, using the latest radiography and digital radiography and processing equipment.

Practise procedures and experience changing factors as they'd look on a real patient using Shaderware technology.

Access a huge selection of books, journals and audio-visual materials, including specialist health and social care databases, in our Glenside Campus library, one of the best healthcare libraries in England.

IT facilities are available to use on all our campuses.

Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Health Professions facilities and see what's on offer here for you.

Life

Accommodation

An excellent range of options for all of the Bristol campuses and the city centre.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

Diagnostic radiographers are in demand, with exciting career opportunities for graduates in the UK and worldwide. Our students go on to work in the hospitals within the region and also work nationally and internationally.

Most of our graduates find positions in the diagnostic imaging departments of NHS Trusts. Others go into private healthcare providers or work in field hospitals for the forces.

You could also do a master's and specialise further in an area such as ultrasound, nuclear medicine or radiotherapy.

Get inspired

Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.

We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.

Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.

Learn more about NHS careers.

Fees

Supplementary fee information

Additional costs are for items you could need during your studies that aren't covered by the standard tuition fee. These could be materials, textbooks, travel, clothing, software or printing.

Learn more about costs.

A £5,000 per year training grant is available for home students along with an additional £1,000 per year grant because diagnostic radiographers are in demand in the UK and worldwide. Further information is available on the NHS Business Services website.

Entry

Typical offers

  • Tariff points: 120
  • Contextual tariff: See our contextual offers page.
  • GCSE: Grade C/4 in English and Mathematics, or equivalent.
  • English Language Requirement:

    International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 with 6.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

    *The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need on our English language requirements page.

  • A-level subjects: Grade C in a Science or Social Science subject.
  • Relevant subjects: Subjects that meet the Science/Social Science requirement for this course: Biology, Applied Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry, Health and Social Care, Mathematics, Physical Education, Physics, Psychology, Applied Science, Science (Biology route), Science (Chemistry route), Science (Physics route), Science in Society, Sociology, Sport and Physical Education, Sports Studies.
  • EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: You'll need a minimum of five units in a Science or Social Science Subject. You may be asked to do more based on the size of your units. Please list the units you are studying in your application. For further advice on acceptable units, please email us.

    For information on required Guided Learning Hours please see our minimum entry requirements page.

  • Access: 15 Level 3 credits at Merit in a Science or Social Science subject.
  • Baccalaureate IB: A minimum Grade 5 in a Higher Level Science or Social Science subject.
  • Irish Highers: H2 in a Science or Social Science subject.
  • T Levels: Science, Healthcare Science and Health.

    If you partially achieve your T Level, you can meet our subject requirements if you have at least a D in your Core Section. For further advice on acceptable subjects please email us.

Entry requirements

Please note that due to early clinical contact on this course applicants must turn 18 before the start of the course. Applicants who do not turn 18 by the commencement of the course will be advised to defer or reapply as appropriate. Please see our admissions policy for further information.

If you don't meet the entry requirements of this course, you may be eligible for the Health Professions Foundation Year.

Additional requirements

All applicants are required to complete:

  • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check*
  • Health Checks*.

*All information will be treated in confidence and only taken into account when absolutely necessary.

About your Health Checks

UWE Bristol prides itself on being disability friendly and supportive of physical and mental wellbeing, therefore disclosing any needs you might have through the Occupational Health Assessment will enable us to create reasonable adjustments to suit your needs. As part of the assessment you will be required to complete a questionnaire and must be prepared to undergo a medical examination if required. Offers of places are subject to Occupational Health Clearance and students are expected to disclose pre-existing and historical health conditions. You must be in good health and up-to-date with all routine immunisations that are required for working in health and social care settings. You will also be required to confirm your status in respect of a number of infectious diseases (tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, varicella, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV antibodies) and be prepared to have all required vaccinations. Please note that the list of required vaccinations may change, in response to advice from the Department of Health. If your vaccinations are not up-to-date, this will affect your ability to continue on your course. If you have any concerns with regards to vaccinations please raise this at the point of application.

Selection process

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online Microsoft Teams interview. The interview will last approximately 20 minutes. The interview panel will consist of representatives from academic staff, clinical staff and service users.

It would be useful to familiarise yourself with the profession by accessing the Society and College of Radiographers website.

Recruitment for this course is informed by Health Education England's Values Based Recruitment Framework. The purpose of this framework is to ensure that we recruit students whose individual values and behaviours align with the values of the NHS Constitution.

Watch our video for top tips on writing a healthcare personal statement and download our health and social care personal statement guide (PDF).

International applicants

For country specific entry requirements please find your country on the country information pages. If you are an international student and do not meet the academic requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.

If you are applying to study at UWE Bristol and require additional support to meet our English language requirements, you may be able to attend one of our pre-sessional English courses. Read more about our Pre-Sessional English Programme.

Deferred entry

We do not accept deferred entry applications for this course.

Read more about entry requirements.

How to apply

All applications received on or before the UCAS deadline are considered equally, however, due to the volume of applications received, and to ensure that all applications are given equal consideration, you may attend an interview in December or January but may not receive your decision until May via UCAS or through the UWE applicant portal. The University is unable to enter into individual correspondence regarding decisions made following an interview.

If you have not received a decision on your application within a week of the interview, this means that the University is still considering your application. We appreciate your patience during this time and would like to remind you that if you applied through UCAS and have received offers from any other Universities, you will not lose these offers before your UCAS Reply Deadline.

Read more about undergraduate applications.

Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.

For further information

Unistats

UWE Main Campus

Full Time