Pharmacy Vs. Human Health and Disease Vs. Radiation Therapy Vs Everything Else!!

Wehwehweh

Hi guys, I'm currently in 6th year and I'm in the middle of trying to decide which courses to put on my CAO form. I think I would be interested in going into the field of medical research or maybe a radiation therapist. I also think the synthesis of organic products and pharmaceutical goods would be really interesting. I cant see myself being cut out for medicine, apart from the inital obstacle of getting excepted, I'm squeamish so I don't think its an option. I cant make up my mind as two which route would be the best to take. Also, id prefer to study in TCD as its the most easily accessible to me, but obviously i would consider going elsewhere if the course was right.
I'm currently doing obviously English, Irish, Maths,and then French, Chemistry, Biology and DCG. I do all higher levels and my realistic goal would be 550-560 points including the extra 25 for maths.
Any ideas?? Thanks in advance!

Larianne

You'll have to work on Cadavers as part of your anatomy module in Radiation Therapy and Human Health & Disease. Also, remember that you'll be treating very sick patients if you go down the Radiation Therapy route - something I know people find hard to do.

If you're squeamish, you'll be working with dead rats in Pharmacy labs.

What about Molecular Medicine?

Make sure to go to Open Days in the colleges to get a good idea of what each course involves.

not_so_civil

Larianne wrote: »

If you're squeamish, you'll be working with dead rats in Pharmacy labs.
QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure you won't be, they don't really use 'wild' proteins anymore.

Pharmacys a good bet, but if youre heading down the industry route the practice of pharmacy lectures will bore you sensless.

Larianne

not_so_civil wrote: »

I'm pretty sure you won't be, they don't really use 'wild' proteins anymore.

Pharmacys a good bet, but if youre heading down the industry route the practice of pharmacy lectures will bore you sensless.

My friend must have been telling me porkies so.

Wehwehweh

"You'll have to work on Cadavers as part of your anatomy module in Radiation Therapy and Human Health & Disease. Also, remember that you'll be treating very sick patients if you go down the Radiation Therapy route - something I know people find hard to do.

If you're squeamish, you'll be working with dead rats in Pharmacy labs."

See I think id be able to cope with the cadavers, obviously it wouldn't be exactly pleasant but I think as its a controlled environment environment I would be fine. And the rats wouldn't be much to get over!

Any idea about what the Molecular Medicine course entails?

And i have been thinking for the past few months that pharmacy was the way to go, but the more i think about it, the less sure i am. I just think id hate to work as like a community pharmacist as i think it would be too boring!

Wehwehweh

"You'll have to work on Cadavers as part of your anatomy module in Radiation Therapy and Human Health & Disease. Also, remember that you'll be treating very sick patients if you go down the Radiation Therapy route - something I know people find hard to do.

If you're squeamish, you'll be working with dead rats in Pharmacy labs."

See I think id be able to cope with the cadavers, obviously it wouldn't be exactly pleasant but I think as its a controlled environment environment I would be fine. And the rats wouldn't be much to get over!

Any idea about what the Molecular Medicine course entails?

And i have been thinking for the past few months that pharmacy was the way to go, but the more i think about it, the less sure i am. I just think id hate to work as like a community pharmacist as i think it would be too boring!

NeuroCat

We had to dissect rats for our vertebrate form and function module in SF science. I think this may have been a shared module with the Pharmacy students but I can't be certain.

I'm not studying Molecular Medicine, but I am in a similar course (Biochemistry with Cell Biology). Students wishing to study Molecular Medicine enter the TR071 science course and then choose it as their moderatorship in 3rd year. It is essentially a biochemistry degree with an emphasis on pathology and disease.

In 3rd year the Mol. Med students share a great deal of lectures with Immunology, Biochem. with Cell Biology and Biochem. with Structural Biology. Including a large amount of lab work.

In 4th year they take modules such as "Immune disorders", "Molecular Hematology & Oncology", "Cell Cycle and Cancer", "Immunity in diesease" etc.

There are many degrees which would allow you to follow a path in academic medicine/health sciences. Have a look through the Trinity Prospectus (and the other universities) and you'll no doubt find something with peaks your interest!

Actually, following from what NeuroCat said, maybe you might want to give TR071 science a go.

Not only will it leave your options open, but by the time you have to choose the field you want, you'll have a far better understanding of what they entail (I wanted something COMPLETELY different when I got to the time of choosing compared to when I went in)

Wehwehweh

Students wishing to study Molecular Medicine enter the TR071 science course and then choose it as their moderatorship in 3rd year. It is essentially a biochemistry degree with an emphasis on pathology and disease.

In 3rd year the Mol. Med students share a great deal of lectures with Immunology, Biochem. with Cell Biology and Biochem. with Structural Biology. Including a large amount of lab work.

In 4th year they take modules such as "Immune disorders", "Molecular Hematology & Oncology", "Cell Cycle and Cancer", "Immunity in diesease" etc.

Thats sounds really interesting! Ill have to have a look at that course! Thanks!

Lawliet

Wehwehweh wrote: »

Thats sounds really interesting! Ill have to have a look at that course! Thanks!

Just be aware that getting into TR071 doesn't guarantee you a spot on your preferred moderatorship; there's limited places and certain choices are very popular, so second year is another exam results competition.

NeuroCat

Lawliet wrote: »

Just be aware that getting into TR071 doesn't guarantee you a spot on your preferred moderatorship; there's limited places and certain choices are very popular, so second year is another exam results competition.

Thats a major point aswell; Moderatorships such as Neuroscience, Physiology and Immunology had huge demand this year. A friend of mine got a high 2:1 (68) in second year (in which you could have up to 12 exams) and didn't get a place in Neuroscience.

It really is much more of a marathon than a sprint, but it is defaintely an excellent degree programme.

Wehwehweh

so second year is another exam results competition

It really is much more of a marathon than a sprint

Ill keep that in mind!
Does anybody know anything about how the human health and disease course or radiation courses are thought? Or about career paths i could potentially follow after them?

Sid_Justice

by your personality depicted on boards i'd go with pharmacy

if you want to do a phd and all that jazz

do molecular medicine

Wehwehweh

by your personality depicted on boards i'd go with pharmacy

What makes you say this?

Sid_Justice

Well you seem like a decent sort. Mindful of your own limitations and not interested in pursuing medicine through an array of back door methods. The sciences - neuro/biochem/molecular/gen etc. are all interesting, engaging, demanding and have plenty of opportunity for further education, research and employment. However they are all rather poorly defined in terms of career path.

If you do pharmacy you'll become a pharmacist, you'll have the option of working in the community selling drugs over the counter, working in hospitals doing cool stuff advising doctors and patients based on your pharmaceutical expertise or if all of that doesn't suit ya, work in industry on pharmaceutical design,processing, testing and quality control.

Couple of people i know with phds in medicinal chemistry and neuroscience don't really know what to do with themselves long term, with a occupation like pharmacy you'd have a 'trade' to fall back on.

Wehwehweh

Well you seem like a decent sort. Mindful of your own limitations and not interested in pursuing medicine through an array of back door methods. The sciences - neuro/biochem/molecular/gen etc. are all interesting, engaging, demanding and have plenty of opportunity for further education, research and employment. However they are all rather poorly defined in terms of career path.

If you do pharmacy you'll become a pharmacist, you'll have the option of working in the community selling drugs over the counter, working in hospitals doing cool stuff advising doctors and patients based on your pharmaceutical expertise or if all of that doesn't suit ya, work in industry on pharmaceutical design,processing, testing and quality control.

Couple of people i know with phds in medicinal chemistry and neuroscience don't really know what to do with themselves long term, with a occupation like pharmacy you'd have a 'trade' to fall back on.

Thanks, and I see your point about the "poorly defined" career path, and that's the reason id be apprehensive about taking the path of those courses.

I'm in 2nd year Human Health and Disease, you can ask me any questions you have here or PM me if you like

Wehwehweh

I'm in 2nd year Human Health and Disease, you can ask me any questions you have here or PM me if you like

Hi PirateQueen, and thanks for replying!
I'm just wondering what the course is really about, you know like what do you actually study and how. I've read about it in the prospectus and on the internet and it does appeal to me, but I just don't think they divulge enough information about the actual course.
Also, I'm just wondering about career paths after the degree? Or possible post grad courses, beside medicine! Thank you!

lucernarian

Is human health and disease basically a course taught in parallel to first and 2nd year science and then becomes similar to phyiology in sophister years or is it a more distinct course?

Molecular Medicine I thought was just a science moderatorship option. I guess the good part about that is you can decide what you want after specialising in 2 years in science.

And going by the number of people who I've known to do physiology, it seems to have very awkward career prospects as the subject is eclipsed by those who do medicine, psysiotherapy, sports medicine courses etc. FWIW.

Also, I thought the pharmacists had to do the rat dissection thing. Compared to anatomy dissections the med students have to do, it's sunshine in spring!

Wehwehweh

Wehwehweh wrote: »

Hi PirateQueen, and thanks for replying!
I'm just wondering what the course is really about, you know like what do you actually study and how. I've read about it in the prospectus and on the internet and it does appeal to me, but I just don't think they divulge enough information about the actual course.
Also, I'm just wondering about career paths after the degree? Or possible post grad courses, beside medicine! Thank you!

Hiya! The prospectus is a little bit hazy on what we do to be fair.
The course basically does what it says on the tin- it teaches you how the human body works when healthy and then using that foundation we are taught how diseases result from malfunction of normal bodily processes. It's built up from a cellular level to wider systems study, as it is important that one understands how we function at a cellular level first as it underpins the working of everything on a larger scale. Some people found the cellular stuff a bit tedious but it actually is very interesting and where much of the cutting edge discoveries to human health are being made so it's vital to know!

In addition to all this you are also trained to work in the scientific community, primarily in research as you will have tutorials teaching you how to critically analyse scientific journals and in research methods & statistics, all the important skills required to work in research. In your final year you will work as part of one of the research teams in Trinity led by leading researchers so that will definitely look good if you intend to work in research etc after your degree.

I'll give you a run down of all the modules we've done/are doing so far and what is projected for 3rd & 4th year.

1st Year

• Introductory Human Cell Biology & Genetics- one of your main modules, will give an overview of cell structure & function and basic genetic principles.
• Chemical Principles & Properties- this is done with the JF Radiation Therapy class, and is basically a basic 1st yr chemistry course to have as foundation for the biochemistry you'll be doing later.
• Human Tissue Types- a module introducing you to all the different tissue types in the body.
• Human Developmental Biology- a course in embryology, aka how we develop from egg & sperm to babies :P Tis quite difficult but an important precursor to anatomy you'll do in 2nd yr.
• Mathematical Methods- It's maths. It'd be about an intermediate level between OL and HL Leaving Cert maths. This is done with the JF Science students.
• Introduction to Psychology- what it says on the tin, simple enough.
• Human Health & Disease Tutorials- tutorial classes where you'll read articles from scientific journals & discuss them, using your brains to answer questions about them. You'll also do a project where you use stuff you've learnt during the year and research you do yourself to make posters about a given disease.
• Broad Curriculum- you'll get to pick a short module from another faculty altogether, like film, law, business etc.

2nd Year

• Human Form & Function- This is the 1st year medicine anatomy & physiology course. It's intense, as you'd expect, you'll do anatomy of everything from the neck down, as well as the physiology behind it all. You'll be working with donor bodies and have the same exam as the med students so it is tough, but very interesting so far!
• Cell Structure & Function- a follow on from the cell stuff done in 1st year, this is done with the SF Science students.
• Metabolism- same as above.
• Microbiology & Immunology- haven't done this yet but basically it'll be about micro-organisms, how they spread disease and how the immune system fights them :P
• Research Methods & Statistics- done with the SF Radiation Therapy class, is about the maths and such that's vital for working in research.
• Human Health & Disease Tutorials- similar to that done in 1st year but more advanced.
• Broad Curriculum- same as 1st yr.

I'm in 2nd yr currently so I can't tell you about the 3rd & 4th yr modules first hand but I can give you the projected list of what they'll be.

3rd year

• Cell Function in Health & Disease
• Eukaryotic Cell Structure
• Inflammation, Infection and Disease
• Human Health & Disease tutorials
• Pharmacological Principles
• Gastrointestinal Disease
• Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Renal Disease
• Nutrition, Metabolism & Metabolic disorders
• The Biology of Neurological & Psychiatric Disease
• Exercise in Disease Prevention & Patient Rehabilitation

4th year

• Research Project- as explained above
• Research Ethics
• I.P & Commercialisation
• Age Related Disease
• Molecular Oncology
• Advanced Diagnostics & Therapeutics
• Imaging & Clinical Measurement
• Public Health & Health Psychology

Hope that's enough information on what you'll do in the course! As for career prospects, a lot of people in my class do intend on doing graduate medicine, but a larger number do not. As the first year of HHD students are only in their 3rd year of the course currently there are no graduates to speak of but basically you're in a great position to work in research, either in academics or industry. Most jobs within the field will require you to do postgraduate study after your main degree but there's tons of options for you to do a phd in whatever you're interested in after coming out the end of it. You'd also be able to work within the health industry eg in pharmaceuticals etc, Ireland's stuffed with medical companies!
And for anyone who is reading this and in interested in doing medicine I've also been told having a degree such as this behind you would be very useful as in the career path of medicine you are required to do original research to get onto certain training schemes etc and with this course you'll already have been taught the skills to go about that and have been part of a research team.

As an aside, apart from the academic stuff, because we're such a small class (~30 people) we're all quite close and are good friends, go out lots and have class trips, so you'll definitely have good fun in the course too

Phew, that was a long post. I hope it'll be informative to anyone coming by here wanting to know about the course though, we are eager to promote it! Hope that answers your questions, let me know if you have any more!

Wehwehweh

Phew, that was a long post. I hope it'll be informative to anyone coming by here wanting to know about the course though, we are eager to promote it! Hope that answers your questions, let me know if you have any more!

Thanks you SO much! I actually can't believe you went to all the effort!
I'm sure anyone that reads this will be delighted to actually find out what the course is about!

I think it all sounds really interesting! Everything sounds good, bar the anatomy. But the way I'm looking at it is, I'm sure very few people think "cant wait to disect a body".
I'll definitely be considering it for my CAO!
Thanks again!

Wehwehweh

Wehwehweh wrote: »

Thanks you SO much! I actually can't believe you went to all the effort!
I'm sure anyone that reads this will be delighted to actually find out what the course is about!

I think it all sounds really interesting! Everything sounds good, bar the anatomy. But the way I'm looking at it is, I'm sure very few people think "cant wait to disect a body".
I'll definitely be considering it for my CAO!
Thanks again!

That was part of the idea, I knew I looked around here for info when I was considering it and didn't find much, so I'd like to put it out there because we are still a mostly unheard of and misunderstood course, I'd like to change that!

And re the dissections, you'd actually be surprised the amount of people who've said they're 'jealous' that we get to do it...people are weird! You do adapt to it quickly enough though, it's something you'll adjust to, even if you'll never be particularly comfortable.

Best of luck with your CAO, feel free to PM me or whatever if you have any more questions down the line, I'll try my best to answer.

lucernarian

Actually what department is Human Health and Disease under? I assume it's under the Health Sciences faculty

Wehwehweh

And re the dissections, you'd actually be surprised the amount of people who've said they're 'jealous' that we get to do it...people are weird! You do adapt to it quickly enough though, it's something you'll adjust to, even if you'll never be particularly comfortable.

Best of luck with your CAO, feel free to PM me or whatever if you have any more questions down the line, I'll try my best to answer.

I suppose you could say it would be an experience maybe? Haha


And thanks again!

Gordon Gecko

Dentistry is a great health sciences course too

Sid_Justice

Human Health and Disease just looks like medicine without the clinical aspects. I think it would be a frustrating course to do, the majority of people in the class will be people who didn't get accepted into medicine and are holding out for gradmed (which they'll have a great base for).

Gordon Gecko

Sid_Justice wrote: »

Human Health and Disease just looks like medicine without the clinical aspects. I think it would be a frustrating course to do, the majority of people in the class will be people who didn't get accepted into medicine and are holding out for gradmed (which they'll have a great base for).

You'll find exactly the same people on Pharmacy, Physio, Dentistry, Medicinal Chemistry etc :pac:

Sid_Justice

Sid_Justice wrote: »

Human Health and Disease just looks like medicine without the clinical aspects. I think it would be a frustrating course to do, the majority of people in the class will be people who didn't get accepted into medicine and are holding out for gradmed (which they'll have a great base for).

A few people in our class wanted medicine first, including myself. About 4 people left this year to do medicine, however there's still only a minority of people who are set on doing graduate medicine after. I was offered medicine this year and declined it in favour of continuing my course so I definitely think it's a myth that we're all med rejects just waiting for grad med, much of the class has no interest in doing medicine. You'll find people in all the health sciences and general science courses who had medicine first on their CAO; that's just the nature of it with the popularity of medicine, a lot of people will decide they don't want to do it in the end.
I don't particularly see the problem with doing another course anyway, it may be a longer route to becoming a doctor but if anything it will give you a deeper understanding overall. I personally think a lot (not all!) of students are not mature enough to start studying medicine at the age of 17/18. It's a huge responsibility and I don't think students in 6th yr are adequately prepared for much of it.

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

Actually what department is Human Health and Disease under? I assume it's under the Health Sciences faculty

We're under the School of Medicine

Ahoyhoy

I say if you can handle cadavers you can handle more than you think! Widen your net, look at all the course in the health sciences faculty and the more health science related ones in EMS. If you're looking for a more practical, hands on career outside of research you should lean towards the HS faculty, if you're interested in lab work, go for EMS.

You could also look into neuroscience, fascinating field, loads of research opportunities, little bit of everything and they have anatomy lectures and I think they use human tissue, but likely only the brains and bones and not the whole cadaver.

With regard to Human Health and Disease it's worth bearing in mind that there hasn't been a graduating class from that course yet so you won't be able to get a good idea of what the employment prospects are like.

Ahoyhoy

Ahoyhoy wrote: »

With regard to Human Health and Disease it's worth bearing in mind that there hasn't been a graduating class from that course yet so you won't be able to get a good idea of what the employment prospects are like.

I wouldn't let that put anyone off though, at the end of the day it's still a highly specialised level 8 science degree from Trinity, you'll have the same prospects as anyone coming out of the general science programme, except maybe a bit better with regards to getting into medical research etc.

At the end of the day to work in most scientific fields, at least within academia/research you'll need to do postgraduate study, and they look at how well you did in your degree as well as what it was (and so do employers), so if you apply yourself to whatever you're studying you'll definitely be rewarded

Sid_Justice

Deleted User wrote: »

I wouldn't let that put anyone off though, at the end of the day it's still a highly specialised level 8 science degree from Trinity, you'll have the same prospects as anyone coming out of the general science programme

Exactly, not great and unspecific.

Well I'm not worried about my job prospects! My mantra is to study what interests you and do what you love, doing a course I don't enjoy just because it has perceived better job prospects would make me miserable, I'm just going to work hard at what I enjoy and be confident that it will pay off later.

Each to their own though, I only want to give people considering Human Health and Disease a fair assessment of what it entails, and not frighten them unnecessarily. Sure most courses apart from ones that lead to certain career paths like medicine and nursing have unspecific job prospects :pac:

Sid_Justice

Gordon Gecko wrote: »

You'll find exactly the same people on Pharmacy, Physio, Dentistry, Medicinal Chemistry etc :pac:

These are professions within themselves. Even if we made 100 more med schools we'd still need pharamcists, physios, dentists, chemists. IF we had 100 more med schools there would be know one in this course, it wouldn't exist. It's medicine minus the clinical aspect.

Sid_Justice

Sid_Justice wrote: »

These are professions within themselves. Even if we made 100 more med schools we'd still need pharamcists, physios, dentists, chemists. IF we had 100 more med schools there would be know one in this course, it wouldn't exist. It's medicine minus the clinical aspect.

That's not true. There are many people in my class who have no interest in doing medicine, and did not have it on their CAO. Not everyone who's interested in human biology wants to be a doctor. In fact, the reason it has a relatively large number of people who had medicine first on their CAO is because people aiming for medicine tend to get very high points. We were told that many people had HHD first on their CAO but missed out as the points for it are quite high. I know of such people so I can confirm this. The course most definitely has purpose other than filling time for people intending to do graduate medicine.

Sid_Justice

But they are only hindering themselves in the long run not doing medicine. They'd learn everything your course does but with clinical. Admittedly, medical schools often overlook the science aspect (e.g. statistics etc.)

And we've only your word that there are people in your course who didn't want to do med/den etc. Maybe they're just telling you that because they are ashamed to admit it.

Anyway you've become defensive trying to defend your course and it's usefulness so no point engaging in the discussion with you.

I don't consider myself as being defensive, I'm only defending it against unwarranted criticism. I see no reason why someone who has no desire to become a doctor should have spend 5 years learning clinical stuff just to get their education in the science.

Your comment about mistrusting the people in my class who say they did not want medicine shows you obviously have something against my course. That's fine; you're entitled to your opinion and I do not intend to argue over your unfounded criticisms any longer. I've been perfectly honest and I am not ashamed in the least that I originally had medicine first on my CAO. I reapplied and was offered a place in Trinity Medicine this year, but declined it as I prefer my course now, so unless you think I'm a liar that's one testimony I can assure you is genuine.

For anyone else who has any questions about my course feel free to PM me, or ask me on here

Lawliet

Sid_Justice wrote: »

And we've only your word that there are people in your course who didn't want to do med/den etc.

Whereas you seem to be going off a general assumption

NeuroCat

Sid_Justice wrote: »

But they are only hindering themselves in the long run not doing medicine. They'd learn everything your course does but with clinical. Admittedly, medical schools often overlook the science aspect (e.g. statistics etc.)

You do know that there are a few people who go into Medicine, not to become doctors but to persue a career in academia?, Human health and disease would possibly be a more direct route to this than doing a medical degree with a large emphasis on clinical exposure. (Although, I couldn't possibly comment on the content of either courses given that I'm not doing either)

SueGrabbit

Sid_Justice wrote: »

But they are only hindering themselves in the long run not doing medicine. They'd learn everything your course does but with clinical. Admittedly, medical schools often overlook the science aspect (e.g. statistics etc.)

And we've only your word that there are people in your course who didn't want to do med/den etc. Maybe they're just telling you that because they are ashamed to admit it.

Anyway you've become defensive trying to defend your course and it's usefulness so no point engaging in the discussion with you.

You are awfully presumptuous in knowing what people want to do or can do following on from this degree. Its like an advanced more specific immunology, microbiology, neuroscience or physiology degree and sets you up for any number of hospital, laboratory, advanced research, PhD positions. Or post grad med, but hopefully only if YOU are interested in the clinical vocational aspect that medicine entails, why take a place in medicine where another person who wants to be a GP could have it?

Also if you were at all in the open mindset about the degree, pick up a copy of Nature, Cell, New Scientist - hundreds and I mean hundred of opportunities are out there SPECIFYING That experience in human health and disease is wanted for graduate positions starting at 35K+ in the UK.

Think outside the box a little..

blaisepascal

Hi I'm a 6 th year student and have to apply soon and I'm torn between human health and disease and common entry science both in tcd, does anyone have any advise? Im not too certain what job I would like to have but medicine, research, physiotherapy etc. could still be an option. Basically I just want to do something really general because I still really have no idea and I would be open to study somethings that I wouldn't like so maybe general science could be good. It's just that HH&D looks really good and so i wanted to know would I be limiting myself already if I do this course? Or would general science be less advantageous than what HH&D would offer as HH&D looks like more clinical work???

blaisepascal

blaisepascal wrote: »

Hi I'm a 6 th year student and have to apply soon and I'm torn between human health and disease and common entry science both in tcd, does anyone have any advise? Im not too certain what job I would like to have but medicine, research, physiotherapy etc. could still be an option. Basically I just want to do something really general because I still really have no idea and I would be open to study somethings that I wouldn't like so maybe general science could be good. It's just that HH&D looks really good and so i wanted to know would I be limiting myself already if I do this course? Or would general science be less advantageous than what HH&D would offer as HH&D looks like more clinical work???

I don't think you'll be limited in career choice by studying HHD, especially if you're interested in a research career, as the degree provides a lot of focus on teaching valuable research skills, as well as the undertaking of a research project in final year. General science is always a good option for those who know they want a career in science but aren't sure in what area, although it is also worth noting that you basically have the CAO like competition again in 2nd year to fight for a place for your chosen speciality, and the most sought after degrees such as Neuroscience, Immunology, Genetics etc don't have many places and are hence difficult to get into, so there is a risk you might end up having to study a degree in something you're not particularly interested in. Nonetheless if you think you'd like a year or two to try out different modules in science and see what you like with an aim to go into a specific area, gen sci is a good option, so don't let the competition aspect scare you off too much!

HHD will have you only studying human biology, and it'll be a bit more specialised in what you do study (I provided a list of all our modules on page 2 of this thread) but at the end of the day you're nearly certainly going to have to do some form of postgraduate study after either degree to progress into a research career, so neither course will be a disadvantage in that regard! As for possibly doing medicine or physio afterwards I would say HHD would give you an advantage as we do a lot of common modules with those two courses, but there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to do it after gen sci either if you go that route.

I'm trying not to be biased because obviously I think my course is great , and when I was in your shoes trying to figure out whether to put HHD or gen sci first it was my knowledge that I only wanted to study human biology and no plant/animal/ecology that pushed HHD above gen sci for me. Both are fine degrees, and neither would provide any real disadvantage to you for the possible career avenues you've listed. I'd advise you to have a look over the course information for both (again I'll also point you to the overview of HHD I gave on pg 2) and see which interests you the most and go from there!

Feel free to PM me with any more HHD specific questions

rhonda15

Please read this post and article if you are interested in physiotherapy as a career.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79318076

http://ezinearticles.com/?Physiotherapy---Good-Or-Bad-Career-Choice?&id=2846928