Pharmacology

Pharmacology influences our lives in so many ways. From pain relief to cancer treatments, pharmacologists study how drugs can alter the way our bodies work. Pharmacological knowledge is vital to find new and improved medicines to benefit patients worldwide. The successful UK drug industry employs 126,000 people and has an annual turnover of £46.7 billion.
At Glasgow Caledonian University, our Pharmacology course involves a high proportion of practical work, including a five-day molecular biology workshop that brings together theory and practice, to equip you with the laboratory skills employers need. You will gain an understanding of how the body works, what goes wrong in disease and how drugs can be used to manage these diseased states. You will also find out about the exciting research going on to develop medicines of the future.

Your career
A degree in Pharmacology can lead to a wide range of careers. These include academic research, research and development in the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical manufacturing, sales and marketing of medicines or laboratory equipment, clinical research associate (involved in organising clinical trials), science communication/journalism, teaching, monitoring and licensing of medicines, regulatory affairs, and finance and business. Pharmacologists can even work for NASA, studying how drugs interact in space.
In Scotland the expansion of health-related industries and the biotechnology sector means that demand for graduates in this area currently outstrips supply.
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Professional accreditation*
The Pharmacology programme at GCU is fully accredited by the Royal Society of Biology. In addition, the Pharmacology programme follows the British Pharmacological Society core curricula which is regularly updated to include the latest advances in the field.

YEAR 1: HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY AND CORE SKILLS IN BIOSCIENCE1

YEAR 2: CORE SKILLS IN BIOSCIENCE 2, INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIOLOGY, MECHANISMS OF CELLULAR REGULATION, PRACTICAL SKILLS IN BIOMOLECULAR SCIENCES, FUNDAMENTAL CELL BIOLOGY, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY: FROM HEALTH TO DISEASE

YEAR 3: CORE MODULES FUNDAMENTALS OF DRUG ACTION, MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS, SYSTEMATIC & CELLULAR PATHOLOGY

OPTIONAL: EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN & ANALYSIS , CELL SIGNALLING & TRAFFICKING THERAPIES, PAHRMACOLOGY OF CHEMICAL MEDIATORS, OR BIOSCIENCE PLACEMENT

YEAR 4: PROJECT & WORKSHOP, BIOLOGY OF DISEASE, TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, NEUROPHARMACOLOGY, TISSUE NETWORKS AND DISEASE

Assessment methods are designed to produce graduates with a balanced knowledge and understanding of all branches of the subject and to allow our students to become enquiring, independent learners exhibiting high levels of professionalism.

A significant proportion of our assessment is practically based, providing hands-on laboratory skills and experience of data handling and presentation which not only makes our programme distinctive but also attractive to employers seeking to find graduates with the necessary skills and competencies in the global marketplace.