Pharmacology

Pharmacology is an exciting discipline which studies how drugs work. Pharmacologists also play a vital role in the discovery of new medicines.

On our BSc (Hons) Pharmacology course you will learn how drugs alter our bodies, from pain relief to cancer treatments. If you are interested in biology, chemistry or life sciences this could be the course for you.

Our course emphasises hands-on learning, involving a high proportion of practical work, including a five-day molecular biology workshop. This brings together theory and practice, equipping you with the laboratory skills employers are looking for.

As well as practical skills, our curriculum is designed to inspire and prepare you to make a positive change on a local, national and global scale. Your learning will draw on current research and explore the development of new medicines. You’ll also have opportunities to contribute to projects with real scientific relevance and to communicate your work through research and conference presentations.

By the time you graduate, you’ll have the knowledge and professional laboratory skills to progress into a wide range of careers in pharmacology and beyond.

Your career
A degree in pharmacology opens doors to a wide range of careers, from researching new treatments to pharmaceutical sales and marketing. Pharmacologists even work for NASA, studying how how medicines work in outer space.

The UK drug industry employs 126,000 people and contributes £17.6 billion to the economy (Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry).

Typical career paths for our graduates 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

• finance and business.

*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.

Course Modules

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.