Pharmacology (GCU Pathways)

THIS PROGRAMME IS AVAILABLE TO SCOTTISH-DOMICILED APPLICANTS ONLY

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

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 GCU, 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.

GCU Pathways

Pathway students enrol on the undergraduate BSc Hons Pharmacology at Glasgow Caledonian University. In the first year, they study HNC Applied Science at Glasgow Kelvin College while preparing for Years 2, 3 and 4 (for Honours) of the degree at GCU.

The first year will involve you working towards achieving an HNC in Applied Science and the subjects you study will underpin the teaching at Glasgow Caledonian University in Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 of the degree.

The content of this course has been designed to follow the guidelines set out by the British Pharmacological Society, the lead body for pharmacology professionals. Lecturing staff combine a depth of teaching experience with knowledge gained from cutting-edge research to provide you with an excellent learning environment and a broad education in pharmacology.

It includes a large proportion of practical work, which means you'll develop the laboratory skills sought by employers. A distinctive and important feature of the degree is that all students who successfully complete each year of the course are eligible to proceed to the honour’s degree, should they wish to, without further selection.
Learning groups are deliberately kept small and this, together with an open-door policy operated by staff, is aimed at creating a friendly learning environment where support is always available.

Choose the Pharmacology Pathway if:

• You are interested in pharmacology and drug development

• You want to play a key role in the development of new medicines

• You enjoy learning in a hands-on practical way

• You work best with lots of interaction from lecturing staff

• You like working towards clear goals with a sense of achievement at the end of each year of study.