Medical Pharmacology

Discover the science behind drugs and medicines, their effects on living systems, and the role they play in treating disease with Medical Pharmacology at Swansea University.

Throughout the course, you will study topics including toxicology, physiology, biochemistry, genetics, immunology, and drug development. You will also develop excellent analytical and project management skills as you design experiments and plan work programmes in preparation for your future career.

You will be encouraged to challenge accepted wisdom in all fields of medical and life sciences, appreciate current limitations, and future advances, of our current understanding of health and disease.

You will gain a holistic understanding of the multidisciplinary nature of pharmacology and the collaboration required to succeed in a field that increasingly combines innovation in research, patient care and commercial enterprise.

With a blend of compulsory and optional modules, aligning these with your interests, career goals, or future study.

The optional Foundation Year for this programme can give you an exciting introduction to higher education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful in your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after further education or are returning to education after a gap. Following successful completion of the Foundation Year, you will progress onto Year 1 of your BSc.

This programme is also available as a 4-year MSci, which is an advanced undergraduate degree, adding a further research-focused year to your degree. Our MSci leads to a master’s level qualification, in addition to your undergraduate degree, giving you expert scientific training and a springboard towards a range of specialist careers.

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including: Genetics, Genomics & Evolution, Cell Biology, Introduction to Toxicology: The Dose Makes the Poison, and Human Physiology. In Year 2, you will typically study areas including: Metabolic Regulation: Enzymes & Signal Transduction, Communicating Medical Sciences, Introduction to Pharmacology: Dynamics and Kinetics, Pharmacogenomics: Genes on Drugs, Biostatistics, Human Immunology and others. In Year 3, you will typically study areas including: Being a Medical Scientist, Advances in Pharmacology, Human Biology and the Environment, Drug Development and Regulation, Nanotoxicology, The Sweet Sickness: Advances in Diabetes and Related Disorders, Machine Learning in Healthcare, Cancer Pharmacology, The Neuroscience of Learning, Memory and Cognition and others.

Assessments will include Laboratory practicals, written exams, oral presentations, written assignments, and clinical skills assessments. The range of assessment methods is chosen to develop and demonstrate a range of skills transferable to the modern healthcare environment including reflection, oral and written communication, confidence and competence.