Program Overview

University Foundation in Life and Medical Sciences  Stage1 at Hertfordshire International College (HIC) is designed to prepare you for entry to university-level program. During Stage 1 you will complete a range of modules relevant to your chosen degree, as well as modules concentrating on the skills that are vital for University level education such as Critical Thinking.

A Foundation pathway is available for students who:

• Don’t meet the entry requirements to enter university level study directly (but hold GCSE level qualifications)
• Feel that additional support at the start of university studies will help them stand a better chance of success
• Have been away from studies for a period of time
• Come from a different academic environment to that of the UK
• Require additional English language training

If you fall into any of the above categories, choosing an undergraduate pathway at Hertfordshire International College (HIC) is the right decision. Depending on your academic needs here at Hertfordshire International College (HIC).

Progressing from Foundation

Stage 1 will be the first stage in the 4 stage process. Meaning that on successful completion of stage 1 you will seamlessly progress to stage 2, which is the first year of a bachelor’s degree. There is no need to reapply, you will simply just progress between each stage until you reach the final stage and graduate with a degree from Hertfordshire International College (HIC).

BSc (Hons) Pharmacology

• You have an interest in how medicines work. You want to learn about their actions in living systems.  As the demand for new drugs continues, the need for specialists to discover and test them grows. Join our team of aspiring pharmacologists to learn how drugs are made, developed, and marketed. Our course is also accredited by the Royal Society of Biology. This means you’ll graduate with all the credentials you need to succeed in your career.  We’ll introduce you into the world of medicine in an engaging and practical way. Explore the methods used to test the effectiveness of drugs. Get hands on experience in our modern teaching and research laboratories. You’ll be able to use well equipped labs spread over five storeys of innovative facilities. Work alongside researchers, academics and other students.  Learn new techniques in microbiology and blood analysis. Benefit from exclusive access to IT rooms for bioinformatics. You’ll even have your own bespoke space for pharmacology investigations.  As you discover the world of bio science, you’ll form specialist interests. You may find you really enjoy metabolic pathways in biochemistry. Or maybe you prefer gene manipulation in molecular biology. That’s why we give you the chance to experience a range of modules before committing to the Pharmacology pathway. We believe in flexibility. We will guide you to find your passion to study what you really love.    
• You’ll explore various new and exciting areas in this degree. Rest assured, we are with you all the way. You’ll get a personal tutor, who’ll support you in gaining subject-specific skills in scientific writing, data interpretation, and communication. Take advantage of peer support too in group workshops. Share your breakthroughs and discuss patient case studies.  This programme is the stepping-stone into a wide range of scientific careers. You’ll also gain plenty of transferable skills to enter broader fields like teaching or business if you prefer.
• We are proud of our professional and aspiring pharmacologists. You’ll be learning current developments from experts in the industry. The theory you’ll learn is important. The practical experience you will gain just as much. But our strong links with the pharmaceutical companies, such as GSK, makes this degree stand out. It’s no wonder we’re rated TEF Gold – the highest rating for teaching and support.

What's the course about?

• Pharmacology covers all aspects of drugs and their uses as medicines. You’ll learn how new drugs are discovered and tested. You’ll understand why they are effective in treating disease. You’ll explore how they work at a whole body, tissue, and receptor protein level. Governments and companies spend billions of pounds on pharmacological research. The demand for well-trained pharmacology graduates is fierce. We’ll teach you what you need to know to be a highly sought-after employee in the industry.    
• Your first year is about building a solid foundation in bioscience. You’ll study alongside students from other disciplines. You’ll obtain an initial grounding in chemistry, molecular biology and genetics, microbiology, and human physiology with pharmacology.  You’ll learn how to describe physiological processes in the body. This will be at cell, tissue, organ and organism level. Your theory will be backed up with extensive practical work to develop key laboratory skills.  
• In your second year, you start specialising. You’ll start to look at the stages of drug development. You’ll learn the need for clinical trials. Explore the controversial issues around trialling human volunteers. You’ll uncover how medication keeps us in good health and how they save lives. You’ll learn how pain relief drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin work in the body. Understand the process of chemotherapy for cancers.  You’ll hear amazing success stories as well as the limitations of existing therapies.    
• Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or do a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about but will also give your CV a boost. If you’d rather go straight to your final year, that’s absolutely fine too.  
• In your final year you’ll find that you have grown to love certain topics that you just need to delve deeper into.  You’ll learn how to find new targets for drug development. How could you treat Alzheimer’s Disease? What role do our genes play in determining safe dosages of medicines for each of us? Then, you can select from all modules to focus your project on. You could look at important disorders such as diabetes and Parkinson’s Disease. Or maybe you could look at the toxicity of Novel Psychoactive Substances. It’s totally up to you. Just know, from hypothesis to conclusion, we are with you all the way.   
• You have 20 hours of contact time, with lectures and workshops taking up about 6-10 hours per week, while the remaining time is devoted to practical work. Throughout your degree, you will be assessed in a variety of ways. This will include exams, literature reviews, portfolios, lab reports, practical's and presentations. Coursework assessments are generally 50-100% per module.