Program Overview

Pharmacology at Lancaster University will provide you with a deep understanding of how drugs interact with living systems and affect our bodies – something crucial to health in our society. In addition to studying drug development, mechanisms of action, therapeutic uses, and potential side effects, you'll also gain insight into the wider societal and regulatory context in which drugs are used and new drugs are developed.

This four-year degree is ideal if you wish to gain work experience as part of your Lancaster pharmacology degree. It provides you with support to secure a paid placement for twelve months working in the type of organisation you might aspire to join when you graduate.

The placement offers you the opportunity to work as a full-time employee of the organisation, with the same training and opportunities as other employees, while still receiving academic and pastoral support from Lancaster University.

To prepare you for your work placement year, our Careers and Placements Team will provide advice and guidance on:

• the skills required to create effective CVs, cover letters and applications
• tips and techniques on how to make an impact at interviews and assessment centres
• how to create a relevant digital profile
• how to research employers and career sectors of interest

In addition, great emphasis is placed upon developing self-awareness and on how to present yourself professionally to employers. This optional provision will be delivered via a blend of traditional and digital methods, including face-to-face workshops, online webinars, e-courses, and 1:1 appointments.

Although you will be supported by professional careers staff in preparing your industrial placement application, due to the competitive nature of these placements, it is possible that not all students will be successful in securing these nationally advertised opportunities. Students who have not secured an industrial placement will automatically be transferred to the degree without the placement year — the BSc Pharmacology.

In your first year, you will gain a thorough grounding in the biomedical basis of pharmacology through the study of 15 wide-ranging core modules, including Introduction to Pharmacology, Drug Discovery and Development, and Protein Biochemistry.

You will study core theory modules such as Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Genetics in your second year. These are complemented by skills-based modules that give you an understanding of the experimental techniques used in modern pharmacological research.

In addition to core modules such as Neuropharmacology and Advanced Drug Design and Development, the third year allows you to tailor your module choices to your interests. Optional modules include Clinical Immunology and Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology.

We’ve designed the content of our course to align with the British Pharmacological Society’s core curriculum, equipping you with the skills and knowledge you need to understand the world of pharmacology.

The pharmacology facilities at Lancaster are excellent. Our state-of-the-art life science teaching laboratories provide the ideal environment to develop your practical skills. Here, you’ll get hands-on experience in using equipment like microscopes, plate readers and thermocyclers to gain the skills needed for a successful laboratory career.

During your degree, you will also conduct your own research project. This allows you to put what you've learned into practice while benefiting from the research experience of our internationally renowned academics. Their work is helping to tackle globally significant healthcare challenges such as infection, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and inflammatory conditions like asthma and psoriasis.