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.

The MSci is a four-year integrated master’s with three years of undergraduate study and a year at master’s level. The additional year of study and higher qualification can enhance your job prospects or give you the experience to decide whether a research career might suit you.

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.

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.

In the fourth year, you'll have the opportunity to further focus your studies, choosing from advanced modules that cover developments in fields such as cancer, immunology and neuroscience.

You'll also undertake an extended research project, working as part of the team in one of our research laboratories. 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.

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 PCR machines to gain the skills needed for a successful laboratory career.