Pharmacology

Description

Pharmacology is a biomedical science that studies how and where in the body drugs act to produce their effects, from the whole organism down to its individual cells. Most drugs produce their effects by interacting with particular molecular components (e.g. specific proteins) within cells. Pharmacology also considers the body's handling of drugs – how drugs are administered and absorbed, how they distribute within the body, and how they are eventually inactivated and/or excreted, often after being modified in chemical structure by the action of enzymes found in the body.

The term 'drug' encompasses not only the familiar idea of chemicals as medicines (e.g. aspirin, penicillin) or as legal or illegal ‘pleasure promoting’ agents (e.g. alcohol, cannabis) but also includes poisons such as environmental or industrial pollutants, toxins from snakes and other creatures, and agents (e.g. ‘nerve gases’) of potential use in chemical warfare. The study of pharmacology therefore has important links with a variety of factors affecting health and wellbeing in the modern world.

Pharmacology can be studied as a single Honours degree programme or can be combined with another discipline, e.g. physiological sciences, in a Biomedical Sciences degree.

Research-led teaching

Modules available at Levels 3 and 4 give progressively more specialisation in pharmacology, with units in Level 4 being taught by laboratory-based scientists who carry out pharmacology-related research at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee, where the Level 4 sessions are held.

Clinical perspective

This location also enables medical colleagues, who are involved in treating patients, to be included in some Level 4 teaching units to provide a first-hand clinical perspective of the use and actions of drugs.

Pharmacology graduates are employed in many areas of medical and veterinary research in universities, industry and government-financed institutions.

In addition, pharmacologists have not only played a pivotal role in the UK pharmaceutical industry with an excellent record of drug discovery and development, but their skills are also welcome in other fields such as clinical trials, drug regulation and pharmaceutical marketing.

Furthermore, a degree in Pharmacology can be used to apply for graduate entry to study medicine or dentistry. However, it does not provide the qualification to be a pharmacist in the UK, for which a degree in Pharmacy would be required.

UCAS Code: B210

Detailed Course Facts

The fees you pay will, in most cases, depend on your current country of residence.

The fee shown is annual, and may be subject to an increase each year.

Fee category

Fees for students starting September 2015

Scottish students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Rest of UK students

£9,000 per year, for a maximum of 3 years, even if you are studying a four year degree. See our scholarships for rest of UK applicants.

EU students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Overseas students (non-EU)

£15,950 per year of study. See our scholarships for international applicants.

• English

Course Content

Typical Degree Programme

Levels 1 and 2

All Life Sciences degree programmes share common core modules at Level 1 that provide a general introduction to the life sciences through an integrated programme of lectures, tutorials, practical work and field excursions.

Please refer to the Biological/Biomedical Sciences degree structure and overview webpage for details of the common curriculum in Levels 1 and 2.

Level 3

At Level 3 you specialise in pharmacology, and choose additional subjects that interest you to study alongside your main subject. You will develop your knowledge and skills in the following aspects of pharmacology:

• Peripheral and central nervous system pharmacology
• Mechanisms of cell signalling
• Basic principles of drug-receptor interactions
• Aspects of molecular pharmacology
• Summer work placements

Many students take advantage of opportunities for summer work placements, normally between Levels 3 and 4, which are available as externally-funded competitive placements, or as voluntary laboratory work.

Level 4

Your studies at Level 4 will be at the level of current research in your chosen subject area.

Advanced study of topics in pharmacology that currently include:

• Cardiovascular pharmacology
• Pharmacogenomics (improving drug therapy and safety)
• Modulating the immune response
• Molecular aspects of toxicology and carcinogenesis
• Targeted treatments of cancer
• Neurodegenerative disorders
• Molecular mechanisms of learning and memory
• Psychobiology and treatment of mental illness
• Analgesics and anaesthetics

Your studies will involve extensive use of scientific literature and the opportunity to attend a regular programme of seminars given by invited speakers from Britain and abroad.

Research project - several formats are available including laboratory-based research under the supervision of a leading scientist, computer modelling, multimedia teaching packages, literature and electronic database review.

All modules are assessed by a combination of in-course and end-of-course procedures. Regular in-course assessments (e.g. practical reports, computer-based exercises, essays and data processing exercises) provide feedback on your progress and help you prepare for end-of-module examinations.

On-line assignments are used extensively at Levels 1 and 2, with access via a PC on or off campus. Peer assessment operates in many team projects.

Requirements

See Course Homepage for Full Details

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Dundee.