BSc PHARMACOLOGY AND DRUG DISCOVERY WITH FOUNDATION YEAR

How can we support an ageing population and fight the increasing number of cases of diseases such as cancer? How can we help the one in four people suffering from mental health issues? These are just some of the challenges you’ll explore on our pharmacology and drug discovery degree. You’ll be able to apply your passion for chemistry and biology and put it to use for the good of human health, developing the life-changing medicines of the future. 

Our research-rich environment is pivotal to our course, which has been designed to prepare you for a career at the forefront of pharmaceutical research. 

If you don't yet have the knowledge or grades required for our BSc Pharmacology and Drug Discovery, our foundation year is designed to fill any gaps in your knowledge, giving you a firm grounding in chemistry, biology and mathematics, as well as introducing you to key concepts of pharmacology and medicinal chemistry. 

About

Pharmacology is the study of drugs and their effects on living organisms. You’ll examine the way drugs work to combat disease and, combined with drug discovery, you will learn how new drugs are designed, synthesised and manufactured. The Pharmacology Drug Discovery programme is the only BSc of its type in the UK and is innovative in its multidisciplinary approach. 

The course brings together scientific disciplines – biology, chemistry and physical sciences – around the context of disease and medicines. Within integrated modules, you’ll learn about the major diseases and the science behind the drugs used to treat them. We also include business studies to provide you with an understanding of management practice focused around the pharmaceutical industry – vital tools for working in today’s corporate world. 

You’ll be taught by academic researchers including pharmacologists, cell biologists, and medicinal and pharmaceutical chemists, whose own research is in pharmacology and drug discovery. The course is designed to inform and inspire your journey to becoming a researcher in the pharmaceutical sciences. For example, in practical classes you’ll gain experience of synthetic medicinal chemistry as well as techniques in current molecular pharmacology – the techniques used in the discovery of new medicines. You’ll learn about designing experiments and how to write reports in the form of scientific papers. A highlight of the course will be performing your own original research in an individual project carried out within an active research laboratory. 

After the Course

Once you successfully finish your Foundation Year you will go straight onto the BSc Pharmacology and Drug Discovery. 

You’ll graduate from that ready to pursue a career in drug design or development within academia, the health sector or industry. 

You could also choose a broader life science career, for example with a grant-funding body, charity, learned society or in academia, regulatory affairs or publishing. 

We embed employability skills throughout the course, with sessions on developing CVs, interview techniques, presentation skills, team-working, research and business skills. 

For entrepreneurial students who, in the future, want to turn their work into a business, there are dedicated facilities on the Norwich Research Park, with state-of-the-art lab and office spaces right on our doorstep. 

Career destinations

Examples of careers that you could enter include: 

• Research scientist in industry, research institute or university 
• Healthcare scientist 
• Analytical chemist 
• Biomedical scientist 
• Medical sales representative 
• Toxicologist