Pharmacology is the study of drug actions on living systems; where they act, what they do, how they are metabolised, and how they exert toxic effects. Understanding all of this requires studying drug actions at levels ranging from the single molecule to the whole organism. Pharmacology is therefore a very broad discipline, taking in aspects of molecular biology, chemistry, physiology and neuroscience. This course examines both the actions of current drugs and the development of new drugs. You will spend your third year on a placement with one of our partner organisations in the UK or overseas.

Student satisfaction across the Faculty of Life Sciences is excellent - overall, our courses scored an average of 93% compared to the national average of 84%, but we work hard to continually improve the student experience in consultation with our students. We have recently implemented new initiatives which we are confident will have a direct positive impact on students studying Pharmacology. These include a refurbishment of the Faculty dissecting rooms, library and student common room, as well as a new electronic marking system to speed up both the quality and turnaround time on marking of written assignments.

The pharmaceutical industry is the UK's top research sector. One-quarter of the world's top medicines were developed in the UK. The pharmaceutical industry spends around £8.8 billion on UK research and development, and employs around 26,000 people. A further 250,000 people work in related industries, so all this adds up to a whole lot of career opportunities.

• You can transfer between most of our life sciences degree programmes at the end of your first year, and in some cases later.
• You can opt on, or off, the industrial/professional placement year.
• Foundation Year available.

For full details on the modules available please see the Course Modules page.

You will gain a broad introduction to the Life Sciences covering key concepts including; genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and neuroscience. This year also provides an introduction to the essential data handling and laboratory skills required by all Life Scientists.

You will continue your studies in greater depth and begin to specialise. You will undertake a dissertation. During the Research Skills unit, you have the opportunity to carry out techniques which are widely used in current Life Science research.

Spent on placement. We have over 200 partner organisations including pharmaceutical companies, research institutes and hospitals. Pharmacology students have recently had placements with organisations including Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG in Germany and the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research. We have recently expanded our range of placements to reflect the growing range of science careers outside of the laboratory in science enterprise, education and communication:

• Industrial/professional research - undertake a research project usually in an industrial or international research institution.
• Education - undertake placements in at least two different educational environments gaining experience of teaching and learning in different age groups.
• Enterprise - spend a year working in a biotechnology start up or technology transfer company gaining valuable training, skills, experience and contacts.
• Science communication - work in an organisation that communicates science such as a medical writing company, media office or museum.

The Faculty of Life Sciences is unique in providing such a range of placements to our students.

Spent on placement. More information on industrial/professional experience placements.

Final year topics reflect the current hotspots of bioscience endeavour and the research interests of staff and are therefore being constantly updated.  You will undertake an independent in-depth research project - this may involve practical work in a research laboratory or you may choose to work on eLearning, educational, data-analysis, bioinformatics or enterprise topics:

Final year projects

 

Graduates from 'with industrial/professional experience' programmes are extremely desirable to employers who require significant relevant work experience. Many of our graduates secure jobs as researchers working in universities, pharmaceutical and bioscience companies and institutes. Some of our graduates progress into laboratory-based careers in clinical or technical roles which do not involve research. The transferable skills you will develop will also leave you well equipped for a wide range of careers outside the life sciences. The in-vivo training that these graduates have undertaken makes them especially attractive to pharmaceutical companies.Life Sciences roles of recent graduates included:

• Research co-ordinator for the NHS
• Research Assistant at biotechnology company
• Sales co-ordinator for pharmaceutical company
• Business Development co-ordinator for a biotechnology company
• Seed Technician for a biotechnology company
• Junior In Vivo Scientist at a pharmaceutical company
• Laboratory Assistant at a university

Non Life Sciences roles of recent graduates included:

• Volunteer Teacher in Africa
• Trainee Accountant

Pharmacology Graduate Profile: Annie, Management and Technology Analyst

For information on the range of career options available please see the Faculty of Life Sciences Careers page .

The Pharmacology course definitely has the most interesting practicals! These range from testing to see how alcohol affects your ability to concentrate and your hand-eye coordination, to seeing the physical and mental affects of Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) ... all within a controlled environment!

Siobhan Ahern

For an in depth look at the course you can watch a Pharmacology student's video profie: Cath Eagle's video profile

English language: Either GCSE grade C, IELTS 6.5 (with not less than 6.5 in any component) or an equivalent qualification.

A-level: Grades AAA-ABB.

• You must have a grade A in one of - Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Maths.
• Your subjects should include 2 `hard sciences' -  Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Maths.
• If your grades are AAB or higher we will accept Geography, Psychology, Environmental Studies or PE in place of one of the hard sciences.
• General Studies is welcomed, but is not normally included as part of the offer.

AS-level: 2 AS levels are acceptable in place of the third non-science A-level.

Unit grade information: The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit grade information which, like all other available information, will inform the consideration of applications.  Unit grades will not normally form part of offer conditions, except for Mathematics programmes.

GCSE: Minimum grade C in English Language and Mathematics.

Key Skills qualification: The University warmly welcomes applications from students studying the Key Skills qualification. However, as the opportunities to take these modules are not open to all applicants, currently this is not an essential requirement of the University.

Additional entry requirements

Applications from the EU are considered on the basis of the UCAS form and then short-listed candidates are normally interviewed.

Applications from outside the EU are considered on the basis of the UCAS form, some candidates may be interviewed. 

All Applicants who live in the EU are normally interviewed in person at the University. Applicants who live outside the EU will be interviewed either; in person at the University, by Skype or by telephone.

Applications for deferred entry are considered equally to other applications up to the point of confirmation. Deferred entry is granted on the discretion of admissions staff, and is normally granted for one year only and 2 years at the maximum. Some English Language test results, such as IELTS or TOEFL, are only valid for two years from the test date.

The University will consider applicants who have re-sat individual modules.If you have re-sat your final examinations we will consider your application but may require further information in order to make an informed academic judgement on your application.

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry.  In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved.  We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.If you are applying for a place for the same year of entry through UCAS Extra, you should provide additional evidence of your suitability for the course. If you are applying through clearing you are required to meet the clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and clearing the places will be subject to availability.

We use a wide range of teaching methods to suit the content and aims of each course unit:

• Tutorials : Regular sessions with an advisor and small group of students develop your oral and written communication, IT, teamworking and problem-solving skills whilst exploring topics related to your degree discipline.
• Lectures : Delivered to audiences ranging from 20 to 500 students using technology such as PowerPoint, video and interactive voting.
• eLearning : Our virtual learning environment provides learning resources on demand (discussion boards, lecture podcasts, quizzes) to enhance and support your lecture based units.
• Practicals : Undertake modern experimental techniques to develop laboratory, experimental design, and data analysis skills.  
• Seminars : Examine and debate topical areas of research to develop your critical thinking and communication skills.  
• Research projects : Carry out an independent research project which could be lab-based or in a number of other formats for example planning a new bioscience enterprise or an education project.

Download a typical first year timetable (pdf).