Course summary

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 followed by a year of study 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 be for you. Taught as part of the Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, where Biomedical Sciences was ranked 1st in the UK for satisfaction with teaching and 2nd in the UK for graduate prospects, by The Guardian University Guide 2024, you’ll be joining the best in the field. In your first year, you will gain a through 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. In your second year, you will study core theory modules such as Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Genetics. 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, third year provides you with the opportunity to tailor your module choices to your own interests. Optional modules include Clinical Immunology, and Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology. In fourth year, you'll have the opportunity to further focus your studies, choosing from advanced modules that cover cutting edge 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 gives you the opportunity 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 important 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 you with the ideal environment in which to develop your practical skills. Here, you’ll get hands-on experience of using equipment like microscopes, plate readers and PCR machines, to gain the skills needed for a successful laboratory career.