Pharmacology

BSc Hons

  • UCAS code B210
  • Entry year 2026 or 2025
  • A level requirements AAB
  • Duration Full time 3 years
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We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

A pharmacology degree is your opportunity to study and research new and existing drugs; how they work; how they affect our bodies; and how they can be used to change lives and tackle global healthcare challenges.

With plenty of practical study, you will learn how drugs interact with living systems, how they affect our bodies and communities, and their important role in society.

Unlock the power of medicine

Our three-year Pharmacology BSc will provide you with a deep understanding of how drugs and medicines interact with living systems and affect our bodies which is 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, as well as new drugs being developed.

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 and work in the world of pharmacology.

Pharmacology graduates are in increasing demand with employers who will value your skills in experimental design, research, data recording and statistical analysis as well as teamworking, negotiation and communication. You will also build transferable skills and analytical training that will open up potential careers in other fields such as management, teaching, marketing and finance.

Your journey through pharmacology

Our academics have carefully designed this course to provide you with a progressive training in pharmacology.
The course content is highly structured as it is aligned with the British Pharmacological Society’s core curriculum. The majority of modules are compulsory.

  • In Year 1 you will gain a thorough grounding in the biomedical basis of pharmacology by studying core topics including an introduction to pharmacology, the molecules of life, genetics and molecular biology.
  • In Year 2, you will study more advanced topics within the field of pharmacology, including molecular genetics, microbiology and immunology, and drug design and development. This will enable you to grow your practical skills that will provide you with an understanding of the experimental techniques used in modern pharmacological research.
  • In Year 3 you will focus on themes such as neuropharmacology and advanced drug design and development, and you will put your learning into practice with an independent research project. This is your opportunity to make your own, unique contribution to increasing scientific knowledge in an area of pharmacology that fascinates you.

You will be supported by our research-active academics whose research includes neglected tropical diseases like leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and snakebite as well as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and inflammatory conditions like asthma and psoriasis.

A hands-on course

The pharmacology facilities at Lancaster are excellent. Our state-of-the-art life science teaching laboratories will be at the centre of your degree and are where you will put the knowledge you have acquired from lectures and tutorials into practice.

Here, you will get hands-on experience (depending upon your specialisation) of using equipment such as:

  • our bioimaging facility
  • protein purification and characterisation facilities
  • cell sorters
  • confocal microscopes
  • flow cytometers
  • PCR thermocyclers
  • cell culture facilities

You will also learn techniques such as in silico drug modelling, in vitro biomolecule manipulation with drugs, and aseptic cell culture.

In addition to laboratory practical classes and workshops, you will learn through lectures, workshops, tutorials, laboratory reports, essays and case studies, presentations, tests and exams. You will also benefit from digital resources through our online learning environment which will support your independent learning.

Altogether, your classroom learning and practical experience means you will graduate well-prepared for a successful career in the drug sciences or in other scientific and non-scientific fields.

Careers

A pharmacology degree is the perfect springboard for a variety of careers both in the lab and beyond.
Graduates often enter the pharmaceutical or biotechnology sectors or academia and education, in areas such as:

• Pharmacologist
• Veterinary pharmacologist
• Toxicologist
• Pharmaceutical Scientist
• Analytical Chemist
• Academic Researcher
• Science Communications and Public Engagement
• Medicine Monitoring and Licencing
• Regulatory Affairs
• Teacher
• Research Manager
• Forensic Scientist
• Research Scientist
• Sales and marketing roles
• Health and Safety Assurance
• Biomedical Researcher
• Science Writer
• Drug Safety Associate
• Clinical Trial Project Manager
• Pharmaceutical Representative
• Microbiologist
• Medical Publisher
• PhD student

And, because professional skills are embedded throughout our curriculum, you will develop wider expertise valued by employers, including project and time management, problem-solving skills, and ethical and environmental awareness.

This means you will graduate with a scientific understanding of pharmacology as well as the mindset, confidence and workplace experience to stand out in the competitive world of employment.

Employability at Lancaster: preparing you for the world of work
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring that you gain a highly reputable degree. We are also committed to ensuring that you graduate with relevant life and work-based skills.

Because professional skills are embedded throughout our curriculum, you will develop wider expertise valued by employers including communication, teamworking and negotiation skills, project management and problem-solving skills, ethical and environmental awareness.

We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award, which offers you the opportunity to complete activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development.

Visit our employability section for full details.

Entry requirements

These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. You may need to have qualifications in relevant subjects. In some cases we may also ask you to attend an interview or submit a portfolio. You must also meet our English language requirements.

Find more about these qualifications and others not shown here

Learn about how we will assess your application

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Contact Admissions

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, please complete our enquiry form and one of our team will get back to you.

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Enhancing our curriculum

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future.

We will publish more detailed information about the structure of this degree course for 2026-entry in June 2025, ahead of our summer undergraduate open days. This will include overviews of the core modules you will take and examples of optional modules which may be available to you.

Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

As a guide, our fees in 2025/26 were:

Home International
£9,535 £29,820

Fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for students starting in 2026 are not yet available.

You can use our scholarships for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2026/2027 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

Undergraduate open days 2025

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