Undergraduate Prospectus 2009

Why study Pharmacy

Pharmacists and Pharmacologists are essential to healthcare in today’s society both as scientists and health practitioners. Their knowledge and expertise in the pharmaceutical sciences ensure that health professionals use medicines to the maximum benefit in patient treatment and disease prevention.

Our excellence in research has been recognised by the award of the highest ranking of grade 5*A in the latest research assessment exercise in universities. The academic staff’s innovative and enthusiastic approach to teaching has also been recognised through the Department scoring an excellent 23 points (max 24) in its subject review of teaching quality.

We have well-equipped teaching and research laboratories in a new building, along with a modern Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice Learning Centre and computing suite for our own students’ use.

The MPharm degree programme

This is strongly based on the pharmaceutical sciences and prepares you for the increased clinical and advisory roles of the pharmacist.

Each semester consists of five units. In the first two years, all are core units, taken by everyone, but in the third and final years there is a wide choice of options, together with a research project. It is also possible in the final year for a placement overseas. Final year projects are linked to the research interests of the Department and you work alongside postgraduate researchers.

The placement year

We have a wide range of research links with other academic institutes for the overseas placement option including Europe, North America, and Australia.

Career opportunities

www.bath.ac.uk/careers/destinations/intro.html

www.bath.ac.uk/careers/destinations/2005/pharmacy.rtf

Pharmacology programmes

Master of Pharmacology BSc Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the study of the interaction of chemical compounds with living tissues. Drugs are those substances which produce an effect while medicines contain drugs formulated for therapeutic use. A pharmacologist is a research scientist involved with the development of new drug treatments and examination of the mechanism of action of existing ones. This has a basis in both chemical and biological sciences. Therefore if you have strong interest in the function of the body and disease and you enjoy practical science, pharmacology is for you.

Degree programmes in Pharmacology

Two degree programmes are offered. Most candidates apply for the 4-year Master of Pharmacology degree with compulsory placement (sandwich) year. A 3-year full-time BSc Pharmacology degree is also available. Entry requirements are the same for both degrees, and transfer between them is possible up to the end of Year 2. The MPharmacol differs from the BSc, not only in the placement year, but also in requiring a higher academic standard in progress examinations and includes more advanced units in specific areas of pharmacology and individual research projects in the final year. Our academic staff have a wide range of research interests, including inflammation, cardiovascular disease, disorders of the central nervous system and cell signalling, and these allow us to offer project choices and teaching expertise across the whole of Pharmacology.

The placement year

Placements are a distinctive feature of the undergraduate programme at Bath which may be studied either as a three-year full-time or a four-year sandwich programme, in which the third year is spent out on industrial placement.

The placement year is organised by the Department and offers a period of invaluable experience in the pharmaceutical industry. During this year, students normally work in the Research & Development laboratories of a major company (e.g. GlaxoSmithKline) in the UK, USA or Europe. As well as being part of a research team, each MPharmacol student undertakes their own project and also submits a dissertation and a series of essays during the year.

Career opportunities

www.bath.ac.uk/careers/destinations/intro.html

www.bath.ac.uk/careers/destinations/2005/pharmacology.rtf