Pharmacology and Drug Discovery
Pharmacology and drug discovery is the scientific study of how drugs interact with biological systems, and how new therapeutic agents are identified, developed, and brought towards clinical use. Pharmacology examines the molecular targets of drugs, how they produce their effects, how they are absorbed, distributed, metabolised, and eliminated, and how their safety and efficacy are assessed. Drug discovery extends that into the process by which potential medicines are identified from large libraries of compounds, optimised through chemical modification, and progressed through preclinical and early clinical development.
At the University of Southampton, a research-intensive university with a strong pharmaceutical sciences profile, you will study pharmacology and drug discovery over four years full-time, developing the scientific knowledge and laboratory skills that careers in academic and industrial pharmacology and the pharmaceutical sciences demand. You will study molecular and cellular pharmacology, the biochemistry of drug targets, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, medicinal chemistry, and the regulatory and translational dimensions of bringing new drugs to patients. Southampton's research environment means you are taught in a context where active drug discovery work is taking place, which gives the programme a contemporary and intellectually stimulating character.
The typical entry tariff is 152 UCAS points.
Graduates work in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in roles including drug discovery research, pharmacology, regulatory affairs, clinical research, quality assurance, and medical science liaison. Academic research is a natural path for those who want to continue at the forefront of pharmacological science. Medicine, dentistry, and the clinical professions are also destinations for graduates who decide to pursue a clinical career.
Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in pharmacology, drug development, toxicology, or a related biomedical discipline.