Program Overview

Pharmaceutical Sciences BSc

Overview

The Pharmaceutical Sciences BSc program at the University of Nottingham is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop new drugs and medicines. The program is ranked 8th in the UK for Pharmacy and Pharmacology (Times Good University Guide 2025) and 5th in the UK and 12th in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Course Structure

The program is a three-year full-time course that covers the core sciences of pharmaceutical sciences, including chemistry, biosciences, and pharmaceutics. The course is divided into three years, with each year building on the previous one to provide a comprehensive understanding of pharmaceutical sciences.

Year One

• Biopharmaceutics: Students learn about the design and formulation of medicines, including the use of novel materials and delivery systems.
• Cardiovascular and Haematology: Students study the molecules of life, cellular structure, and the components of cells, including lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids.
• Drug Structure: Students learn about the basic concepts of molecular structure that underlie the physicochemical properties of drugs and their interactions with pharmacological binding partners.
• Endocrine and Metabolism: Students learn about the human endocrine system and the body's metabolic processes, including the fate of drugs within the body.
• Synthesis of Simple Drugs: Students learn about the basic reactions used to form the bonds in organic molecules and acquire a mechanistic understanding of the reactions used to form carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds in simple functionalized aromatic and aliphatic drug molecules.
• The Science of Medicines: Students learn about the action and stability of drugs, including the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the components used in the formulation of medicines.

Year Two

• Advanced Drug Delivery: Students study how novel materials are used for drug formulations and how delivery systems are designed.
• Drug Design: Students learn how knowledge of structural and synthetic aspects of molecules is applied in the discovery and design of new drugs.
• Infection and Immunity: Students study microbiology, learning about pathogenic microbes, including viruses, fungi, parasites, and the roles of bacteria in health and disease.
• Oncology: Students explore signal transduction networks, including receptor-mediated signalling and the processes involved in cell division.
• Pharmaceutical Biotechnology: Students examine the materials, constructs, and concepts behind technologies to produce, formulate, and deliver biologics.
• Synthesis of Complex Drugs: Students learn about further synthetic methodology used to prepare complex drug molecules, including peptides, (oligo)saccharides, and (oligo)nucleotides.

Year Three

• Biologics: Students learn about biological products, including monoclonal antibodies, and new entities such as RNA molecules, new approaches for gene therapy, and cell-based therapies.
• Natural Products: Students focus on a topic of interest, such as genomic and analytical techniques that supplement traditional methods of studying natural products, (semi)synthesis of natural products, or advances in small molecule formulation.
• Pharmaceutical Research Project: Students actively engage in research and solve a specific problem related to pharmaceutical science.
• Science and Industry: Students learn about medicines regulation, marketing, the product life cycle, intellectual property, ethics, and product design.

Admission Requirements

• ABB at A level, including Chemistry and at least one further science A level from Biology, Maths, Physics, or Further Maths.
• A pass in the practical element of science subjects is required if assessed separately.
• The third A level can be any subject apart from General Studies, Critical Thinking, and Citizenship, which are not accepted.
• GCSEs: Maths 5 (B) or above, English 4 (C) or above.

Tuition Fees

• £9,535 per year for UK students.
• £30,750 per year for international students.

Additional Costs

• Students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
• Students are recommended to have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus.
• Students may need to consider the costs of travel and living expenses in the country they choose to study abroad.

Scholarships and Bursaries

• The University of Nottingham offers a range of international undergraduate scholarships for high-achieving international scholars.
• Home students may be eligible for a means-tested core bursary, worth up to £1,000 a year.

Careers

• The knowledge and skills gained from this course can lead to roles in drug discovery, medicines regulation, medical affairs, drug formulation, manufacturing, patenting and licensing, and analytical testing.
• The Nottingham Internship Scheme provides a range of work experience opportunities and internships throughout the year.
• The Nottingham Advantage Award is a free scheme to boost employability, with over 200 extracurricular activities to choose from.

Campus

• The University Park Campus covers 300 acres, with green spaces, wildlife, period buildings, and modern facilities.
• The campus is one of the UK's most beautiful and sustainable campuses, winning a national Green Flag award every year since 2003.