UDPHARFY - BSc (Hons) Pharmacology (including foundation year)

The Pharmacology pathway is intended to integrate the fundamentals of the chemical and biological sciences to produce graduates who have a sound understanding of how therapeutic agents mediate their effects, and who have the ability to assess and interpret the action of drugs on biological systems. The material will be delivered by a range of mechanisms designed to allow the student to maximise the use of their preferred learning style (traditional lecture (face-to-face and recorded), tutorial sessions, guided independent learning, use of IT-based material such as computer simulations, and peer-assisted sessions).

Utilisation of the University’s VLE, WebLearn has become an invaluable tool with which to disseminate information and to support and assess student learning. Online progress tests will be used to provide students with feedback on their progress. Exams in several modules are delivered as online exams.

Feedback will be delivered online and through provision of tutorial questions and answer sessions and other formative exercises.

Practical skills exercises at each level are used to monitor proficiency at experimental work. Assessment of Data handling skills are embedded in practical reports, problem solving exercises, information abstracting and reviewing exercises, poster presentations and seminar presentations.

The Science Centre provides an excellent facility in which to carry out the level 6 project module, providing the setting for the measurement of experimental and other practical skills. Project assessment will culminate in the presentation of a dissertation and a viva exam or poster, designed to allow the student to demonstrate their depth of knowledge and understanding.

Students have access to the Learning Centre. It provides specific group study areas as well as access to a comprehensive and regularly reviewed range of textbooks, journals and online learning resources. In addition, there ‘all access’ areas on the ground floor of the Tower building and the green lounge in Benwell Road and the newly fitted interactive teaching spaces in the Roding building. These areas come with comfortable seating and IT facilities.

This four-year course includes a Foundation Year (level three) which introduces you to the fundamentals of science, enabling you to study Pharmacology at level four. It makes no assumptions about prior scientific study. You will gain a solid grounding in biology, chemistry, biochemistry and numeracy relevant to these subject areas. Practical sessions in the Science Centre will help you gain proficiency at experimental work, and are delivered within PR3001 (Scientific Studies). The project module teaches you how to conduct research into a topic relating to Pharmacology and to report your findings accordingly, thus providing you with fundamental subject-specific knowledge and relevant skills.

The course is aimed at students wishing to pursue a career in pharmacology, and is therefore designed principally (but not exclusively) for students who have pharmacologically-related postgraduate study in mind.

The predominant aim of the course is to equip students with the knowledge and skills which will prepare them for employment or future study in the field of pharmacology. They will gain a sound grasp of the fundamentals of chemistry and biology, which in turn will enable them to study the action of drugs on biological systems and understand the role of drugs in the treatment of disease. Students will develop the intellectual and practical skills necessary for the collection, analysis, interpretation and understanding of scientific data. Alongside this, students will develop an awareness of the ethical implications of modern scientific work, and enhance skills of self-evaluation and analysis to enhance career development.

The QAA Subject Benchmark for Biomedical Sciences (2019), and the British Pharmacological Society’s Undergraduate Core Curriculum have been used as reference points for each learning outcome.

By the end of the course the student is expected to have developed:

1) An appreciation of the fundamental concepts and principles of underpinning pharmacological science.
2) An appreciation of sources of drugs, their nature, use and place in treatment of disease and in society, together with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles
3) An ability to devise working hypotheses and test these within specified constraints
4) A capacity to undertake self-reflection and demonstrate the skills of self-management, self-presentation and decision making
5) Competence at communicating concepts, principles and information effectively by oral, written and visual means with clarity and confidence
6) An ability to process and interpret data using appropriate qualitative and quantitative analyses
7) Recognition of personal responsibility whether working individually or as a member of a team and respect the ethical standards and professional codes of conduct established within the scientific community
8) Proficiency at collection and analysis of data with due regard to validity, accuracy, calibration, precision and reproducibility
9) An ability to devise and execute an independent project in a responsible, safe and ethical manner, and interpret and contextualise the findings within the contemporary understanding of pharmacology
10) The capability to relate the outcome of an experiment to the theory encountered in the lecture courses
11) Confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity, and students will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals in their discipline
12) An appreciation of fundamental concepts in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, numeracy, and laboratory skills

The QAA Subject Benchmark for Biomedical Sciences (2019)

Students are assessed through a variety of methods including problem-solving exercises, in-class tests, data analysis, practical reports, case studies, oral presentations, extended essays, examinations, research project interim report, oral examination and dissertation. The choice of assessment instrument chosen to test the specified learning outcomes and to support students’ different learning styles. These methods are aligned with the School assessment strategy and the assessment is the responsibility of the academic staff delivering the module. Assessment is part of the learning process and confirms the outcomes of the learning process. It also provides formative feedback on curriculum design and delivery and, via the ongoing iterative process of module monitoring, makes a significant contribution to the continued development and improvement of the courses that links in with the School learning and teaching strategy. In light of this a variety of assessment methods will be used (see syllabi) including unseen written examinations, individual and group assignments.

Practical skills are summatively assessed through coursework assignments, including those in the project module. Data handling skills are summatively assessed by practical reports, problem-solving exercises, oral presentations and examinations.

Formative assessments include group activities in tutorial classes, mini-tests and project workshops. Laboratory and computer-based investigations, poster and oral presentations and a level 6 project giving students the opportunity to show the knowledge understanding and skills they have developed.

The course includes the option to take either a 15 credit Work Placement module at level 6 or a 30 credit Sandwich Placement module between level 5 and level 6. Students are not allowed to register for both these modules.

Level 3: September entry (all core):
Year 1: PR3002, PR3003
Year 2: PR3001, PR3051, PR3P50
February entry (all core):
Year 1: PR3002, PR3003
Year 2: PR3001, PR3051, PR3P50
Level 4, year 1 (all modules are core): CY4070, CY4051, CY4080, BE4052
Level 4, year 2 (all modules are core): BE4053, BE4058, BE4055, BE4059
Level 5, year 3 (all modules are core): CY5051, BE5058, CY5062, BE5059
Level 5, year 4 (all modules are core): CY5073, BE5060, CY5083, BE5061
Level 6, year 5 (all modules are core): BE6057, CY6051, BE6058, CY6065
Level 6, year 6: Core: CY6P01 or BC6P01.
Option (default): BC6051, BC6052
Other options:BE6056, CY6073, BC6055, CY6061, CY6083

The course conforms to both framework and University Academic Regulations.

The cores for the award of BSc (Hons) are listed in the course structure. For intermediate awards, any combination of modules from the course specification would be appropriate.

During the induction phase of the programme, students will be introduced to structured reflection on their development of Undergraduate Skills which constitute much of the substance of personal development planning. Students will undertake to produce their personal development plan (PDP) during their undergraduate career or in the workplace. PDP can include other activities outside of the academic aspect of university life.

PDP is designed to allow students to articulate the skills developed during their undergraduate career and encourages them to critically reflect on their learning experience, to set new personal and academic goals and evaluate progress made in achieving those goals. PDP activities will be specifically incorporated into core modules on the course to ensure all students undertake reflective practices throughout their course of study.

Progress with undergraduate skills will be articulated to students as the programme progresses through feedback from tutors and peers enabling them to reflect on their progress based on the evidence available. This process assists students in developing as independent learners, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. This will be of benefit throughout their future career. One module at each level will be used to specifically develop employability and reflective activities. At level 4 this is CY4080 – Laboratory Techniques with Data Handling and at level 5, CY5062 – Spectroscopic Methods. At level 6, CY6P01/BC6P01 – the Research Project module is used – which requires research of the topic, planning and executing practical activities, analysis of results and re-evaluation of the direction of the work provides an appropriate forum to emphasise the importance of reflection and of the skills (both transferable and subject-specific) gained during the course.

The option exists for students to undertake an additional 30 credit module CY6W04 Sandwich Placement module to enhance employability. This would normally be undertaken between level 5 and 6, this would extend the period of study to four years. For part-time students in appropriate employment they can complete the module over an extended period during their degree rather than take a year out. Students also have the option to take the 15 credit CY6W54 – Work Placement module which requires a shorter placement.

Students at all levels will take part in tutorials designed to facilitate discussion on what has been learnt in order that reflective learning will contribute to identifying objectives, success criteria, and action plans that can be included in PDPs.

British Pharmacological Society’s Undergraduate Core Curriculum

Pharmacology graduates are typically employed in the pharmaceutical industry or in university laboratories; graduates also often undertake further study at postgraduate level. Other possible career paths include journalism, marketing, finance and teaching.

There are many career paths available to you as a pharmacology graduate. You could become an Analytical Chemist, Biomedical Scientist, pharmacologist, medical chemist, Toxicologist or a research scientist in medicine or the life sciences.

You could also choose to boost your earning potential by studying a postgraduate degree.

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• at least one A level (or a minimum of 32 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC Subsidiary/National/BTEC Extended Diploma)
• English Language and Mathematics GCSE at grade C (grade 4) or above (or equivalent)

Applicants who meet the UCAS points criteria but who obtained a grade D/grade 3 in English and/or Maths at GCSE may be offered a University test in these areas.

Other applicants may have Level 3 qualifications such as A level, BTEC Extended Diploma or Access to Higher education qualifications with high UCAS points and grades, but not in the relevant subject areas (biology and chemistry) which are required to study for BSc programmes in the School of Human Sciences.