Pharmaceutical Science BSc (Hons)

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course options

Select year

Degree

UCAS code: B200112 UCAS points

Pharmaceutical Science BSc (Hons), home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant
  • Full time, 3/4 years
  • Pound 9535 per year

Pharmaceutical Science BSc (Hons), home applicant, part time

  • Home Applicant
  • Part time
  • pro-rata full time fee

Pharmaceutical Science BSc (Hons), international applicant, full time

  • International Applicant
  • Full time, 3/4 years
  • Pound 15560 per year

Degree with foundation year

UCAS code: B47964 UCAS points

Pharmaceutical Science BSc (Hons), home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant
  • Full time, 4/5 years
  • Pound 9535 per year

Pharmaceutical Science BSc (Hons), international applicant, full time

  • International Applicant
  • Full time, 4/5 years
  • Pound 15560 per year

What makes this course different

Career focused practical sessions

You will receive extensive laboratory training throughout your studies within our state-of-the-art bioscience facilities, preparing you to be career-ready upon graduation.

Natural product focus

You will learn from several UEL industry experts about natural products for drug discovery and medicine. Many of our academic team have degrees in medical herbalism.

Outstanding facilities

Your learning will take place in our multi-million pound bioscience teaching laboratories. Our equipment is line with industry standards, which will support your transition into employment.

View our facilities

Accreditation

Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences

This course is accredited by the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

APS website

Course modules

You will develop skills in academic reading and writing, gathering and evaluating information, and critical thinking in this Pharmaceutical Science degree. You will perform various individual and group activities, including presentations on topics relevant to your degree studies, enhancing your social awareness and teamwork skills as well as core communication skills.

In Year 1 of the pharmaceutical science degree, you will build foundational knowledge in organic chemistry, biochemistry, and cell biology, exploring the synthesis, structure, and function of biological and chemical systems. The pharmaceutical science course integrates practical and theoretical knowledge to support professional and academic growth.

The pharmaceutical science course covers key areas including pharmacology, immunology, and organic synthesis, emphasising practical skills in drug manufacturing, quality control, and diagnostics. The pharmaceutical science programme also fosters professional competencies through research projects and optional work placements, preparing you for diverse careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

In Year 3 of the pharmaceutical science degree, you will explore advanced topics such as Natural Products and Discovery, focusing on drugs derived from natural sources, and Medicinal Chemistry, which emphasises drug design and synthesis. Through the pharmaceutical science programme, you will gain practical skills in analytical techniques for pharmaceutical quality control, toxicology, and biopharmaceuticals. The pharmaceutical science course integrates hands-on lab experiences and research projects to prepare you for a range of jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Your future career

Your pharmaceutical science degree will be an ideal entry point into a range of careers, giving you plenty of choice about the direction you take. You could, for example, go on to work with a pharmaceutical company, developing new drugs and testing their effectiveness. Pharmaceutical companies employ graduates to help advise customers on the technical aspects of their products. Then there are chemical companies looking for graduates who understand how drugs are developed and have proven analytical skills. Outside the chemical industries, there are teaching opportunities and careers in finance and accounting. Whatever your next step, after the contacts you've made and the opportunities you've had to see the industry up close, you'll leave us perfectly prepared to explore pharmaceutical science jobs across a range of sectors.

Industry links

Our course curriculum has been carefully developed from the APS indicative syllabus to ensure we are providing the content and experience that will enable you to develop a satisfying and enjoyable pharmaceutical science career. Our courses link with pharmaceutical companies via a stakeholder group. This ensures that our teaching encompasses the latest emerging pharmaceutical science technologies.

Graduate employers

Our graduates have found pharmaceutical science jobs as varied as the NHS and Pfizer as well as pharmacies, laboratories and the wider pharmaceutical sector.

Job roles

Students with a pharmaceutical science degree have gone on to careers as laboratory technicians, scientific officers, pharmacy manufacturers, quality control analysts, dispensers and microbiology analysts.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

Further study

You might decide to pursue postgraduate study on our MSc Pharmaceutical Science course or explore a career in research on our MRes programme led by Prof Winston Morgan.

Chemistry-2-min
Much of the testing I perform (dissolution, tablet testing, HPLC, wet chemistry) was covered in great detail during the course. think it’s the perfect degree for anyone wanting to work in pharmaceutical QC testing!"
Chelsea Lehane

Completed BSc Pharmaceutical science in 2019. Currently working at Tentamus Pharma UK job role is Laboratory Analyst

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated career support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

This digital platform provides you with careers and employability resources, including: 

  • Jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work 
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services 
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you've mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top:

  • Work-based projects
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations
  • Support in starting a new business
  • London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

Our innovative Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) approach enhances face-to-face learning by providing students with scheduled on-campus contact hours and additional learning opportunities. Through our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), students can access course materials and resources beyond their scheduled hours. We offer access to industry-standard technology and specialised spaces to prepare students for their future careers. Dedicated time for activities and development, along with a holistic approach to learning, fosters academic, personal, and professional growth. Students benefit from career support through on-campus and virtual Career Zones, personalised support services, and a dedicated online portal, Track My Future (TMF).

An integral part of our teaching strategy is to enhance the student experience by providing presentations from external experts, conference attendance and external visits. Students particularly enjoy the visit to the Royal College of Physicians Medicinal Garden where they observe first-hand the origin of many pharmaceutical drugs.

Guided independent study

When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops as part of your BSc Pharmaceutical Science, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, and specialist facilities, such as game labs, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.

Academic support

Students are supported through their pharmaceutical science degree with academic or subject-related queries by a programme director, module leaders, academic advisors (you’ll have an academic advisor from the teaching team as soon as you arrive with us), and university central support services.

Dedicated personal tutor

If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths, or statistics, academic tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-to-one appointments to help you achieve your potential.

You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs feature centralised helpdesks.

UEL provides support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).

Workload

Each year you will spend up to 240 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, pharmaceutical science workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.

The approximate percentages for this course are to be confirmed.

Your timetable

Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment on our pharmaceutical science degree. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.

Class sizes

The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work.

How you'll be assessed

We'll assess you with a mixture of coursework and exams. Coursework includes essays, research reports, group and seminar presentations and a final-year project. Most of the assessment in your first year is by coursework and we'll give you as much feedback as possible. In your third year, you'll either take five core modules or undertake a work placement. We'll assess you accordingly.

More details will be included in the student handbook and module guides. You will always receive detailed feedback outlining your strengths and how you can improve. We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 14 working days, although you will receive immediate feedback following many of our face-to-face assessments.

  • Year 1 - 50% Portfolio/Coursework, 50% Laboratory/Practical/ICT 
  • Year 2 - 33% Written Exam/Timed Assessment, 33% Laboratory/Practical/ICT, 17% Portfolio/Coursework, 8.5% Group Project/Presentation, 8.5% Case Study/PBL 
  • Year 3 - 42% Written Exam/Timed Assessment, 33% Portfolio/Coursework, 25% Laboratory/Practical/ICT

Campus and facilities

Water Lane, Stratford

Official student data from Discover Uni

The banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).

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Statistics for BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Science Degree, Full Time

Statistics for BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Science Degree, Full Time

What our students and staff say

 Students on BSc Pharmaceutical Science visit the Royal College of Physicians
As part of the course, we visited the Royal College of Physicians. It was a great learning experience on the history and use of living medicines. The visit strengthened our relationships with external organisations."

Tharmika Sithamparanathan

Pharmaceutical Science, BSc (Hons)

Biotechnology
Every module consists of lectures with practical sessions. Students also get the chance to deal with professional equipment in UEL labs, which helps them get into professional life more easily after graduating. The work is always challenging and interesting."

Holly Siddique

Pharmaceutical Science, BSc (Hons)