Subject area overview
What is the relevance of this subject to the ordinary person?
What approach is taken to this subject at Brighton?
Who teaches the subject matter?
What are the undergraduate options?
What are the postgraduate options?
See also details of our school's research and educational units
What is the relevance of this subject to the ordinary person?
Pharmacology is the study of drugs and medicines, what they do to the body and, importantly, what the body does to the drugs. Therapeutics is the use of medicines to treat or prevent illness, Everybody, at some time in their lives, become ill and requires treatment, or requires a medicine to prevent an illness. The aim of the pharmacologist is to develop medicines which are able to treat or prevent illness quickly and efficiently, without undue side effects. Coupled with that desire is the need to develop drugs which are not broken down rapidly in the body, or rapidly excreted: a once-a-day medicine is good, one-a-week would be better, and once-a-month?
Pharmacy is the healthcare arm of the pharmacological sciences. Pharmacists play a part in the healthcare team to select the correct medicine for the condition, to advise the user on the possible consequences of taking the medicine and to monitor the patient’s progress.
What approach is taken to this subject at Brighton?
The school of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences offers a range of courses which contain aspects of pharmacology. The major course of this nature is the MPharm. Within the MPharm programme the disciplines of chemistry, biology, physiology, pharmaceutics, pharmacology, microbiology and pharmacy practice are delivered in a coordinated, integrated manner. The course prepares the successful student for registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and a career as a pharmacist.. The school also offers an intercalated BSc in Pharmacological Sciences for medical students who have completed the first three years of their study and an MSc in Pharmacology for those graduates wanting to pursue careers in drug discovery.
Who teaches the subject matter?
The academic staff of the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences is comprised of research scientists, some of whom are registered pharmacists, and practicing pharmacists. Several of the staff hold joint appointments with the local hospital trusts or retail pharmacies, thus they have clinical responsibilities in addition to their academic duties. 80% of the research output of the researchers was classified as ‘of International Standing’ in the UK Research Assessment Exercise, 2008. All courses are thus taught by enthusiastic, committed individuals with up-to-date, hands-on experience of their subject matter, and all research projects are guaranteed to be of relevance to future employers and of the quality suitable for publication in national or international scientific / medical journals.
What are the undergraduate options?
MPharm
As described above, the four-year Masters in Pharmacy programme is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) as qualifying successful graduates as being eligible for registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council and practice as a pharmacist. The MPharm degree is the only undergraduate degree that bestows such eligibility and it adheres to a syllabus regulated by the European Union. All UK degrees are required to adhere to the syllabus, although individuality between schools is achieved by differences in emphasis placed upon the different aspects of the course. Brighton prides itself in emphasising the clinical (hospital) aspects of pharmacy practice and students spend several extended periods working alongside pharmacists in a hospital environment.
Within the MPharm programme the different scientific disciplines are integrated to create two modular themes: The Patient and The Medicine. The first year of the course concentrates on the chemistry of medicines and how they induce effects within the body; alongside this students are taught how patients behave when given medicines and reasons for users not taking their medicines as necessary are discussed. The course at Brighton is unique in that first-year students also undertake a qualification as a pharmacy counter assistant, which facilitates securing vacation employment.
In years two and three students spend more and more time studying the common conditions and how medicines are used to prevent or treat those illnesses. At all times understanding the mechanism of action of the medicines, the possible adverse effects and the possible contraindications are paramount. The rationale behind medicine choice is discussed in terms of user preference, clinical effectiveness and economics.
In the final year of the programme, students select specialised options to study in greater depth and join a research group to undertake their research project. All students are required to complete a meaningful medical research project of approximately 6 months duration.
Pharmacological Sciences BSc(Hons)
The BSc(Hons) degree in Pharmacological Sciences was specifically developed as an intercalated degree for students studying medicine. The course lasts one year and is for students who have successfully completed the first three years of their Medicine programme. Students attend lectures covering the use of medicines for the prevention and treatment of common conditions: their mechanism of action, adverse effects and contraindications. These lectures build upon the therapeutics knowledge gained from the course in Medicine. Students also study four selected aspects of pharmacology in depth and join a pharmacology research team to undertake their extended research investigation. Approximately 10% of medical students undertake an intercalated degree with the aim of extending their knowledge in their selected area, experiencing a prolonged period of academic study and gaining an additional higher level qualification to facilitate their career choices upon graduation from the Medicine programme.
What are the postgraduate options?
Industrial Pharmaceutical Studies MSc (QP)
This programme is a 3-year distance-learning programme targeted at scientists employed within the pharmaceutical industry. The course provides tuition in those core aspects of pharmacology, microbiology, pharmaceutics, quality control and legislation necessary for the student to seek registration as a Qualified Person. Qualified Persons are the only individuals recognized as having the necessary knowledge and skills to ‘sign off’ medicines for release, distribution and marketing for use in humans. The first 2 years of the course consist of distance learning modules, with work packages, supported by three intensive study weeks per year held in Brighton. Satisfactory completion of the first two years of the course renders the student eligible for the award of a Post Graduate diploma and application to their professional body for registration as a Qualified Person. The third year of the programme, necessary for the award of MSc, consists of a research project undertaken at their place of work.
Industrial Pharmaceutical Sciences MSc
This full-time, one-year MSc programme is aimed at graduates in chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences or pharmacy who wish to pursue a career within the pharmaceutical industry in the area of medicines development and production. The programme covers aspects of formulation science, drug delivery, pharmaceutical microbiology, pharmaceutical analysis as well as drug discovery, pharmacology and therapeutics. The course culminates within an extensive research project conducted within one of the school’s active research groups.
Pharmacology MSc
This full-time, one-year MSc programme is aimed at graduates in pharmacology, biomedical sciences, biochemistry, molecular medicine and pharmacy who wish to pursue a career in drug discovery. The programme is comprised of a range of in-depth pharmacology modules covering state-of-knowledge aspects of psychopharmacology, diabetes mellitus, neuronal ageing for example. The course culminates within an extensive research project conducted within one of the school’s active research groups.
