BSc Pharmacology with

Industrial/Professional Experience /
Overview
Year of entry: 2025

Overview
Degree awarded

BSc (Hons)

Duration

4 years

Typical A-level offer

AAA-AAB (including specific subjects)

Typical contextual A-level offer

AAB-ABC (including specific subjects).AAB-ABC (including specific subjects).

Find out more about contextual admissions.

Refugee/care-experienced offer

Applicants who have been in local authority care for more than three months or
have refugee status may be eligible for an offer two grades below the standard
requirements.

Find out more about contextual admissions.

Typical International Baccalaureate offer

35-36 points overall with 6, 6, 5 to 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level including two science

subjects, normally Biology and Chemistry.

Full entry requirements

Number of places/applicants

650/7000 (overall data for biological and biomedical sciences undergraduate

courses at Manchester).

How to apply

Apply through UCAS .

Course overview
"Every day on my placement in The Gambia I would learn something new, or
have a new, sometimes extraordinary experience.
 "It is the main reason I would massively recommend going abroad during
your degree; it is such a safe way to travel and really immerse yourself in a
different place and accumulate some cool stories."

Claire Laxton / 2017 graduate and Wellcome Trust PhD student

​ Spend the third year of your degree gaining valuable workplace

experience to enhance your CV, choosing from placements all over the
world.
​ Study at a university that is 4th in the UK for Pharmacy and
Pharmacology, according to the QS World University Rankings 2023.

​ Apply for membership of the Royal Society of Biology at Member

(MRSB) level after just two years of practice instead of three thanks to
our Advanced Accreditation status.

Open days
Attending an open day is a great way to find out what studying at Manchester is
like. Find out about our upcoming open days.
We also operate campus tours where a student ambassador will tell you all about
life at the University. You may also meet with admissions staff, subject to staff
availability. These tours run on most days and are open to anybody thinking of
applying for any of our courses in biosciences.

To book, please email the Admissions Office at least two weeks before you wish
to have a tour to allow us sufficient time to arrange this
[email protected]

Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September
2025 will be £9,250 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will
be £34,500 per annum. For general information please see the
undergraduate finance pages.

Tuition fees are considerably lower for your placement year. Please see the
fees page for full details.

Additional expenses

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study
without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for
that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling
more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum,
regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or
postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application.
Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs
incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF
document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships
Students participating in placements outside the UK may be able to apply
for funding from the UK's Turing scheme depending on eligibility. Priority will
be given to students from low income households.

Contact details
School/Faculty
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Telephone
+44 (0)161 529 4539
Email
[email protected]

Website
https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/biomedicine

School/Faculty overview
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Entry requirements
A-level
We require grades AAA-AAB, including two of Biology, Chemistry, Physics
and Mathematics (the Core Sciences ). You must have a minimum of
grades AA in at least two Core Sciences.
Applicants predicted/who have achieved a B in their third A level will
receive an offer of AAB, while those predicted/who have achieved an A or
A* will be eligible for an offer of AAA.
If you are taking only one of the above Core Science subjects, we can
consider you for an AAA offer if you are also sitting an A level in at least
one of Geography, Psychology, Environmental Studies or Physical
Education in place of the second Core Science. If your predicted grades
are one grade below our minimum entry requirements we may still make
you an aspirational offer if you meet our contextual criteria .
Subjects with overlapping content are not normally considered as separate
A-levels. For example, Further Mathematics is not considered alongside
Mathematics and Human Biology is not considered alongside Biology. If
you are concerned there is too much overlap in your A level subjects,
please contact us for advice before applying.
We believe that practical skills in the sciences are integral to a candidate s
understanding and appreciation of these subjects. Therefore we encourage
all applicants to undertake any practical skills assessment if it is available in
their qualification. Where applicants are applying for science and related
degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offers you will receive.

Contextual offer
Contextual offer: AAB-ABB (including specific subjects).

Typical WP++ Contextual offer: ABB-ABC (including specific subjects).

AS-level
AS-level results are not considered as part of the standard admissions
process at The University of Manchester.

Unit grade information

The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit information
where available. Like all other information provided by applicants this may
be taken into consideration when assessing your application. Unit grades
will not normally form part of an offer conditions.

GCSE
Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including
acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 4
or C in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and Mathematics. GCSE/IGCSE
English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English
Language.

Please note that if you hold English as a Second Language IGCSE

qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable
equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your
IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact
[email protected] for clarification.

Non-standard educational routes

Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing
skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences.
Students come from a whole array of backgrounds, study every kind of
course, undertake full-time and part-time learning and are motivated by
career intentions as well as personal interest. There is no such thing as a
typical mature student at Manchester.

The application process is the same as for other prospective

undergraduates. If you require further clarification about the acceptability
of the qualifications you hold please contact the academic School(s) you
plan to apply to. Further information for mature students can be found here
( http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/mature-students/ )

English language
All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to
show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English
Language requirement for this course is either:

​ GCSE/IGCSE English Language grade 4 or C;

​ IELTS 6.5 (with no less than 6.5 in any component);

​ an acceptable equivalent qualification.

Please note that if you hold English as a Second Language IGCSE

qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable
equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in
your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the academic
School for clarification.
The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student from
outside the UK and the EU must show evidence of a minimum level of
English Language in order to be granted a UK visa (Student Visa) to study
at undergraduate or postgraduate level. This level is often referred to as the
B2 level.
Additionally, our individual Schools may ask for specific English Language
proficiency levels that are necessary for their academic programmes. In
most cases these requirements are likely to be higher than the B2 level.
Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of
some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found here .

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your
English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Application and
selection
How to apply
Apply through UCAS .

Advice to applicants
We would normally only consider applicants who obtained the relevant
qualification within the three years prior to entry.
Applicants who have left education for more than three years would normally be
recommended to take an Access course or exceptionally considered for the
Foundation Year.
Applicants should contact the Admissions Office to discuss their particular
circumstances.

You should not usually apply for more than one of the bioscience courses offered
by The University of Manchester. Please contact us for advice if you are planning
to do so.

How your application is considered

Applications are considered on the basis of the UCAS form. Some
candidates may be interviewed online or by telephone, or asked to
complete an alternative admissions statement.

Deferrals
Applications for deferred entry are considered equally to other applications
up to the point of confirmation. Deferred entry is granted at the discretion of
admissions staff, and is normally granted for one year only and two years
at the maximum. Some English Language test results, such as IELTS or
TOEFL, are only valid for two years from the test date. Your English
Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Policy for applicants who resit their

qualifications
The University will consider applicants who have re-sat individual modules.
If you have re-sat your final examinations we may consider your application
in exceptional circumstances. We would generally require a minimum
grade of an A for any subject being re-sat. Please contact us to discuss this
before you apply.

Re-applications
If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful
you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the
standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application
you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw
upon all information from your previous applications or any previous
registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability
for your chosen course. If you are applying for a place for the same year of
entry through UCAS Extra, you should provide additional evidence of your
suitability for the course. If you are applying through clearing you are
required to meet the clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and
clearing the places will be subject to availability.

Course details
Course description
Our BSc Pharmacology with Industrial/Professional Experience course will
enable you to gain experience of the workplace on a year-long placement during
your degree, making you more attractive to potential employers after graduation.
You will explore drug actions on living systems - where they act, what they do,
how they are metabolised, and how they exert toxic effects. Understanding all of
this requires studying drug actions at levels ranging from the single molecule to
the whole organism.
As a result, our course includes aspects of molecular biology, chemistry,
physiology and neuroscience, and you will examine both the actions of current
drugs and the development of new drugs throughout the course.
In Year 3, you will have the opportunity to go on a placement with one of our
`trusted partner' organisations in the UK or abroad. Alternatively, you can choose
to arrange your own placement (subject to approval from the School of Biological
Sciences).
Placements range from research project work to roles in education, the
biotechnology industry and science communication.

Our course has Advanced Accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology , which
recognises academic excellence in the biosciences and highlights degrees that
educate the research and development leaders and innovators of the future.

Special features
A range of study options
You can extend your degree by a year to undertake an integrated master's, gain
industrial/professional experience, study with entrepreneurship or learn a modern
language.
It is possible to broaden your degree by taking units from the University College,
Business and Management for all Programmes or the University Centre for
Academic English in exchange for a few units from your degree.
Foundation Year available
You can prepare for the full degree course if you do not have the appropriate
qualifications for direct entry by undertaking our foundation course first.
Flexibility to transfer between courses

You can transfer between most of our bioscience courses at the end of your first
year or, in some cases, later.

Teaching and learning

You will benefit from a wide range of teaching and learning methods that suit the
content and aims of each course unit.
These range from lectures and tutorials to practicals and research projects,
including the final year project .

Find out more about how you will learn and see a typical Year 1 timetable on our
teaching and learning page.

Coursework and assessment

Assessment methods vary widely to suit the nature of the course unit and each
level of study.

​ Lecture units are usually assessed by written exam (multiple choice,

short answer questions or essay-based), which are held at the end of an
academic semester in either January or May/June.
​ Practical units are usually assessed by experimental report and/or short
written assignment and/or written exam.

​ The proportion of independent study assignments increases during each

year of study.

Year 1
Lecture units are usually assessed by e-learning activities during the unit and
multiple choice exams at the end of the semester. Year 1 contributes 10% to your
overall degree mark.
Year 2
Lecture units are usually assessed by essay-based exam and short answer
questions. Year 2 contributes 30% to your overall degree mark.
Placement year
You will write a scientific placement report, which is submitted and assessed
when you return to University in your final year. The mark for the report, and the
associated viva voce oral examination, contribute approximately 10% towards
your overall degree mark.
You will be marked out of 110% for your whole degree.
Final year
Lecture units are usually assessed by essay-based exam. Students also take two
honours papers: degree programme-specific examinations comprising essays
and data-handling problems.
A significant part of the year (accounting for one-quarter of the overall degree
mark) is the project, which is assessed through a presentation and a written
report.

The final year contributes 60% to your overall degree mark.

Course unit details

This course is modular. You will study compulsory course units and choose
some optional units.

Most units are assigned 10 credits and you will take 120 credits each year.

Course content for year 1

You will gain a broad introduction to biological sciences, covering key
concepts such as:

​ pharmacology
​ biochemistry
​ genetics
​ anatomy
​ physiology
​ neuroscience

​ molecular biology

Year 1 also provides an introduction to the essential data handling and

laboratory skills required for all biological scientists.

Course units for year 1

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the
latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Credit
Title Code Mandatory/optional
rating

Academic Tutorials Year

BIOL10000 10 Mandatory
1

Biochemistry BIOL10212 10 Mandatory

Molecular Biology BIOL10221 10 Mandatory

From Molecules to Cells BIOL10232 10 Mandatory

Introduction to
BIOL10401 10 Mandatory
Laboratory Science

Introduction to

Experimental Biology - BIOL10422 10 Mandatory

Human Biology
Body Systems BIOL10811 10 Mandatory

Drugs: From Molecules

BIOL10822 10 Mandatory
to Man

Excitable Cells: the

Foundations of BIOL10832 10 Mandatory

Neuroscience

Health & Safety online

BIOL12000 0 Mandatory
course

Biodiversity BIOL10511 10 Optional

Genes, Evolution and

BIOL10521 10 Optional
Development

Microbes, Humankind
BIOL10532 10 Optional
and the Environment

Chemistry for
CHEM10021 10 Optional
Bioscientists 1
Chemistry for
CHEM10022 10 Optional
Bioscientists 2

Fundamentals of
CHEM10111 10 Optional
Chemistry

Science & the Modern

HSTM10221 10 Optional
World

Exploring Enterprise MCEL10001 10 Optional

Entrepreneurial Skills MCEL10002 10 Optional

Course content for year 2

You will study in greater depth and continue to specialise. You will also
undertake a Science Communication unit.

In the Research Skills unit, you have the opportunity to carry out
techniques that are widely used in current biological science research.

Course units for year 2

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the
latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
 Credit
Title Code Mandatory/optional
rating

Academic Tutorials Year

BIOL20000 10 Mandatory
2

Pharmacology RSM BIOL20932 10 Mandatory

Human Sciences EDM BIOL21061 10 Mandatory

Endocrinology BIOL21261 10 Mandatory

Clinical Drug
BIOL21302 10 Mandatory
Development

Membrane Excitability:

Ion Channels & BIOL21321 10 Mandatory

Transporters in Action

Molecules and Cells in

BIOL21351 10 Mandatory
Human Disease
Science Communication BIOL21392 10 Mandatory

Immunology BIOL21242 10 Optional

Body Systems 2 BIOL21272 10 Optional

Haematology BIOL21361 10 Optional

Introduction to Cancer BIOL21742 10 Optional

Exploring Enterprise MCEL10001 10 Optional

Entrepreneurial Skills MCEL10002 10 Optional

Tools and Techniques for

MCEL30001 10 Optional
Enterprise

Tools & Techniques for

MCEL30002 10 Optional
Enterprise
Interdisciplinary

Sustainable MCEL30022 10 Optional

Development

Enterprise Strategy and

MCEL30051 10 Optional
Marketing

Enterprise Feasibility MCEL30052 10 Optional

Enterprise in Healthcare MCEL30122 10 Optional

Course content for year 3

You can apply to spend your third year on a placement with one of our
partner organisations in the UK or overseas.
We have over 100 partner organisations including pharmaceutical
companies, research institutes and hospitals. Our students have recently
had placements with organisations such as Boehringer Ingelheim RCV
GmbH and Co KG in Germany, Mayo Clinic (Florida) and Cancer Research
UK.
Our range of placements reflects both research career paths and the
growing range of science careers outside of the laboratory in science
enterprise, education and communication. We are unique in providing such
a range of placements to our students.

Read more about our industrial/professional experience placements .

Course content for year 4
Final year topics reflect the current hotspots of bioscience endeavour and
the research interests of our staff, and are constantly being updated.
You will undertake an independent in-depth research project that may
involve supervised practical work in a laboratory, or you may choose to
work on e-learning, educational, data analysis, bioinformatics or enterprise
topics.

Please note the course units listed below are just a small selection and do not
represent the number and breadth of course units available on this course.

Course units for year 4

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the
latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Credit
Title Code Mandatory/optional
rating

Academic Tutorials Year

BIOL30000 0 Mandatory
3

Toxins, Toxicants &

BIOL31602 10 Mandatory
Toxicity (E)

Neuropharmacology of
BIOL31671 10 Mandatory
Human Health (E)
Projects BIOL30030 40 Optional

Life Sciences Enterprise

BIOL31080 40 Optional
Project

Science Communication
BIOL31220 40 Optional
Project

HSTM Project BIOL31250 40 Optional

Biochemical Basis of
BIOL31332 10 Optional
Disease (E)

Advanced Immunology
BIOL31371 10 Optional
(E)

Cell Signalling (E) BIOL31441 10 Optional

Bioethics: Contemporary

Issues in Science & BIOL31522 10 Optional

Biomedicine (E)
Human Reproductive
BIOL31561 10 Optional
Biology (E)

Advanced Endocrinology
BIOL31571 10 Optional
(L)

Cardiovascular Systems
BIOL31582 10 Optional
(E)

Neuroinflammation in
BIOL31612 10 Optional
Health & Disease (E)

Role of Diagnostics in
BIOL31832 10 Optional
Medicine

Madness and Society HSTM30832 10 Optional

Tools and Techniques for

MCEL30001 10 Optional
Enterprise

Tools & Techniques for

MCEL30002 10 Optional
Enterprise
 Advanced Technology
MCEL30011 10 Optional
Enterprise

Advanced Technology
MCEL30012 10 Optional
Enterprise

Enterprise in Healthcare MCEL30122 10 Optional

Essential Enterprise UCIL22001 10 Optional

What our students say

Find out more about what it's like to study at Manchester on the Biology, Medicine
and Health Student Blog .

Facilities
Learning facilities
Our modern teaching labs are equipped for a range of biological and biomedical
techniques. The following are just a few of the techniques you could undertake
during your degree:

​ polymerase chain reaction (PCR);

​ DNA sequencing;
​ gel electrophoresis;
​ spectrophotometry;
​ dissection and histology;
​ electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG);

​ immunofluorescence microscopy.
Our computing facilities include access to over 200 PCs in dedicated clusters and
e-learning tools including online lecture notes, discussion boards, lecture
podcasts and quizzes.
You will also have access to the University's other facilities for undergraduate
students.
Research facilities

As a final year student, you have the opportunity to undertake a project in the
labs of our world-class bioscience researchers.To support our research, we have
extensive research facilities equipped with high-quality technology.

Disability support
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available
from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email:
[email protected]

Careers
Career opportunities
The significant and relevant work experience gained during the year of
industrial/professional experience makes graduates of this course especially
attractive to employers. 95% of our 2015 graduates were in work or further study
within six months of completing this course.
Many secure jobs as researchers working in universities, pharmaceutical and
bioscience companies and institutes.
Some of our graduates progress into laboratory-based careers in clinical or
technical roles which do not involve research.
Find out more about how we help our students prepare for the workplace and the
careers our graduates go into within and outside the lab.

Accrediting organisations
This course has Advanced Accreditation from the Royal Society of Biology.
Advanced Accreditation recognises academic excellence in the
biosciences, highlighting degrees that contain a significant research
element and educate the future leaders of research and development.
The criteria require evidence that graduates meet defined sets of learning
outcomes, including gaining substantial research experience.
In recognition of this, a graduate of an advanced accredited course can
apply for membership of the Royal Society of Biology at Member (MRSB)
level after just two years of practice, rather than the usual three.

These graduates can attain the qualifications of Chartered Biologist or

Chartered Scientist one year sooner than graduates from other courses.