The Uni Guide has a fresh new look

University of Reading

UCAS Code: B211 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

B,B,B

A level Biology and Chemistry at grade B.

Access to HE Diploma

D:24,M:21

including relevant science modules.

Extended Project

B

In recognition of the excellent preparation that the Extended Project Qualification provides to students for University study, we now include achievement in the EPQ as part of a formal offer.  Eligible applicants would receive two offers,  our usual offer plus an alternative offer of a B in the EPQ and one grade lower in their A level subjects.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Mathematics at grade B (or 6) and GCSE English at grade C (4). International Baccalaureate Standard Level 4 also acceptable.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

Higher Level Biology and Chemistry at grade 5.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDD

including relevant science modules.

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B,B

Higher Biology and Chemistry at grade B.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

B

The Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate will be accepted in lieu of one A Level at the grade achieved, when studied alongside Biology and Chemistry.

UCAS Tariff

120-141

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2025

Subject

Pharmacology

**Develop the knowledge and skills to work as a pharmacologist within the pharmaceutical or life sciences industries with our new BSc Pharmacology with a Year in Industry.**

This course has been designed to align with the British Pharmacological Society core curricula and was developed with the needs of the pharmaceutical industry in mind.

You will:

- Study the principles of drug action and molecular targets.

- Learn the key mathematical principles and skills required in the industry. This includes statistical analysis as well as handling and analysing big data sets.

- Develop your understanding of systems pharmacology as well as mathematical and computer modelling.

You'll work with academics across our Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy, Biological Sciences, and Mathematical, Physical and Computation Sciences schools.

Reading is one of the UK's top 25 universities for pharmacy and pharmacology (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2022), and we have experts in pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacy practice, as well as biomedical science and mathematics, who are all working on different aspects of drug research.

Gain key graduate employability skills and experience during your third year, when you’ll participate in a placement with one of our industry partners.

Our BSc Pharmacology with a Year in Industry course will **not** result in qualification to work as a pharmacist. Please refer to our MPharm Pharmacy or MPharm Pharmacy with Foundation courses if this is the route you wish to follow.

**For more information, please visit the programme page:** https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/medical-sciences-ug/bsc-pharmacology-with-year-in-industry

Modules

The following modules have been approved in principle for delivery in 2025/26. Please note that as part of our current curriculum improvement process, all modules require final University approval and may be subject to change.

Core modules for this course:
Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical Science
Principles of Drug Action
Anatomy and Physiology
Haematology and Immunology
Drug Design and Delivery.

The University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them. Further information about the content of final approved modules will be available in the summer of 2024. We suggest that you regularly revisit our course page during this time to ensure you have the most up-to-date information regarding the modules offered on this programme. Check our website for more details about the course structure.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£29,950
per year
International
£29,950
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni

Course location:

University of Reading

Department:

School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Read full university profile

What students say

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Pharmacology

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

86%
UK students
14%
International students
49%
Male students
51%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
18%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
B

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Pharmacology

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,500
med
Average annual salary
100%
med
Employed or in further education
99%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

99%
Health professionals
1%
Artistic, literary and media occupations

As only a relatively small number of students study pharmacology or toxicology, these statistics refer most closely to the graduate prospects of pharmacy graduates, so bear that in mind when you review them. Only a handful of students take first degrees in pure toxicology every year — the subject is more popular at Masters level. Pharmacology is a degree that tends to lead to jobs in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, and outcomes are improving again after a difficult time in the last few years. Jobs in pharmacology are often very specialist and so it’s no surprise that pharmacologists are amongst the most likely of all students to go on to a doctorate — if you want a job in research, start thinking about a PhD. As for pharmacy, unemployment rates are below 1% and 95% of pharmacy graduates had jobs as pharmacists (mostly in retail pharmacists) six months after they left their courses - employment rates have gone up significantly in the last couple of years.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Pharmacology

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£27k

£27k

£38k

£38k

£41k

£41k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here