Medical Pharmacology

Medical pharmacology is the science of drugs and their effects on the body, sitting at the intersection of biochemistry, physiology and clinical medicine. It asks how pharmaceutical substances interact with biological systems, how they produce their therapeutic effects, how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolises and eliminates them, and what happens when drugs interact with each other or produce unwanted side effects. Understanding the mechanisms by which drugs work at the molecular and cellular level is the foundation of rational prescribing, drug development and the management of therapeutic interventions across medicine.

At Swansea University this programme runs full time over four years, providing the depth of training needed to engage seriously with pharmacological science at an advanced level. You will study the pharmacology of major drug classes, including those used in cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, cancer, neurological conditions, pain management and mental health, alongside the physiological, biochemical and molecular systems on which they act. You will also engage with drug discovery and development, clinical pharmacology and the regulatory frameworks that govern how new medicines reach patients.

You will develop strong laboratory skills alongside theoretical knowledge, learning to design and interpret pharmacological experiments, analyse data rigorously and communicate your findings in the scientific forms that the discipline requires. The programme is designed to develop both the scientific understanding and the critical thinking needed to engage with pharmacological evidence at a professional level.

Graduates from medical pharmacology programmes move into careers in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research, clinical trials, drug regulatory affairs, clinical pharmacology services, toxicology, medical writing and science communication. Many also pursue postgraduate study in pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences, medicine or a related biomedical field, and some enter doctoral research as the route into academic or industrial research careers in drug discovery and development.