Pharmacology and Drug Discovery with Foundation Year

Pharmacology and drug discovery sits at the heart of modern medicine, concerned with how new medicines are identified, developed and brought to the point where they can be used to treat disease. It combines the fundamental science of how drugs interact with biological systems with the practical and regulatory challenges of the discovery process, from identifying candidate compounds to understanding their safety and efficacy in biological models. The pharmaceutical industry spends enormous resources on this process, and graduates with expertise in it are consistently in demand.

At the University of East Anglia, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation element, which provides thorough preparation in the underpinning sciences before the main degree begins. This makes the programme accessible to students who wish to build their chemistry, biology and mathematics knowledge from a secure base before engaging with the more advanced material. You will study molecular pharmacology, drug design principles, biochemistry, cell biology, laboratory techniques and the regulatory frameworks that govern drug development, building both the theoretical understanding and practical laboratory skills that the discipline requires.

Graduates are well placed for careers in pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, contract research organisations, academic research institutes and regulatory agencies. Drug discovery, preclinical research, quality assurance, regulatory affairs and clinical research associate roles are all common career pathways. The combination of pharmacological science with an understanding of the discovery process makes graduates from this programme particularly well suited for industry roles at the research and development end of pharmaceutical work.

Many also proceed to postgraduate study in pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, drug delivery or toxicology, developing expertise in a particular aspect of the drug development process.