BSc (Hons) Pharmacology with a Year in Industry Bachelor's degree at the University of Reading
BSc (Hons) Pharmacology with a Year in Industry at University of Reading. You'll engage with core pharmacological theory, research methodology and applied practice, supplemented by specialist options and an independent project that allows you to pursue areas of particular interest.
About this course
BSc (Hons) Pharmacology with a Year in Industry is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at the University of Reading. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy graduates from this provider, 86% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 80% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £35,500. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Medicine & Dentistry, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 86% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 85% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 7 modules
- Fundamentals of Cell BiologyCompulsory
Module details
Expand your knowledge of human physiology to understand the normal function of the human body. You'll cover the structure of mammalian cells and cellular functions which are often targeted therapeutically and biochemical pathways that underpin these processes.
- Fundamentals of Pharmaceutical ScienceCompulsory
Module details
Understand how medicines are sourced, developed, and manufactured. You'll discover how quality is assured for patient safety and consider the use of natural and synthetic products.
- Principles of Drug ActionCompulsory
Module details
Discover the effects of drugs on the human body and how to effectively explain drug action to different audiences. You'll explore how drugs are discovered, designed, developed, and delivered.
- Mathematics and Statistics for PharmacologyCompulsory
Module details
Gain an overview of basic mathematical and statistical concepts in pharmacology, which will ensure that you have the skills to succeed in this field of study.
- Anatomy and PhysiologyCompulsory
Module details
Explore how organs work to support life. You will be introduced to the basics of the anatomy of some of the major systems of the human body, and to the physiological processes taking part within and between them.
- Key Skills for PharmacologyCompulsory
Module details
Through simulated and hands-on experiments, you'll develop expert knowledge of core laboratory and generic study skills that will help you to conduct pharmacological research and solve problems.
- Placement Support 1Compulsory
Module details
To prepare you for your placement, you'll be provided with mentoring, feedback, and advice on the application process, along with employment related skills such as CV writing and peer support.
Year 2 7 modules
- Molecular Drug TargetsCompulsory
Module details
Apply pharmacology and physiological systems from molecule to patient. This will focus on the different classes of molecular drug targets in treating renal, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases.
- Drug Design and DeliveryCompulsory
Module details
Consider how chemical structure impacts activity and stability, using quantitative methods to collect, process, analyse, and present research findings. This involves using in vivo, ex-vivo and in vitro techniques via simulated and hands-on experimentation.
- Haematology and ImmunologyCompulsory
Module details
Discover the fundamental principles and concepts that underpin haematology and immunology. You'll explore topics such as the production, structure and function of blood cells, the techniques used within hospital haematology laboratories to investigate and diagnose disease, the main forms of immunopathology, and how vaccines are produced.
- Medicines in HealthcareCompulsory
Module details
Understand how science is used to create and administer medicines in the gastrointestinal tract. Using an integrated learning approach, you'll research specific health conditions and consider holistic care requirements for a patient.
- Integrated Anatomy and PhysiologyCompulsory
Module details
This module will further explore the complex and fascinating systems of the human body, focusing on the endocrine system, skin, reproduction, ear, nose, and throat. We will use a systems-based approach where you will explore the functional requirements that drive the structure of the whole body and its functional capabilities. We will emphasise on the clinical relevance of the topics covered and their importance in understanding and diagnosing various medical conditions.
- Mathematical Modelling for PharmacologyCompulsory
Module details
You'll use mathematical and statistical approaches to gain understanding of the modelling process. Learning how to interrogate data, you'll draw inferences from data and formulate, solve, and investigate systems using mechanistic modelling.
- Placement Support 2Compulsory
Module details
Gain insight on your career direction with mentoring and feedback on the application process for placement. This will increase your knowledge and confidence of psychometric and video testing, interview, and assessment centre techniques.
Year 4 4 modules
- Research ProjectCompulsory
Module details
Under the direction of an academic supervisor, you'll lead a laboratory-based research project. This original research will form the basis of a project write-up, poster session and final project viva.
- Clinical and Societal Impact of PharmacologyCompulsory
Module details
Advance your knowledge of drug action in various contexts, from treating cancer and pain to the misuse of 'lifestyle' drugs. You'll consider healthcare guidelines for medicines, adverse effects on embryonic development, and ethical principles of research.
- Experimental Approaches to NeuroscienceOptional
Module details
Participate in a lab-based experiment on the measurement of electrical activity in brain slices, collecting data to prepare a formative report. This will provide you with knowledge of brain function and drug-related alterations.
- Innovation and Product DevelopmentOptional
Module details
Explore how scientific ideas become real-world products, with a focus on medicines, medical devices, and cosmetics. You'll work in teams to develop a business plan for novel scientific and technical products, gaining skills in innovation, product development, and business strategy.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course combines core pharmacology with a placement year in industry, giving you practical experience alongside your studies. You'll usually begin with biomedical foundations, anatomy, physiology and pathology taught by body system, alongside clinical and communication skills from the outset. Population health and ethics form part of this foundation stage. As you progress, you'll move into clinical rotations across hospital and general practice settings, specialty attachments such as clinical placements, surgery, general practice and psychiatry, and student-selected components where you pursue deeper study often involving research. The year in industry provides real-world professional experience before you return to complete your studies. A course like this normally culminates in integrated assessment and preparation for professional registration.
Who it's for
This course suits you if you're drawn to understanding how drugs work at cellular and molecular levels, and you want hands-on experience before graduation. You should be comfortable with chemistry and biology concepts, enjoy structured problem-solving, and value the chance to test your learning in a professional setting. The Year in Industry appeals to those seeking clarity on career direction and real-world context for their studies. You're likely to find the independent project satisfying if you prefer depth over breadth, and the blend of theory, practical work and specialist options will appeal if you want flexibility within a demanding science degree.
University & format
University of Reading is a university in the UK, founded in 1892. This BSc (Hons) Pharmacology with a Year in Industry is a 4-year full-time degree taught in English. The university is recognised as a UK degree-awarding body; its degrees are nationally recognised. The university received a Silver award for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Year in industry. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 100% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code B211). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Reading →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
National funding for this subject
- NHS Learning Support Fund: Eligible nursing, midwifery and allied-health students can receive a non-repayable training grant. Official guidance
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Medicine & Dentistry graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £35,500 | £27,500 – £40,000 | 15 |
| 3 years after | £35,000 | £24,500 – £42,500 | 70 |
| 5 years after | £42,500 | £33,000 – £50,000 | 95 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in medicine & dentistry · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Medicine & Dentistry nationally
National figures for Medicine & Dentistry graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Medicine & Dentistry courses at the same study level.
Compared with 804 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Other Health ProfessionalsSOC 2020 225 · 70% of published destinations · ASHE median £42,902
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 95; response rate: 60%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Medicine & Dentistry graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Medicine & Dentistry graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- The NHS
- Private practice
- Research & academia
- Public health
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Medicine & Dentistry graduates.
Medicine-Focused Veterinary Surgeon | Patient Care LeaderMedivet & PartnersMedicine Service Delivery Manager - Operations ImprovementNHSMedicine Occupational Therapist - StaffordshirePulse HealthcarePart-Time Palliative Medicine Consultant | 1-in-5 On-CallEvora Hospice (formerly Southern Area Hospice Services)Consultant Medicine - ElderlyPertemps Medical ProfessionalsSpecialty Doctor in Acute MedicineTriple West MedicalIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
86% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £35,500. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.3 out of 10: NSS 79.1% · in work or study 86% · continued 85%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Reading
Medicine and dentistry across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around University of Reading
1,062 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Medicine & Dentistry right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Reading from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £31,800 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Reading’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Reading and gov.uk before you apply.
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Common questions
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