2023/24 Undergraduate Programme Catalogue

MBiol, BSc Pharmacology (Integrated Masters)

Total credits: 480

Entry requirements:

A-level: AAA, including Biology or Chemistry, plus another science or science-related subject (Science subjects: biology, human biology, chemistry, mathematics, PE and physics OR Science-related subjects: geography, psychology, use of maths and statistics). Critical Thinking and General Studies excluded.
Applicants taking a Science A-level (in England) will be required to achieve a pass in the practical element in addition to the standard A-level grade requirement. When an applicant is taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or the Cambridge International Project Qualification (Cambridge IPQ) this can be considered alongside A-levels and may attract an alternative offer in addition to the standard offer. If you are taking A-levels, this would be ABB at A-level and grade A in the EPQ (BSc applicants) or AAB and grade A in the EPQ (MBiol applicants).
GCSE: Grade 6 (B) or above at GCSE Maths and Grade 4 (C) or above at GCSE English.
- IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in any component or equivalent English language qualification.

School/Unit responsible for the parenting of students and programme:

School of Biomedical Sciences

Examination board through which the programme will be considered:

School of Biomedical Sciences

Relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Groups:

In addition to meeting the core knowledge, understanding, experience and skills articulated in the QAA Biosciences Benchmark for graduating with an honours degree in Pharmacology, MBiol graduates should be able to meet the additional requirements for Level 7 namely:

- Develop, integrate, synthesise and apply the systematic and broad understanding of relevant and state-of-the-art biological concepts to solve complex problems.

- Interrogate and integrate diverse sources of scientific literature alongside other information sources, in order to design and develop methods for investigation and analysis, including in areas at the forefront of knowledge and outside their current specialist knowledge.

- Plan a period of practice, including, as appropriate, evaluation of ethics, hazards, environmental effects, sustainability and appreciation of costs.

- Apply research, experimental, technical competencies appropriate for the period of practice

- Create a graduating level period of practice which develops a solution to a problem relevant to biomedical sciences.

- Communicate scientific and other information, and the potential impact of a period of practice.

Students who may elect not to complete the fourth year of the programme, or who are advised that their performance makes it unlikely that they would be successful in completing the programme will have met the QAA benchmarks for the BSc and so they will be able to graduate after 3 years with a BSc (Hons).

Programme specification:

The information on this page is accurate for students entering the programme in 2022/2023 or before. For students entering the programme from September 2023 or after, you can find the details of your programme: MBiol, BSc Pharmacology (Integrated Masters) (For students entering from September 2023 onwards)

Pharmacology is the scientific study of medicines and other drugs and is therefore essential to all medical disciplines and the treatment of disease. You’ll learn how drugs work in the body, how they are discovered and developed for human use, and how they can sometimes have unwanted effects.

Knowledge of this discipline and others in biomedical sciences is essential to provide solutions to the many health, wellbeing and other challenges facing humankind. Taking an MBiol degree will enable you to develop the research, experimental and technical competencies to solve complex research problems relevant to pharmacology and communicate the outcomes effectively. Studying an MBiol degree would be beneficial for anyone wishing to pursue a career in research due to the enhanced time working on a research project, either by continuing on to study a further degree such as a PhD, or with an interest in working within a research environment in industry.


Your Course

In the first year of your programme, you will be provided with a broad knowledge and understanding of the principal body systems, processes and functions in health and disease, and gain hands-on practical experience of the experimental approaches used to generate this knowledge in biomedical sciences but then focussing on pharmacology. The course will initially cover:

Structure and function of physiological systems and how these can be disturbed by disease

Underpinning molecular and cellular processes, structure and function of the nervous system including during development and pathological dysfunction

Principles of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics including examples of drugs than can be used to treat and modify pathophysiology of various common diseases and conditions, as well as how drugs are discovered and developed in the modern pharmaceutical industry.


As you progress through your course, you will have the opportunity to discover and explore individual areas in more depth such as psychopharmacology, antiviral therapy, cancer therapy and molecular pharmacology for example. You will be part of an investigative-based inspirational and engaging learning experience, informed by cutting edge research undertaken in these areas at Leeds, delivered by the world leading academics undertaking this research.

You will gain an integrated knowledge of the human body and how it works in health and disease, alongside how drugs can be developed to treat many diseases using current pharmacological techniques and methodologies. You will be involved in active learning approaches including critical thinking, creative problem solving, team-working and mini-projects to progressively develop the key skills and attributes required by Pharmacology graduates. You will be assessed using many tasks or activities undertaken in the workplace.

Towards the end of your programme, you will undertake culminating research project and specific research training, where you will bring together the knowledge, research skills and attributes developed throughout your degree and apply it to a problem, which could be research based, industry linked or clinical, creating a solution to this problem. The Integrated Masters (MBiol) offers you this as an additional year of specialist training, to study advanced research topics and undertake your own extended project within one of the major research laboratories in the school.

This course will help you develop skills relevant to the pharmaceutical industry that will in-turn help to address global challenges, such as tackling antibiotic resistance or discovering new drugs to treat Ebola and Covid-19; Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease; and diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Our World

Our focus is to train the next generation of thinkers, innovators and leaders, equipped to make a positive difference in a complex and ever-changing interconnected world, you will develop global cultural awareness, by exploring some of the grand challenges or UN Sustainable Development Goals facing humankind in partnership with students from different backgrounds, cultures or lived experiences within an inclusive learning environment. You will use your knowledge and skills to create solutions to local and global challenges, be able to explain the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion relevant to biomedical sciences, demonstrate ethical awareness and competencies and complete creative problem-solving activities.


Your Future

Our focus will be on making you workplace ready, equipped with the knowledge, skills and attributes required to succeed in whatever career you choose to go onto, able to contribute ethical solutions to the complex problems facing humankind. Throughout your studies, you will complete workplace tasks and activities undertaken in employment. You will also demonstrate the ability to collaborate in interdisciplinary team environments and contribute positively and flexibly to a team output. You will also be able to communicate scientific and other information to specific audiences and in relevant and varied formats. This will equip you with the necessary skills for employment or to go onto future studies relevant to your career of choice.

Year1 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Candidates will be required to study 120 credits

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Basket 1: Candidates will be required to study 1-2 modules from the following list of optional modules:

Basket 2: Candidates can study 1 module from the following list of optional modules if they have taken only one module from basket 1

Discovery modules:

Candidates can take 0-10 credits of Discovery modules

Year2 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Candidates will be required to study 120 credits

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Students will normally be required to take up to 20 credits from the following modules

Discovery modules:

Candidates may take up to 10 credits of discovery modules in Semester 2 (*includes Level 1 modules) as agreed by the Programme Leader.

Year3 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Candidates will be required to study 120 credits

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Candidates will be required to study 20 credits from one of the following optional modules:

Candidates will be required to study 30 credits following modules:

Year4 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Last updated: 21/07/2023 16:19:04

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