The application deadline for internal/current KCL students is 26th Jan 2025 ("please follow link to Keats page in the entry requirements tab for further information").
The application deadline for students external to KCL is 29th June 2025
Pharmacology iBSc
UCAS code: Not applicable. Apply direct to King's.
Key information
Course type:
Single honours
Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time
Duration:
One year
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2025
Application deadline:
29 June 2025
The Pharmacology Intercalated BSc offers students already on medical degree courses the opportunity to achieve an additional specialist degree in just one year. The course will provide you with essential exposure to the development of drugs and their application in clinical practice. Through studying molecular, cellular and whole system techniques, you will gain an insight into the drug discovery process, and an appreciation of where new drugs are likely to come from. The Pharmacology Department at King’s includes world-renowned experts in a number of research fields including Parkinson’s disease, asthma, inflammation and cardiovascular pharmacology.
Key benefits
- One-year programme leading to intercalated BSc.
- Strong focus on research and laboratory skills.
- One of the UK's best graduate employment rates.
- King’s College London is ranked top 10 in Europe for Pharmacy & Pharmacology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024).
- Option to take non-pharmacological modules from within the School of Bioscience Education.
As a medical practitioner, dentist or veterinarian one of your major roles will be the prescription of drugs ⏤ the NHS spends almost £20bn every year (1/10th of the entire NHS budget) on drugs and medical devices. This iBSc Pharmacology course will develop your understanding of how new drugs are discovered, how they work and how they affect our bodies. In one year, this course will deepen your knowledge of pharmacological science, as well as develop your practical laboratory skills and research experience in this important area of medicine. The Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics has world-renowned researchers with expertise in studies of cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological diseases, as well as inflammation pharmacology. This course is particularly suitable if your interests encompass the efficacy, toxicity and mechanisms of medication, or drug discovery. Our course offers a wide range of options and you are strongly encouraged to undertake an experimental project. We offer a variety of projects, principally in the fields of inflammation, cardiovascular pharmacology, neuropharmacology and receptor pharmacology. ‘Project Design in Pharmacology’ is a non-laboratory-based project in which you develop a proposal for the development of a novel medicine. There are also a wide range of library projects. Members of the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics at King’s include world-renowned experts in a number of research fields including Parkinson’s disease, asthma, inflammation and cardiovascular pharmacology. We have close links with pharmaceutical companies some of whose staff contribute to teaching on a number of our courses. In addition, several members of staff hold senior positions within the British Pharmacological Society. On completion of your intercalated Pharmacology BSc, you will have developed a richer understanding of how pharmacology plays a central role in the development of drugs designed to alleviate suffering and enhance the quality of life of your patients.
Base campuses
Guy’s Campus
The Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, and the Institute of Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience are based at the riverside Guy's Campus, next to the Shard.
Waterloo Campus
Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties
Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.
Regulating bodies
King's is regulated by the Office for Students
Full details on how to apply for King's internal students are included on KEATS.
For further information please see the Intercalated webpage.
Application deadlines
The application deadline for King's internal students is 26th January 2025.
The application deadline for external students is 29th June 2025.
Entry requirements for MBBS students
King’s students must have passed Stage 1 and Stage 2.
External students must have first time passes for years 1 and 2 and all SSCs.
Entry requirements for Dental students
BDS students are required to pass year 2 at the first attempt and year 3 or 4 if applicable.
Entry requirements for Veterinary students
Veterinary students are required to pass year 2 at the first attempt and year 3 if applicable.
Teaching methods - what to expect
Lectures
Seminars
Self-Study
Practical Work
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical work. The course also requires a significant element of self-study.
View full details about modules here. Please note these are subject to change.
We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and assessment.
Location
This course is primarily taught at our King’s College London Guy’s and Waterloo Campuses, both on the south bank of the Thames, putting you at the heart of everything London has to offer in terms of academic resources and close to its social and entertainment attractions.
Assessment
- Coursework
- Exams
Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written examinations. Forms of assessment may typically include interpreting scientific data, oral presentations and project write-ups. Coursework contributes approximately 40% and examinations approximately 60% to your final mark.
Regulating Body
King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students.
The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.
Structure
Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 120 credits. Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.
Required modules
You are required to take the following module
Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology (15 credits)
In addition, you are required to take at least one of the following project modules (not exceeding 45 credits in total):
Pharmacology Library Project (15 credits)
Project Design in Pharmacology (30 credits)
Extended Pharmacology Research Project (45 credits)
London Enterprise Project (30 credits)
Optional modules
In addition, you are required to take sufficient additional credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:
Developing Safety Medicines (30 credits)
Cardiovascular Pharmacology (15 credits) OR Experimental cardiovascular pharmacology (30 credits)
Pharmacology of inflammation (15 credits) OR Experimental pharmacology of inflammation (30 credits)
Pharmacology of Neurological & Psychiatric Disorders (15 credits)
You may also take up to 30 credits of modules from other bioscience disciplines. Since drug discovery involves experimental studies, and to fully appreciate what Pharmacology has to offer, we strongly advise you to choose at least one module that involves some experimental work, especially if you decide not to take an experimental research project.
King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.
Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.
Employability
The iBSc Pharmacology is aimed at medical, dentistry and veterinary medicine students with a particular interest in the process by which new medicines are developed and tested to be safe, along with the mechanisms of action of drugs in current therapeutic use. It should particularly interest students keen to pursue a career in clinical pharmacology: https://www.bps.ac.uk/careers-in-pharmacology/clinical-pharmacology-for-medical-students
Tuition Fees
Full time tuition fees UK:
The UK tuition fee for the 2025-26 academic year is currently £9,535 per year. This is based on the UK Government's cap.
Full time tuition fees International
The International tuition fee for the 2025-2026 academic year is £35,800 per year.
Please note that the International tuition fee is subject to annual increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.
All International applicants to Undergraduate programmes are required to pay a deposit of £0 against their first year's tuition fee. This deposit is payable when you firmly accept an unconditional offer to study with us, and will be offset against your tuition fees when you join King's.
Additional Costs
In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:
- Books if you choose to buy your own copies
- Clothing for optional course related events and competitions
- Library fees and fines
- Personal photocopies
- Printing course handouts
- Society membership fees
- Stationery
- Graduation costs
- Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
Funding
To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.
As a medical practitioner, dentist or veterinarian one of your major roles will be the prescription of drugs ⏤ the NHS spends almost £20bn every year (1/10th of the entire NHS budget) on drugs and medical devices. This iBSc Pharmacology course will develop your understanding of how new drugs are discovered, how they work and how they affect our bodies. In one year, this course will deepen your knowledge of pharmacological science, as well as develop your practical laboratory skills and research experience in this important area of medicine. The Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics has world-renowned researchers with expertise in studies of cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological diseases, as well as inflammation pharmacology. This course is particularly suitable if your interests encompass the efficacy, toxicity and mechanisms of medication, or drug discovery. Our course offers a wide range of options and you are strongly encouraged to undertake an experimental project. We offer a variety of projects, principally in the fields of inflammation, cardiovascular pharmacology, neuropharmacology and receptor pharmacology. ‘Project Design in Pharmacology’ is a non-laboratory-based project in which you develop a proposal for the development of a novel medicine. There are also a wide range of library projects. Members of the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics at King’s include world-renowned experts in a number of research fields including Parkinson’s disease, asthma, inflammation and cardiovascular pharmacology. We have close links with pharmaceutical companies some of whose staff contribute to teaching on a number of our courses. In addition, several members of staff hold senior positions within the British Pharmacological Society. On completion of your intercalated Pharmacology BSc, you will have developed a richer understanding of how pharmacology plays a central role in the development of drugs designed to alleviate suffering and enhance the quality of life of your patients.
Base campuses
Guy’s Campus
The Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, and the Institute of Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience are based at the riverside Guy's Campus, next to the Shard.
Waterloo Campus
Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties
Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the modules you study.
Regulating bodies
King's is regulated by the Office for Students
Full details on how to apply for King's internal students are included on KEATS.
For further information please see the Intercalated webpage.
Application deadlines
The application deadline for King's internal students is 26th January 2025.
The application deadline for external students is 29th June 2025.
Entry requirements for MBBS students
King’s students must have passed Stage 1 and Stage 2.
External students must have first time passes for years 1 and 2 and all SSCs.
Entry requirements for Dental students
BDS students are required to pass year 2 at the first attempt and year 3 or 4 if applicable.
Entry requirements for Veterinary students
Veterinary students are required to pass year 2 at the first attempt and year 3 if applicable.
Teaching methods - what to expect
Lectures
Seminars
Self-Study
Practical Work
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical work. The course also requires a significant element of self-study.
View full details about modules here. Please note these are subject to change.
We will use a delivery method that will ensure students have a rich, exciting experience from the start. Face to face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning and assessment.
Location
This course is primarily taught at our King’s College London Guy’s and Waterloo Campuses, both on the south bank of the Thames, putting you at the heart of everything London has to offer in terms of academic resources and close to its social and entertainment attractions.
Assessment
- Coursework
- Exams
Your performance will be assessed through a combination of coursework and written examinations. Forms of assessment may typically include interpreting scientific data, oral presentations and project write-ups. Coursework contributes approximately 40% and examinations approximately 60% to your final mark.
Regulating Body
King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students.
The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.
Structure
Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 120 credits. Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.
Required modules
You are required to take the following module
Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology (15 credits)
In addition, you are required to take at least one of the following project modules (not exceeding 45 credits in total):
Pharmacology Library Project (15 credits)
Project Design in Pharmacology (30 credits)
Extended Pharmacology Research Project (45 credits)
London Enterprise Project (30 credits)
Optional modules
In addition, you are required to take sufficient additional credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:
Developing Safety Medicines (30 credits)
Cardiovascular Pharmacology (15 credits) OR Experimental cardiovascular pharmacology (30 credits)
Pharmacology of inflammation (15 credits) OR Experimental pharmacology of inflammation (30 credits)
Pharmacology of Neurological & Psychiatric Disorders (15 credits)
You may also take up to 30 credits of modules from other bioscience disciplines. Since drug discovery involves experimental studies, and to fully appreciate what Pharmacology has to offer, we strongly advise you to choose at least one module that involves some experimental work, especially if you decide not to take an experimental research project.
King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.
Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.
Employability
The iBSc Pharmacology is aimed at medical, dentistry and veterinary medicine students with a particular interest in the process by which new medicines are developed and tested to be safe, along with the mechanisms of action of drugs in current therapeutic use. It should particularly interest students keen to pursue a career in clinical pharmacology: https://www.bps.ac.uk/careers-in-pharmacology/clinical-pharmacology-for-medical-students
Tuition Fees
Full time tuition fees UK:
The UK tuition fee for the 2025-26 academic year is currently £9,535 per year. This is based on the UK Government's cap.
Full time tuition fees International
The International tuition fee for the 2025-2026 academic year is £35,800 per year.
Please note that the International tuition fee is subject to annual increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.
All International applicants to Undergraduate programmes are required to pay a deposit of £0 against their first year's tuition fee. This deposit is payable when you firmly accept an unconditional offer to study with us, and will be offset against your tuition fees when you join King's.
Additional Costs
In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:
- Books if you choose to buy your own copies
- Clothing for optional course related events and competitions
- Library fees and fines
- Personal photocopies
- Printing course handouts
- Society membership fees
- Stationery
- Graduation costs
- Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
Funding
To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.
Key information
Course type:
Single honours
Delivery mode:
In person
Study mode:
Full time
Duration:
One year
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2025
Application deadline:
29 June 2025
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