On our Master of Pharmacology course, the lab-based placement is integrated into the course and contributes over a third of your overall degree mark.

Our BSc version of the course can also include a placement in a lab or related area of the field, so you can widen your experience and apply to work in areas requiring a science background, such as marketing, patent applications or clinical trials.

The placement year can be in the UK or overseas and in academia or industry. You'll have access to facilities and expertise to increase your skills and knowledge for future career opportunities.

Students say they also benefit from the placement experience when they return to their studies, putting the professional experience to use. Placement years can also be a good basis for further academic study such as a PhD. Some students have even had papers published based on their placement year work.

Our specialist placements team offers dedicated support when you're looking for a placement and throughout your placement year.

Our links with industry help ensure the course is well aligned with current developments. Industrial experts contribute to teaching with guest lectures, exposing students to approaches and techniques applied in the real world of drug discovery.

The industry links also help with placements, final year projects and career opportunities.

Industry links include:

• GSK
• Astra Zeneca
• Heptares
• UCB
• Boehringer-Ingelheim
• Medimmune

Our labs reflect the practical settings found in industry. This hands-on approach ensures you'll learn to apply theory to the real world and develop practical competencies for your future career.

During the course, you'll be able to develop your experience in a wide range of traditional and molecular lab techniques, including the opportunity to complete the Home Office Licence Training Course.

'I like the course because there is a focus on lab work and I get placement opportunities at top companies. I've gained a deeper understanding of the drug discovery pipeline and how medicines work.' — Jasmine Sim, MPharmacol Pharmacology

While courses at other universities may start with a general core science year, here at Bath we teach pharmacology from the outset. You'll investigate the action of new and existing drugs at the whole body and cellular level.

By the time you reach the placement in your 3rd year, you'll already have gained two years of specialist knowledge and practical experience. You'll be able to draw on this when taking your final year units and projects.

At the end of the course, you could go on to work on the development of new treatments for both human and animal diseases. Our students say they get great satisfaction from knowing they are helping improve the lives of patients.