On our dedicated 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.

Placements can't be guaranteed, but we give dedicated support to help you in your application, drawing on over 40 years experience of running courses with placements.

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 in their studies. Placement years can also be a good basis for further academic study such as a PhD. A number of previous students have had papers published based on their placement year work.

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 and the hands on approach ensures you're learning real-world application of theory and developing practical competencies for future career options.

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

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 in-depth the action of new and existing drugs at the whole body and at cellular level.

By the time you reach the placement in your third year, you'll already have gained two years of specialist knowledge and practical experience. Then you'll be able to draw on the combined knowledge and experience to help your final year modules 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.