Pharmacy, Chemistry & Biomedical Sciences
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The UK population is ageing thanks to improvements in health care and lifestyle. Sunderland's science courses will put you in line for a fascinating and well-paid career where your work will directly benefit peoples' health.
Our graduates are involved in diagnosing and treating diseases, research into how diseases develop and investigating how particular chemicals can enhance healing. Many of them go on to work for top pharmaceutical companies where typical starting salaries can exceed £20,000. Others are developing careers in the private and national health services. It is not unusual to be offered a well-paid job before you have completed your course, often as a result of working in a company on a placement.
Our laboratories are well equipped so that students gain experience of a wide range of state-of-the-art instruments before joining the workplace. Some £1.2million has been spent on additional specialist equipment over the last four years. But that's not all - we also have expert staff who know how to use the equipment and train you to use it.
On any of our programmes you will develop a multitude of skills. These range from verbal and written communication skills to research methodology and highly specialised scientific skills - all essential for working in the world of healthcare science. All our programmes are approved or accredited by professional bodies and that's important when it comes to employability; almost all our graduates go on to employment or postgraduate study within six months of graduating.
If you become a pharmacist, you will be working to ensure patients get the best pharmaceutical care. That may be within a healthcare team, where some pharmacists are now prescribing medicines and running clinics, or it may mean working in a laboratory, helping to develop new medicines and dosage forms. Whatever path you take, the rapid changes in a scientific profession mean that you can expect a challenging and rewarding career.
Pharmacists are playing an increasingly important role as advisers on the best use of medicines in the community. Therefore our model pharmacy, complete with state-of-the-art video recording equipment, enables us to give you the best possible feedback on exercises designed to develop your professional skills. Routine health screening is also becoming an important and interesting part of the role of a community pharmacist, so our students are trained in clinical skills such as measuring blood pressure.
Our staff and graduates highlight our quality in pharmacy. Professor Jim Smith recently left his role as the Government Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England to teach at Sunderland. The President of The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 2007/08 - pharmacy's governing body - is Sunderland graduate Hemant Patel and four of our other graduates are members of the society's council.
As well as the 48-week paid industrial placement, there is a comprehensive system of short placements in the Pharmacy degree designed to provide our students with experience of the different areas of pharmacy, of interaction with patients and of the process of continuing professional development (CPD). In this way we aim to prepare our pharmacy graduates for their professional lives where CPD is required of all practising pharmacists.
You will benefit from modern, state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment, which ensure you are comfortable with the type of environment you can expect in your career.
Our science courses are highly regarded by employers, many of whom have a significant input into the design of the courses, and employment rates among our graduates are exceptionally high. On most of our courses, when you graduate you will have automatic accreditation to your relevant professional organisation. In the case of pharmacy, graduation makes you eligible to undertake a one year pre-registration training programme - successful completion of that and The General Pharmaceutical Council's pre-registration examination enables you to apply for registration as a pharmacist.
