BSc (Honors) in Pharmacology

Key Points

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Pharmacology is the branch of science that deals with the study of how drugs interact with cells, tissues, and organisms. It also involves the study of how drugs, their sources, and their chemical properties are discovered. Upon completion of the BSc (Hons) degree program in Pharmacology, the following avenues and career sectors are available to you:

• Pharmaceutical companies
• Toxicologist
• Clinical Research Associate (CRO)
• Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA)
• Biotechnology sector
• Chemical safety and toxicology
• Master / PhD and a career as a medical or research scientist in life sciences
• Higher education sector
• Professional Master of Education (PME)
• Bachelor of Medicine / Veterinary Medicine

New STEM building in the Faculty of Sciences and Health

A new STEM building will open at AIT’s Faculty of Sciences and Health in 2024, as part of the € 200 million investment from the Department of Education and Skills in Institutes of Technology. The state-of-the-art STEM building will provide an excellent teaching space, with state-of-the-art laboratories and instrumentation to support this new Hons program in Pharmacology.

Within AIT, there is a strong ethic to link research with teaching, an important point that learning institutions around the world increasingly highlight as best practice. Y4 students in the program also have the opportunity to participate in one of the Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network’s annual regional conferences.

AIT – Institute of Technology of the Year 2019:

Another reason for choosing this program is that in 2019 AIT was awarded the Institute of Technology of the Year in The Sunday Times Good University Guide.

Career opportunities

Upon completion of the BSc (Hons) degree program in Pharmacology, the following avenues and career sectors are available to you:

• Pharmaceutical companies
• Toxicologist
• Clinical Research Associate (CRO)
• Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA
• Biotechnology sector
• Chemical safety and toxicology
• Master / PhD and a career as a medical or research scientist in life sciences
• Higher education sector
• Professional Master of Education (PME)
• Bachelor of Medicine / Veterinary Medicine

Each student must complete a minimum of 20 weeks in an industrial or relevant location working a minimum of 35 hours per week. This takes place in Semester 6 of Year 3.

Program structure

You will study modules that will cover the following topics:

• Drug use in health and disease
• Drug receptor theory
• Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
• Effects of drugs on physiological and pathophysiological processes
• Pharmacogenomics
• Toxicological principles and their application in safety pharmacology
• Principles of translational research and experimental medicine
• Analytical methods and statistical tools used to interpret pharmacological data
• The scientific method
• Methods to investigate the pharmacokinetic effects of drugs
• Drugs as tools in pharmacological research
• Reduction, refinement and substitution (3R) of the use of animals in research
• The fundamental role of pharmacology as an element of the multidisciplinary nature of all stages of drug discovery and development
• Principles of clinical trial design
• The application of pathophysiological knowledge to provide information on new drug targets and therapeutic pathways
• Genetic modification techniques as a drug discovery and development tool
• Commercial drug discovery techniques
• Regulations for the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines
• The effects of the formulation of the pharmaceutical product on the action of the drug
• Challenges associated with developing and testing the safety and efficacy of new therapeutic approaches (eg, anticancer drugs, antiviral agents, etc.)
• Ethical principles of research, clinical trials and the use of animals
• How pharmacology relates to social challenges and public health
• The impact of pharmacology on patient care regarding the safe and effective use of medications (eg, antibiotics)
• The possible career paths offered by a degree in pharmacology

Admission requirements

Students applying to enter undergraduate or graduate programs must provide the following information directly to the International Office, Athlone Institute of Technology on or before May 1 for programs beginning in September:

• Complete AIT application form
• Detailed CV
• Certified transcripts of test results and English translations of grades not issued in English
• Evidence of ability to follow classes in the English language (which must satisfy the entrance requirements to the Institute for the following programs)
  • Basic level program: Certificate in English for academic studies: Minimum IELTS 4.5 or equivalent
  • Pre-session summer program in English from June to August: minimum IELTS 5.0 or equivalent
  • Undergraduate programs: Minimum IELTS 5.5 without Band less than 5.0
  • Postgraduate programs: Minimum IELTS 6.0 without Band less than 5.5 *

* Please note that some graduate programs require a minimum of IELTS 6.5.

• Letter of recommendation from the corresponding department head of the institution itself
• Any other relevant information about qualifications or previous work experience

For this program:

• Grade H5 in two upper-level subjects, Grade 05 in Mathematics at the ordinary level, plus three subjects in Grade O6 at the ordinary level
• Subjects to include a language (English or Irish)

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