Bachelor of Medical Science in Pharmacology (Honours)

Honours is a widely recognised and highly regarded additional year of undergraduate study available to you after you complete your undergraduate course. It's a unique opportunity for you to explore your research potential and put the theory from your undergraduate studies into practice. An honours qualification is not only well regarded in academia, but also in industry where further, concentrated studies in a specialised area is highly sought after. Extend your knowledge of your undergraduate degree with a stand-alone Honours year in your subject area expertise. This course is available to students who have already completed their studies in this study area. Depending on your interests and the availability of honours projects, you might wish to undertake honours in anatomy, biochemistry, biology (genetics), cell pathology, histology and embryology, immunology, infectious diseases, microbiology, pharmacology or physiology. This course is also offered at the Westmead precinct. The Faculty of Science has an outstanding reputation for the quality of its postgraduate research programs across a wide range of science disciplines. With significant levels of funding from various research councils and bodies, and the provision of major research facilities, the Faculty is committed to providing leading education and research training to its students. There are a range of research programs available, depending on which stage you are at in your academic career. Whether at the doctoral or masters level, you undertake self-directed, supervised research in your specialised area of science, and produce a thesis considered to be a substantially original contribution to the subject concerned. The Honours year in Science provides a research training pathway to our higher research degrees, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Science (MSc). The postgraduate research programs offered by the Faculty attract a large number of domestic and international students each year.

Pharmacology is concerned with the study of drugs and the key role they play in the treatment of most human diseases. Increasingly, doctors rely on drugs not only to cure disease, for example antibiotics and infections, but also in the prevention of diseases, such as lipid lowering drugs and heart disease. An honours year in this area is designed to give greater depth to your studies in biomedical science and to promote research-led enquiry and intellectual endeavour. This is achieved through the formulation of a research project in which you investigate a specialised pharmacology topic, all the while developing your laboratory skills, critical thinking skills and completing relevant coursework units. You will form close relationships with dedicated academic staff who are conducting cutting-edge research across a variety of fields, including asthma pharmacology, cancer therapeutics, chemical biology, chronic inflammation and pain, clinical pharmacology, drug design and development, neuropharmacology, pharmacoinformatic, pharmacology of cannabis, and transporter biology. Unit of study requirements for Honours in the area of Pharmacology: completion of 36 credit points of project work and 12 credit points of coursework.

A secondary education qualification such as the NSW Higher School Certificate (including national and international equivalents), OR approved higher education study, including approved preparation courses.



IELTS - A minimum result of 6.5 overall and a minimum result of 6.0 in each band
TOEFL IBT - A minimum result of 85 overall including a minimum result of 17 in Reading, Listening and Speaking and 19 in Writing