In the UK University Guides generated by national newspapers, Biological Sciences teaching at Leicester consistently ranks amongst the most highly rated in the country.  For example, we have been rated 4th, 11th and 14th by the Guardian, Times and Indepependent respectively.

Guardian University Guide 2010:  Biosciences

The Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology contributes to a range of degree programmes within the School of Biological Sciences.  Within our scientific discipline we offer two degrees:

BSc Biological Sciences (Physiology with Pharmacology) - click here to visit prospectus pages

BSc Medical Physiology

BSc Biological Sciences (Physiology with Pharmacology)

This degree which provides a more traditional route to study the biosciences with greater emphasis on the molecular and cellullar mechanisms underlying normal physiology.  It also examines the rationale for the design of drugs, their cellular receptors and their mode of action.

BSc Medical Physiology

This degree provides students with an interest in Biological Sciences and Medicine with the opportunity to study what happens to the human body when diseases take hold.  Adopting a rational and scientific approach, students investigate prevalence of these diseases in the population, their signs and symptoms, as well as the fundamental molecular and cellular processing underlying some of the most common diseases in man.

What do students think of our teaching?

The BSc Medical Physiology degree programme scored a 100% overall satisfaction rating in the National Student Survey 2009 which was the top score for any degree in any university in the UK.  Thirty places are available on this course and in 2008/09 there were almost 5 applicants for every place.

The BSc Biological Sciences (Physiology and Pharmacology) degree programmed scored a 96% overall satisfaction rating in the National Student Survey 2009 which placed it 7th out of 72 universities for this degree programme in UK universities.

What you can do with these degrees:

Many graduates from these two courses choose to progress to postgraduate research in the Biological Sciences whilst others apply for medical courses at Leicester and elsewhere.  Many students apply for jobs in the pharmaceutical industry or use their degree as a springboard for entry into PGCE programmes in order to teach in secondary education.

The study of physiology introduces you to the mechanisms by which cells, tissues and organs perform their normal function.  In disease, pathophysiological mechanisms interfer with the function of body systems and a major element of your study will investigate the molecular and cellular processes involved.  Pharmacology is the study of drug design, drug targets and drug therapies.  You will learn how drugs interact with cells and tissues to control disease. 

Click here for PDF version of degree prospectus.