Pharmaceutical Science BSc(Hons): After you graduate
Where this course will take you
The pharmaceuticals sector represents a growth area within the UK chemicals industry, and there are good job prospects for pharmaceutical scientists. Our graduates work in areas of the industry such as research, development, quality assurance, marketing and sales, while many have gained jobs in laboratories in hospitals and in educational establishments. Some of our students progress to further studies at MSc, MPhil and PhD level.
What our graduates say
Check out what our graduates have gone on to do and how studying at Kingston helped them achieve their goals.
Former student: Karl Lewis
Year of graduation: 2003
Current status: Studying for a medical degree at Swansea University
Location: Swansea
After gaining his MPharmSci degree, and despite being newly qualified, Karl went on to lead an area of cancer research at Swansea University. He is now training to be a doctor and feels the skills he gained at Kingston have helped both his work and subsequent studies.
"I've always been interested in the medicinal sciences and I felt studying the MPharm course would provide me with many opportunities to further my career in the medical field.
"I chose to study at Kingston because I wanted to broaden my horizons and it seemed the perfect place to do so – far enough away from London to have some countryside around me, but near enough to the city to enjoy its lifestyle.
"I found the course pushed my boundaries as far as learning was concerned. It was very involved, requiring a lot of study but, at the same time, it was also very enjoyable and I made many friends from different walks of life.
"Three months after graduating, I was offered my first job in research at Swansea University. The research was in proteomics, which is the study of the expression of proteins within a given disease state. My job was to discover which proteins were being over expressed in breast cancer and to develop the method for use with other cancer types.
"My training at Kingston prepared me very well for this task and as a result I was able, even as a new graduate, to see off competition in order to take the lead in this research.
"I am now studying a Graduate Entry Programme (GEP) medical degree at Swansea University. In just over a year I will be sitting the intermediate MB before transferring to Cardiff University where I will train for my MBBCh* qualification.
"Studying at Kingston gave me unparalleled knowledge in chemical analysis techniques. I would say the most outstanding element of the MPharmSci course was its hands-on approach to using analysis machinery. My supervised project in the final year enabled me to put into practice my previous three years' training in drug synthesis.
"If you want to study a degree that'll give you both knowledge and practical application as well as lessons in how to handle the responsibilities any future jobs will bring, then Kingston is the place to study. Not only has it helped me with my work, it has also prepared me to further my education in medicine and provided me with the study techniques and maturity that such a career requires."
* Qualifying to practice medicine.
Examples of graduate destinations
Types of jobs
- scientist
- pharmacy technician
- microbiologist
- optical assistant/dispenser
- marketing research
- drug safety associate
- research assistant
- strategic alliance manager
Employers
- Parallel Drug Imports
- St George's Hospital
- EH Lilly
- NHS
- King Opticians
- Alcontrol Lab
- Quotient BioResearch
