Apply through UCAS
- UCAS course code
- B122
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
BSc Medical Physiology with a Modern Language
Develop your language skills while you study medical physiology to enhance your employability.
Duration: 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: B122 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
Study with a language
- Typical A-level offer: AAA-AAB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB-ABB including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36-35 points overall with 6, 6, 6 to 6, 6, 5 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £34,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Tuition fees are considerably lower for your placement year. Please see the fees page
for full details.
Additional expenses
Tuition fees are considerably lower for your placement year. Please see the fees pages
for full details.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Students participating in placements outside the UK may be able to apply for funding from the UK's Turing scheme
depending on eligibility. Priority will be given to students from low income households.
Course unit details:
Drugs & the Brain
| Unit code | BIOL21312 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 10 |
| Unit level | Level 2 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
Drugs and the Brain outlines the important types of drugs, including anaesthetics, antipsychotics and antidepressants, which are used to influence activity in the brain. You will learn how these drugs act on neurotransmitters and the side effects that their actions can cause.
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drugs: From Molecules to Man | BIOL10822 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
| Excitable Cells: the Foundations of Neuroscience | BIOL10832 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
BIOL21312 Pre-requisites are BIOL10822 OR BIOL10832(students only need to have taken ONE of the compulsory pre-requisites)
Aims
To describe the aetiology and symptomology of a range of brain disorders the range of mechanisms by which drugs can interfere with neurotransmission in the central nervous system (CNS) how neurotransmitter activities can be modified by drugs leading to the rational treatment of CNS disorders how an understanding of neurotransmitters and mechanisms of drug action can lead to more selective treatment of CNS disorders.
Learning outcomes
After completing the unit and recommended reading, students should have an understanding of: basic mechanisms of brain disorders important classes of drugs used in medicine and/or biological research to influence central neuronal activity, particularly in humans the mechanisms of action of these drugs in terms of their effects on major neurotransmitters mechanism-related drug side-effects
Syllabus
• Introduction to neuropharmacology • The central synapse: neurotransmitter systems as targets for drug therapy • Accessing the central synapse: the blood-brain barrier to drugs • Pharmacology of movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease • Pharmacology of general anaesthetics and local anaesthetics • Pharmacology of antipyretic-analgesic drugs • Pharmacology of opioid analgesic drugs • Pharmacology of antiepileptic drugs • Pharmacology of anxiolytic drugs • Pharmacology of CNS stimulants and psychotomimetics • Pharmacology of antipsychotic drugs • Pharmacology of antidepressant drugs
Teaching and learning methods
E-Learning Activity The unit is delivered via 21 e-learning modules that contain pre-recorded lecture content and formative quizzes and other activities.
Employability skills
- Group/team working
- Students are encouraged to support each other using the unit Padlet board. There is also a group-based coursework option
- Oral communication
- Students may ask questions during weekly question and answer sessions.
- Written communication
- Through the use of Padlet discussion board (see below). Also via exam essays.
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Other | 20% |
| Written exam | 80% |
Coursework (reflection on a movie or documentary linked to the unit, group based) 20%.
Written exam 80% On campus written exam (1.5 hours) comprising two sections. Section A: a choice of 2 out of a choice of 3 short note questions; Section B: a choice of 6 out of 7 short note questions
Feedback methods
Formative assessments in eLearning Modules Post-exam guidance.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Assessment written exam | 1.5 |
| Lectures | 26 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 72.5 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Richard Prince | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
1 hour live introductory lecture30 minute live lecture on historical treatments for schizophrenia30 minute live introduction to the reflective piece21 E-learning modules each with approximately 1 hour of pre-recorded contentA series of documentary and movie sessions will also be delivered. Students will be required to attend at least one of these in order to complete the reflective coursework exercise. Typical duration content duration: 2-3 hoursOptional question and answer sessions (11 hours)