South Australia's only Pharmaceutical Science degree will prepare you to work in the discovery, development, formulation, approval, evaluation and marketing of medicines.

This flexible degree can be tailored to suit your interests and career ambitions, where you can focus on:

• drug discovery and development
• manufacturing and production
• clinical trials
• regulatory affairs
• pharmaceutical sales and marketing.

You will also develop advanced communication skills when you complete a compulsory industry project or placement relating to your area of interest. Depending on your academic achievement throughout the degree you may also be accepted into an honours program.

The opportunities are endless, with the ability to gain valuable international industry experience through study tours or overseas placements.

You may also have the opportunity to enter into the only double degree in Australia of its kind – a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science, Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) which you can complete with just two extra years of study. To be eligible, you will need to achieve a grade point average (GPA) of 5 or more by the end of your second year.

What you'll need

Students who undertake activities where interaction with patients/the public is required for their degree, such as field or clinical placements/visits and in University clinics and gyms, must demonstrate they meet mandatory pre-placement conditional requirements. These include criminal history clearance, a Working with Children Check and immunisation requirements. Please visit the Clinical Placement Unit for information on key requirements, and to access the full student checklists.

What you'll learn

During the first year you will develop an understanding of basic sciences. You will also focus on career development and factors influencing the pharmaceutical industry domestically and internationally.

During the second and third years you will focus on:

• pharmaceutical sciences (including formulation)
• pharmacology and pharmacokinetics
• drug discovery, development and commercialisation.

This degree places a unique emphasis on the development and commercialisation of a range of pharmaceutical products, such as injections, tablets, creams and ointments.

You will then get the opportunity to fine-tune your study to your own personal interests and career aspirations when you choose from a range of elective courses during your final two years.

You may choose to specialise in areas such as:

• research and development (including drug discovery)
• manufacturing and pharmaceutical chemistry (including quality control)
• drug development (including clinical trials)
• business (including sales, marketing, legal, regulatory and drug information).

The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly growing, due in part to an ageing population and technological advances that make it easier and more cost-effective for new medications to be created and tested. This broadening market means graduates of this degree enjoy excellent job prospects.

As a pharmaceutical science professional, you should be interested in science and technology and have a passion for preventing illness and treating disease to improve the quality of life for humans and animals.

Employment opportunities are diverse and you will be qualified to take on professional roles in many areas, including:

• evaluation of medicines by government regulatory agencies
• identification and measurement of drugs by analytical laboratories
• clinical trials that test the efficiency of medicines in patients
• interrogation of medicine usage to improve health outcomes and minimise health costs
• marketing and sales of medicines for human and veterinary use
• research and development of new drugs and medicines
• manufacturing and quality control to ensure high quality medicines are produced
• intellectual property and patent law.