Pharmaceutical Science with Regulatory Affairs BSc (Hons)

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Kingston University London

Program Overview

This degree is perfect if you’re curious about how medicines are made, tested, and brought safely to patients. You’ll combine core pharmaceutical science with the rules and regulations that ensure drugs are safe, making it ideal for anyone who wants a career at the intersection of science and healthcare policy.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1
In your first year, you’ll get hands-on with the building blocks of science. Modules like Chemical Foundations: From Atoms to Pharmaceuticals and Introduction to Biosciences and Pharmaceutics introduce chemistry, biology, and the basics of drug development. Pharmaceutical Concepts, Analysis, and Ethics helps you understand the industry, exploring ethics, regulation, and how medicines reach the market.

Year 2
Year two ramps up the lab work and applied science. In Organic and Medicinal Chemistry with Global Medicine and Personalised Healthcare, you’ll explore how drugs work at the molecular level and how personalised medicine is changing healthcare. Pharmacology, Formulation and Pharmaceutics teaches you about drug action, formulation, and safety, while Analytical Techniques for Molecular Science and Practical and Research Skills in Pharmaceutical Science give you real-world lab experience and research skills.

Optional Placement Year
You can take a year out to work in the pharmaceutical industry, gaining invaluable hands-on experience and seeing the science you’ve learned in action.

Final Year
In your final year, you’ll tackle advanced topics like Advanced Analytical Techniques and Applications and Advanced Drug Delivery and Formulation, learning how drugs are tested, delivered, and regulated. Your Regulatory Affairs for Pharmaceutical Science module ensures you understand licensing, clinical trials, and global standards. Plus, a major independent Project lets you design and carry out your own research — the perfect way to showcase your skills.

Focus Areas

Drug development, pharmaceutical analysis, drug delivery systems, regulatory affairs, clinical trials, quality control, pharmacovigilance.

Learning Outcomes

You’ll graduate able to design, analyse, and test drugs, navigate regulatory rules confidently, and contribute to safe, effective medicines in both industry and healthcare settings.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

Accredited by TOPRA (The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs)
Accredited by the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS) for 5 years from 2023

Reputation (Employability)

Kingston’s labs are equipped with the latest technology, from mass spectrometers to X-ray diffractometers, giving you real-world skills that employers value. Graduates go on to work in regulatory affairs, clinical trials, pharmacovigilance, quality assurance, research, and drug development, with top companies like Johnson & Johnson, GSK, Novartis, and within the NHS.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Kingston, learning goes far beyond lectures — you’ll spend a huge amount of time in hands-on labs, working with the same equipment and techniques used in real pharmaceutical research. The Eadweard Muybridge building is a standout, packed with high-spec instruments like mass spectrometers, NMR machines, X-ray diffractometers, and chromatography tools. You’ll also gain experience with professional chemistry software and research databases, work in teams on real-world projects, and even take on your own independent research in your final year. Optional placements give you the chance to step directly into industry, making your degree truly practical and career-ready.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Work with specialist lab equipment including chromatography, NMR, mass spectrometry, electron microscopy, and thermal analysis
Use digital tools and software like ChemDraw and SciFinder for molecule design, data analysis, and literature reviews
Collaborate on team-based projects, including case studies on drug development and regulatory compliance
Carry out an independent research project, designing and executing experiments under expert guidance
Take an optional professional placement year, gaining real-world industry experience
Access advanced research labs, including cell-culture suites, flow cytometry, and high-performance analytical instruments
Study in well-equipped computing labs to handle data, run simulations, and manage your projects efficiently

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduating from this course opens doors to exciting roles like regulatory affairs specialist, drug development scientist, quality control analyst, or pharmacovigilance officer. You’ll be ready to work in pharmaceutical companies, research organisations, or public health bodies, ensuring medicines are safe, effective, and compliant. Kingston’s mix of scientific training and regulatory know-how gives you a real edge in the job market:

Career support: Kingston’s Future Skills programme helps you build employability through workshops, mentoring, CV and interview support, and industry networking opportunities.
Employment stats & salary: Pharmacology and pharmaceutical science graduates from Kingston earn an average starting salary of around £25,500, rising to about £35,000 after gaining experience.
Industry connections: Graduates have gone on to work with top names like Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, GSK, Eli Lilly, and the NHS.
Accreditation advantage: The course is recognised by TOPRA and the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS), giving you long-term credibility in regulatory and pharmaceutical careers.
Graduate success: Around 78% of alumni secure graduate-level roles, with almost all finding employment within months of graduation.

Further Academic Progression:
If you’re keen to keep learning, there are lots of options: you could pursue a master’s in pharmaceutical sciences, focusing on drug regulation, formulation, or pharmacovigilance. Other routes include MSc in Clinical Trials or Pharmacoepidemiology, or even a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences or Regulatory Science, preparing you for research leadership, academia, or senior industry positions.