Are you interested in understanding how drugs work? And how they can improve health? Pharmacology is an exciting field of study and is essential to the discovery of new medicines to fight diseases.
Whether it’s a drug we swallow for a headache or to cure cancer, Pharmacology looks at how the medication produces beneficial and adverse effects. Pharmacology also explores how we can improve the way drugs are tested.
Study Pharmacology and contribute to tomorrow’s medicines and make a difference to health around the world.

You can study Pharmacology as a major in the Bachelor of Science (BSc).
The subject is taught in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences by the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology.

Pharmacology is the study of chemicals that are biologically active and can be used to modify, cure or prevent illness. In practice, this requires a detailed understanding of both how the body functions and the problems that can occur. By identifying cellular and chemical abnormalities of the disease state, it’s possible to design molecules to fix problems that arise.

As a Pharmacology student you’ll study how drugs work at the molecular level and in living organisms. You’ll also explore factors that influence safe and effective drug use in various populations. You’ll take courses that focus on the interaction of drugs with target molecules, the biochemical processes involved in achieving clinically relevant drug concentrations, and the way in which diseases in a variety of organ systems can be treated.

As part of your Pharmacology major you’ll complete a capstone course, PHARMCOL 399, where you'll work both individually and in small groups to apply the knowledge you’ve gained and demonstrate mastery of fundamental skills in Pharmacology. You’ll investigate the processes of drug development within the context of the ethical and legal framework for using experimental animals and human subjects in New Zealand.

Postgraduate study in Pharmacology focuses on understanding normal body functions (biochemical and physiological) and the disturbances that occur (pathological). You can learn about a wide range of topics, from the pharmacology of anaesthetics and analgesics, clinical and cancer pharmacology, to molecular and advanced toxicology.

Research interests open to exploration include:
- Anticancer drugs
- Clinical pharmacology
- Cancer clinical pharmacology
- Cancer preclinical pharmacology
- Disease progress and drug action
- Drug metabolism and toxicology
- Human neurodegeneration research
- Neural reprogramming and repair
- Neuro-immune interactions research
- New therapies for brain diseases
- Nutritional neurosciences
- Paediatric pharmacology