School of Pharmacy & Life Sciences

Our courses are delivered within an innovative learning environment, providing you with forward-looking, relevant, supportive, and professionally-recognised education. 

The focus on applied study, practical development and evidence-based research combines challenge with the reward of doing something truly worthwhile with your career; the chance to make a positive difference to peoples’ lives, to society, and to the pharmacy and life sciences industry.

Future-ready Graduates

Our education programmes are innovative in their approach, with a strong emphasis on practice-based learning. You will have access to a range of state-of-the-art laboratories and learning environments to facilitate the development of skills required for new professional roles and you'll emerge with valuable practical skills in lab techniques, analysis and problem-solving and the inter-personal skills that are vital for successful careers.

Interprofessional Learning

Our School is multidisciplinary, and you will benefit from shared learning experiences across a broad range of subject areas – bio and biomedical sciences, analytical and medicinal chemistry, forensic science, food, nutrition and human health, pharmacy practice and the pharmaceutical sciences. There is a joint interprofessional learning programme between RGU and the University of Aberdeen which engages 11 undergraduate healthcare professions including: biomedical science, diagnostic radiography, medicine, midwifery, nursing, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy and social work. Through this programme you will be given the opportunity to work in interdisciplinary teams drawn from across the breadth of health and social care disciplines. This provides fantastic experiential learning opportunities and enables realistic interprofessional learning opportunities where you can learn about the roles of the other professions and benefit from the experience of partnership working.

Professional Accreditation

We have a proven track record for excellence, all our courses are accredited and approved by professional bodies including: 

• General Pharmaceutical Council
• Institute of Biomedical Science
• Association for Nutrition
• The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences
• The Royal Society of Biology
• The Health and Care Professions Council
• Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST)

This is one of the reasons why our graduates are in such high demand by employers.

Awards and Recognition

• 1st in Scotland for overall student satisfaction in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy (National Student Survey 2023, excludes colleges, small, specialist and private providers)
• 1st in Scotland for graduate prospects outcomes in Pharmacology and Pharmacy (Complete University Guide 2025) 
• 1st in the UK for graduate prospects in Biological Science (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024)

Community Pharmacy Practice

Virtual Tour

Placements

Our courses are designed in response to the needs of industry, and therefore we have developed close links with local and international companies as well as public sector organisations. Placements are an excellent opportunity for students to gain real world experience and for employers to see what our students have to offer.

For our undergraduate students in particular, work placements will play an integral part of your learning experience, where you will discover a lot about yourself and your chosen career path as you gain valuable industry exposure.

We have facilitated student exchange schemes for many years. Exchange students are welcomed to RGU from France, Germany and Italy and participate in courses in Forensic and Analytical Science and Biomedical Science. We have established a number of successful student exchange schemes in the area of Pharmacy with East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and University of Tasmania in Hobart. These exchanges are non-credit bearing, but allow students from other countries to experience a different model of healthcare provision.

Professional Links

We are proud to be associated with the following leading organisations, institutions and professional bodies.

NESCOL is Scotland's largest provider of further/higher education. Upon completing an HNC or HND, many students go on to complete a degree at Robert Gordon University.

HCPC is a regulator which was set up to protect the public by keeping a register of health professionals who meet the Council’s standards for their training, professional skills, behaviour and health. 

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises in Great Britain. The role of the GPhC is to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public who use pharmaceutical services in England, Scotland and Wales.

The RSC is the largest organisation in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences. Supported by a worldwide network of members and an international publishing business, its activities span education, conferences, science policy and the promotion of chemistry to the public.

The Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) is the professional body for biomedical scientists in the United Kingdom. It aims to promote and develop biomedical science and its practitioners.

The Society of Biology is the professional body for UK biologists. The Society has some 10,000 individual members and through its corporate specialist member societies represents over 80,000 professional and non-professional bioscientists.

The British Dietetic Association is the professional association for dieticians. Its aims are to advance the science and practice of dietetics, promote training and education in the field and regulate the relations between dieticians and their employers through the BDA Trade Union.

The Association for Nutrition (AfN) defines and advances standards of evidence-based practice across the field of nutrition and at all levels within the workforce.

The Nutrition Society was established to advance the scientific study of nutrition and its application to the maintenance of human and animal health. Highly regarded by the scientific community, the Society is the largest learned society for nutrition in Europe.

There is an increasing requirement for evidence-based practice in order to meet the demand for clinical effectiveness and good practice.

Research at RGU is built on strong foundations of education and practice-based research. Over the years we have built up a vibrant research community in partnership with the NHS in Scotland and other Universities and institutions.

We host multi-disciplinary research that focuses its activities on addressing major issues around the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, care and welfare of patients, as well as environmental and bioscience areas of special interest. Our School also draws on the research skills of academic staff in three other our schools: Nursing and Midwifery, Applied Social Studies, and Health Sciences, as well as NHS and Scottish Government colleagues, and JBI Centre of Excellence.

Research Themes

We welcome applications from students to undertake research in the following broad areas:

• Clinical and Sports Biomechanics
• Biomedical Research
• Environmental Research
• Obesity Management
• Sports Nutrition
• Pharmacy Practice Research 

Ethics

Our documentation that ensures researchers maintain the highest ethical standards that preserve the safety, rights, dignity and well-being of both participants and researchers.

Specialist Research Facilities

If you undertake research as part of the School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, you will have access to state-of-the-art research facilities and receive support from experienced and dedicated staff.

Biomedical Sciences

• Cell culture (primary cultures and cell lines) and microbiological suites
• Molecular biology (PCR, RT-PCR, comet assay)
• Biochemistry (Western and Northern blotting, GC-MS, LC-MS, HPLC and capillary zone electrophoresis)
• Physiology and pharmacology (electrophysiology, myography, in vitro and in vivo assessment of cardiac and vascular function; platelet and leukocyte function)
• Tissue structure (histology, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence microscopy)

Environmental Sciences

• The University has a wide range of analytical equipment including GS-MS, LC-MS, HPLC systems.

Formulation Sciences

• The University has a wide range of equipment required for the formulation, manufacture and testing of medicines
• Complete range of equipment necessary for the dry and wet granulation of drugs and excipients for manufacturing as powders and tablets
• Production of oral modified release delivery systems supported by a full complement of equipment
• Other formulation types can be investigated with the help of a range of modern analytical instruments that include a Zetasizer (analysis of nanoparticles), texture analyser, dynamic rheometer, DSC, TGA and a hot-stage microscope (HSM).

Pharmaceutical Chemistry

The University has a wide range of equipment suitable for conducting both solution and solid phase synthetic procedures, complimented by analytical equipment including a 400 MHz nmr, GCMS, LCMS, multiple HPLC's (analytical and preparative), GC, FT-IR, UV and Fluorescence spectrometers, scanning EM, Molecular modelling can be done on a Silicon Graphics Octane 1200 workstation.

Our Research Staff