INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACEUTICS - 2026/7

Module Overview

This module engages you in exploring how drugs are administered and absorbed, encouraging you to investigate the relationships between drug properties and physiological factors. You will analyze the mechanisms of drug absorption, with a focus on the oral route, and consider how solubility, permeability, and gastrointestinal conditions influence bioavailability. You will also compare and evaluate non-oral routes of administration, examining their advantages, limitations, and practical challenges through interactive activities and case-based scenarios.

Module provider

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Module Leader

ZARMPI Panagiota (Chst Chm Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Introduction to Pharmaceutics

• Biological membranes: anatomical targets and absorption characteristics.

• Physicochemical properties of drugs (solids and solutions).

• Oral route: Drug absorption in the GI tract, first-pass metabolism and its implications.

• Parenteral routes: intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC).

• Topical and Transdermal route: Local vs. systemic delivery through the skin.

• Mucosal routes: sublingual and buccal, rectal, vaginal, nasal.

• Inhalation and pulmonary delivery: High surface area and rapid absorption.

• Introduction to pharmaceutical manufacturing.

• Introduction to quality control and quality assurance.

• Introduction to clinical development and clinical trials.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

For the laboratory exercises an alternative written assessment can be set. This is based on analysing or explaining experimental data or detailing experimental techniques.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide you with opportunities to demonstrate understanding of core principles while developing practical and analytical skills essential for a career in pharmaceutical sciences.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Laboratory reports, (LO: 3, 5 and 6)

• Examination, (LO: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5)

Formative assessment is designed to support your learning and development by providing ongoing feedback and opportunities to consolidate knowledge, develop practical skills, and link theory to practice. It includes activities such as in-class quizzes, problem-solving exercises, workshops, and group discussions. In laboratory sessions, formative assessment is provided through guided worksheets, and informal feedback from instructors, enabling you to prepare for experiments, interpret results, and refine practical techniques before submitting summative lab reports. These activities are intended to help you identify areas for improvement, enhance critical thinking, and develop transferable skills such as teamwork, scientific communication, and data analysis, ensuring you are well-prepared for the summative assessments and for progression to more advanced pharmaceutics content in later years.
Feedback will be provided throughout the module during lectures, through interactions in laboratory and workshop sessions, and on individual laboratory reports. This will include general guidance to the whole group as well as specific feedback on work to support learning and development. In addition, one-to-one feedback can be requested by appointment with the module leader or relevant lecturer, providing opportunities for further discussion and clarification of concepts.

Module aims

• Introduce the fundamental principles of drug administration and absorption, enabling understanding of how drug properties interact with physiological factors.
• Understanding of oral drug delivery, including the impact of solubility, permeability, and gastrointestinal conditions on bioavailability.
• Explore non-oral routes of administration, and evaluate their advantages, limitations, and practical challenges.
• Promote the application of theoretical knowledge to practical and clinical contexts, fostering early problem-solving and decision-making skills related to drug administration.
• Encourage engagement with safe laboratory and workshop practices.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: provide you with a solid theoretical foundation in the subject matter while also developing practical, cognitive, and transferable skills essential for future careers.
The learning and teaching methods include:
Lectures: delivered primarily through PowerPoint and led by experienced members of academic staff with subject-specific expertise. The lectures will focus on introducing core pharmaceutics principles, emphasising fundamental concepts and the use of clear, illustrative examples to support understanding. Sessions will be interactive, with regular opportunities for students to ask questions, engage in guided problem-solving and reflective thinking, and receive timely feedback from staff and peers. This approach is designed to build a strong conceptual foundation and ensure that students are well prepared to progress confidently to Year 2 pharmaceutics content.
Laboratory sessions: delivered by experienced academic staff, supported by trained demonstrators who will be available throughout each session to provide guidance and assistance at every stage of the practical work. The laboratory activities are closely aligned with the lecture content and are designed to help students develop essential practical skills while reinforcing and conceptualising the fundamental principles introduced in lectures. Students will collect, process, and present experimental data for reporting purposes, thereby enhancing their analytical skills and developing their digital capabilities in preparation for progression to Year 2 study.
Workshops: delivered by experienced academic staff with subject-specific expertise and will adopt a problem-based learning approach centred on relevant, real-world scenarios. Students will be provided with structured exercises that encourage application of core concepts, critical thinking, and professional judgement. Dedicated time will be allocated for students to work through tasks individually and collaboratively, with ongoing opportunities to interact with the lecturer, ask questions, and engage in discussion. Each session will conclude with lecturer-led feedback, including worked solutions and guided reflection, to consolidate learning and support the development of transferable skills relevant to future academic study and professional practice.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: CHE1050

Other information

The school of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience.
This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in Digital capabilities and Employability as laboratory reports will be submitted and processed online, providing students with experience in digital workflows and supporting the development of digital capabilities. Students will be encouraged to use software such as Excel or Origin to organise and analyse data, create graphs, and present findings in a clear and professional manner. This approach not only reinforces understanding of the experimental work but also helps develop transferable skills in data handling, analysis, and scientific reporting, enhancing employability by familiarising students with practices commonly used in research and industry.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2026/7 academic year.