What A Levels do I need for Pharmaceutical science?

I want do pharmaceutical science and was just wondering what a levels do I need? Because I’m choosing soon and I’m rly stressed about it. Thanks for any help! I’m planning on doing either maths chemistry psychology or chemistry psychology ict.... which one is better and what else do i need? Like I can always change my subjects. Thanks again!

Pretty much as above. Chemistry is, to my knowledge, universally required for Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Pharmacology. Biology is a natural complement to that and relates closely to the subject area, and some may require it in addition. Maths is very useful, as Pharmacology and related areas tend to be more quantitative than most other Bioscience courses, although it's rarely required.

Psychology may be a useful complementary subject if you're particularly interested in psycho/neuropharmacology. ICT would be a weaker choice as it's not really related to the main subject, and doesn't complement or support the others in any way. Additionally, many universities consider ICT to be non-academic, and less good preparation for degree level study.

So if I do chemistry biology and psychology for A level would that be ok? Like Is it best to do maths With chemistry.... because apparently chemistry a level is rly rly hard and so is maths... I know there isn’t an easy subject but in comparison with others... I know biology require a lot of stuff to remember and so does psychology, but I like how all three subjects relate in some way so in a way it would be easier...

Any combination of the four is suitable, however Chemistry and Biology open more options than just Chemistry and Maths. Equally, Chemistry/Biology/Maths provides the best overall preparation, and maximum flexibility in selecting courses to apply to.

Psychology, while complementary if your specific area of interest relates to it, doesn't really add anything to the combination. There are no courses that require A-level Psychology to be able to apply to them, Psychology and related subjects at university tends to be very unlike Psychology at A-level and it serves as a mediocre preparation for it as a result.

Additionally, there isn't a huge amount of the content that overlaps/is relevant to Pharmacology and related areas in the A-level course - more than ICT to be sure, and it's conceptually linked, but in terms of what you're actually learning you'll get better preparation with the above. However, if Maths is an area of weakness for you then taking Psychology would be preferable to getting a poorer grade in Maths. If you're equally good at the three subjects, it would be best to take the three STEM subjects together.

To be honest, I am pretty good at maths, I’m in set one out of ten for it, and in my recent test I was the only one who got 100%. However, it’s just the fact that I want to do something that is more “chill” as my third subject and that is different to science... because all I need is chemistry and another science, in this case, biology. So I don’t rly want to do maths as well... originally I was going to do art because that is a subject that I know I can get a rly good grade in. And to be honest, at the moment for gcse I have an awful biology teacher and she doesn’t teach us anything, so biology is my worst science at the moment so I’m kind of worried.... and if I’m honest, physics is my best science along with maths. Originally I wanted to be an architect (for about a few years) but that was before I realised that Cosmetic science was a career. Ever since I was very young I’ve always been interested in product formulation of beauty and skincare products. Unfortunately there aren’t many courses for cosmetic science so Pharmaceutical science was the closest one.

Right...so I think actually the course you want to be doing is Chemical Engineering then - which is the normal route into the cosmetics industry. Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences considers physiological effects - when you ingest a drug, how it is metabolised by the body and how it affects it. It doesn't consider how things are synthesised on a large scale (which ChemE does) specific aspects of how their colour/"feel" are created (which the industry support ChemE does - courses probably won't have anything specific about this but will teach you the necessary background to be able to understand it usually), etc, etc.

Cosmetics focus on surface level interactions, and while there are biological concerns (over inflammatory responses and allergy issues - immunological things) the main consideration is how to make them, how to make them "better" and how to make them cheaper. This all falls in the realm of Chemical Engineering. Contrary to popular belief, Chemical Engineering is not only oil and gas engineering - formulation engineering, both in cosmetics and also in food production industries, is a huge area of it.

For Chemical Engineering you would realistically want to be doing Chemistry, Physics, and Maths. You may want to consider Further Maths, although it's by no means required. Many Chemical Engineering courses have options in bio(chemical) engineering and biotechnology. Birmingham specifically has specialisms in formulation engineering, although this is more tied to the food industry the core content is relevant to cosmetics, so that may be worth looking into. You can also apply to Cambridge Chemical Engineering via Natural Sciences, which gives you the option of remaining in NatSci and eventually specialising in Pharmacology if you decide against ChemE.

I see... so to be a cosmetic scientist I would techniquacllh need to do chemical engineering...the problem is I’m dreading the though of chemistry physics and maths, because I do enjoy those subjects however when together it’s a big no no for me... however I do rly rly rly want to be a cosmetic scientist and that has always been my ultimate dream... do I rly need physics to do chemical engineering?

I don't understand your problem with the prospect. if you enjoy all the subjects, what's the problem with taking them together? You've already taken them together in GCSE. You'll just be less distracted by other subjects and be able to focus more on them.

Chemical engineering is just Maths, Physics, and some Chemistry. You don't get to take random options in Psychology or Art on an Engineering degree. If you can't take those A-levels together, you definitely won't be able to pursue a degree in engineering. If you don't want to pursue the relevant degree for the sector, then are you sure you really want to work in it?

Working in the cosmetics industry is going to either be in some kind of business role, or on the technical side, which will be more maths, physics, and chemistry on a day to day basis. What do you think you will be doing...?

If you can't or won't take those subjects together I suggest considering an entirely different career - outside of STEM areas and sectors. If your issue is because someone on here said it was hard for them, I would suggest using your critical reasoning abilities to evaluate whether someone else's experiences will translate to you, and whether you can put in the necessary work to do well, even if they couldn't or wouldn't.

I do want to work on the technical side - product formulation. However, I do not want to take a levels that I’m not going to enjoy. Although, yes I do see your point, I want to do something that I will enjoy in order to get good grades. Yes I know that if I suffer for a few years, it will pay back and the rest of my life will be better. But, I rly don’t feel confident in them all together. To be honest, apart from law and architecture, I can’t rly think of anything else that I can persue in. Are there any other reliable careers?

If you aren't going to enjoy those A-levels, you definitely aren't going to enjoy the degree, and you aren't realistically going to enjoy the role after graduating. So it won't "pay back and be better later" - it's just more of the same. More specific, more detailed, and more applied, but still the same.

It's not uncommon for students to not know what they want to pursue necessarily at your age - I think it's rarer for them to have any great clarity in this area. However, in general the best way to maximise your options for when you later apply to uni is to take similar subjects to those to begin with.

Most non-STEM subjects will accept an applicant with a STEM subject profile if they can demonstrate commitment to the course, for example Law or Economics. There aren't many courses that require non-STEM subjects as prerequisites; normally History, Languages, English and visual/performing arts subjects. I would note the latter does not necessarily include Architecture, and there are some courses that don't require Art A-level, although you will usually be required to demonstrate some artistic skill otherwise.

Some Chemical Engineering courses will only require Maths plus either Physics or Chemistry (more commonly the former than the latter) and teach you the one you're "missing" in first year. Thus you could take e.g. Maths, Physics, and Art, which would be suitable for any engineering course, those Chemical Engineering courses that are as described above, and any Architecture course (as well as, of course, anything that don't necessarily have specific subject requirements - Law, Economics, Geography, etc, etc).

But taking only a single science isn't going to achieve anything, unless that science is Maths (and even that would still hugely limit you to Economics and some CS/Maths courses mainly, and be suitable for some architecture courses). Taking two is ok, but three is usually better. Students often think a "split" portolio of a STEM subject, an essay subject, and another is the most flexible, but in reality it is the least flexible. It's perfect, for say, architecture, if you take an essay subject, art, and maths (or maybe physics at a stretch). It's probably the poorest preparation for any other subject or subjects you could want to study, including those subjects individually (particularly as for "academic" subjects such as law, non-academic subjects like Art are considered non-preferred, because they don't actually do anything to prepare you for the academically rigorous study once you get to university).

However, choosing your subjects, and indeed your degree, based on it getting you a "reliable" job/career is probably the worst thing you can do - for yourself. Take it from me - I did this and left my engineering degree halfway through because I hated it, and I had only chosen that subject because I was reasonably good at maths and sciences (despite having studied mostly non-science subjects in IB) and I was confident it would lead me to a "reliable" career. But it wasn't until partway through that I finally realised that, I would just be doing this same stuff I hated, day in and out, in that reliable career.

If that's your only long term goal, you would be better off pursuing an apprenticeship in accounting or something - it's a fairly stable, avoids any excess academic requirements, and decently paid. Whether this is what you want, I can't say. I suspect not, but...

Don't pursue Law, or engineering or anything else, because it's a "good" career. Pursue them because you have some genuine interest in the fundamental content and skills required - if you like researching complex rules, analyzing arguments, or have a strong sense of social justice, law is probably not a bad option. If you like doing science, using experimental methods to research develop new ways of doing things, and applying "basic science" principles to improving the efficiency of existing methods using such though processes then engineering (including chemical engineering, and including cosmetic formulation) is probably something you'll enjoy. If you don't enjoy the skills used in those professions, you don't enjoy learning the background theory required to pursue those professions, and in any measurable way don't want to pursue them other than having a good paycheque, then it's not a good profession for you.

You don't need to earn 6 figures to live comfortably and securely, and in fact you can earn far less than that and live not so securely but still have much greater life satisfaction than someone who does.

If you aren't going to enjoy those A-levels, you definitely aren't going to enjoy the degree, and you aren't realistically going to enjoy the role after graduating. So it won't "pay back and be better later" - it's just more of the same. More specific, more detailed, and more applied, but still the same.

It's not uncommon for students to not know what they want to pursue necessarily at your age - I think it's rarer for them to have any great clarity in this area. However, in general the best way to maximise your options for when you later apply to uni is to take similar subjects to those to begin with.

Most non-STEM subjects will accept an applicant with a STEM subject profile if they can demonstrate commitment to the course, for example Law or Economics. There aren't many courses that require non-STEM subjects as prerequisites; normally History, Languages, English and visual/performing arts subjects. I would note the latter does not necessarily include Architecture, and there are some courses that don't require Art A-level, although you will usually be required to demonstrate some artistic skill otherwise.

Some Chemical Engineering courses will only require Maths plus either Physics or Chemistry (more commonly the former than the latter) and teach you the one you're "missing" in first year. Thus you could take e.g. Maths, Physics, and Art, which would be suitable for any engineering course, those Chemical Engineering courses that are as described above, and any Architecture course (as well as, of course, anything that don't necessarily have specific subject requirements - Law, Economics, Geography, etc, etc).

But taking only a single science isn't going to achieve anything, unless that science is Maths (and even that would still hugely limit you to Economics and some CS/Maths courses mainly, and be suitable for some architecture courses). Taking two is ok, but three is usually better. Students often think a "split" portolio of a STEM subject, an essay subject, and another is the most flexible, but in reality it is the least flexible. It's perfect, for say, architecture, if you take an essay subject, art, and maths (or maybe physics at a stretch). It's probably the poorest preparation for any other subject or subjects you could want to study, including those subjects individually (particularly as for "academic" subjects such as law, non-academic subjects like Art are considered non-preferred, because they don't actually do anything to prepare you for the academically rigorous study once you get to university).

However, choosing your subjects, and indeed your degree, based on it getting you a "reliable" job/career is probably the worst thing you can do - for yourself. Take it from me - I did this and left my engineering degree halfway through because I hated it, and I had only chosen that subject because I was reasonably good at maths and sciences (despite having studied mostly non-science subjects in IB) and I was confident it would lead me to a "reliable" career. But it wasn't until partway through that I finally realised that, I would just be doing this same stuff I hated, day in and out, in that reliable career.

If that's your only long term goal, you would be better off pursuing an apprenticeship in accounting or something - it's a fairly stable, avoids any excess academic requirements, and decently paid. Whether this is what you want, I can't say. I suspect not, but...

Don't pursue Law, or engineering or anything else, because it's a "good" career. Pursue them because you have some genuine interest in the fundamental content and skills required - if you like researching complex rules, analyzing arguments, or have a strong sense of social justice, law is probably not a bad option. If you like doing science, using experimental methods to research develop new ways of doing things, and applying "basic science" principles to improving the efficiency of existing methods using such though processes then engineering (including chemical engineering, and including cosmetic formulation) is probably something you'll enjoy. If you don't enjoy the skills used in those professions, you don't enjoy learning the background theory required to pursue those professions, and in any measurable way don't want to pursue them other than having a good paycheque, then it's not a good profession for you.

You don't need to earn 6 figures to live comfortably and securely, and in fact you can earn far less than that and live not so securely but still have much greater life satisfaction than someone who does.