Masters degrees in Psychopharmacology involve advanced study of chemical substances’ psychological and behavioural effects on the human mind and body.
Related subjects include Abnormal & Clinical Psychology, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology. Entry requirements normally include an undergraduate degree in an appropriate subject such as Pharmacology, Medicine or Psychology.
Psychopharmacologists are interested in the effects that drugs have on mood, sensation, thinking and behaviour, and whether certain substances have psychoactive properties.
For example, you could explore links between clinical drugs and long-term side effects, such the proposed correlation between the contraceptive pill and depression.
Alternatively, you might investigate how hallucinogenics and narcotics affect an individual’s reality. You could also consider their long-term impact, asking whether hallucinations create false memories or examining the link between narcotics and paranoia.
Careers are extremely broad, with possible routes including diagnostics and psychotherapy, social work and counselling, or forensic applications such as rehabilitation and probation services. Other careers include public administration and policy-making.
