How to Find the Best Online Pharmacology Courses

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Erin Jamieson loves learning, but she's also a teacher. Erin is a senior lecturer of English at Ohio State University and has also worked as a social media specialist. Her unique view on learning and teaching allows her to look at available courses and see which ones will provide the most value to the student. Her own teaching style is very student-centered and focuses on active learning, so she understands how students learn and what a course needs to provide to make it helpful.

Best Online Pharmacology Courses – an Overview

Course Name	Learning Platform	Institution	Level	Prerequisites	Length	Hours Required	Price
Fundamentals of Pharmacology	Canvas Network	The Ohio State University	Beginner	None	Variable	2-3 hours per week	Free
Drug Discovery	Coursera	University of California San Diego	Beginner	None	3 weeks	Self-paced	Free
Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety	Elevate Health	University of Utrecht	Intermediate	A BSc or Master’s degree in (bio)medical or Life Sciences	3 weeks	14 hours per week	€785($853)
HMX Pharmacology	HMX	Harvard Medical School	Beginner	None	10 weeks	14 hours per week	$800

Will an Online Pharmacology Course Suit Me?

Pharmacology is the specific branch of pharmaceutical sciences that studies drug action and its biochemical and physiological effects on the organism. Pharmacology is a highly practice-oriented and constantly developing medical discipline that attracts students for a variety of reasons.

If you want to make sure you invest your effort, time, and finances in something that really matters, pharmacology should satisfy your ambitions completely. Becoming a professional pharmacologist means that you will get involved with an industry that helps people around the world overcome some of the most critical medical issues – from the most common civilization diseases to cancer or viral pandemics.

On the other hand, pharmacology is also a prosperous field that draws lucrative investments and produces important revenues for successful pharmaceutical companies. If you’re able to turn your theoretical knowledge into practical skills, this might be the beginning of the fruitful career you’ve always been dreaming of.

Some of your career options after completing education in pharmacology include becoming:

Academic researcher
Analytical chemist
Biomedical scientist
Clinical research associate
Medicinal chemist
Pharmacologist
Research scientist
Toxicologist
Science writer

Of course, your attraction to pharmacological studies doesn’t have to be fueled by such high ambitions. Many people nowadays want to understand this field for purely personal reasons. After all, pharmacology is one of those scientific disciplines that affect the lives of all of us.

If you understand basic principles and mechanisms of pharmacology, it can help you adopt a healthy approach towards medication, or improve your everyday routine and practices, if you’re, for example, providing long-term care to your chronically ill loved one.

Aside from all these concrete outcomes and benefits, pharmacological studies can also help you improve some secondary skills, such as critical thinking, data research and interpretation, and problem-solving.

Of course, pharmacology is not only theoretical science. It involves hands-on research and laboratory work that cannot be simulated virtually, so don’t expect to complete a full-value pharmacology study entirely remotely.

Some of the courses we will discuss today can serve as a perfect introduction and a useful “trial” that can help you determine whether this field is really good for you. Other courses are focused on skills improvement and further specialization for those who already have some degree or professional experience in pharmacology.

To help you determine how to choose the right course for you, we have prepared the following tips:

Best Online Pharmacology Courses: What to Look for?

Are you having a hard time deciding which pharmacology course you should choose? Here are a few things you might want to consider.

Personal Goals

As we’ve already mentioned above, different people have different motivations for studying pharmacology. If you want to choose the best online course for you, you should know what you expect and want from your studies.

Are you driven by simple curiosity, or do you plan to build a new career in pharmacology? Do you need some particular information, or are you after the general knowledge? Have you already studied some similar courses? Or do you plan to continue with advanced studies? If you know what you want, it’s much harder to be disappointed.

Study Hours/Length of Course

Online courses represent a diverse range of learning modules. Some of them are brief and undemanding, giving you the freedom to study at your own pace. Others have a tight schedule and require a lot of commitment.

If you’re not ready to leave everything behind and immerse fully into your studies, you should be realistic about your time and energy reserves. Find a course that fits your lifestyle, and you will be rewarded with joyful and stress-free studies.

Costs

Many online courses are available free of charge. However, these are mostly introductory courses oriented on enthusiasts who don’t have any professional ambitions in the given field.

The most serious online courses organized by reputable universities usually come with a price. On the other hand, they usually provide college credits or academic certificates that can help you use and probably even monetize your newly acquired skills in practice.

Prerequisites

Many online pharmacology courses are completely accessible to total beginners; you don’t have to have any prior education or knowledge to enroll in them. Intermediate courses, however, usually require certain qualifications or prior experience. All formal requirements are usually clearly stated in the course description.

However, keep in mind that even if there are no prerequisites related to the course, it might be a good idea to start with some basic courses focused on fundamental information. It will be much more enjoyable and easier for you to continue with more advanced courses later on.

Instructors

Although you probably automatically assume that every online course is led by a qualified and reputable expert in the given field, it’s never a bad idea to double-check if that applies.

Course organizers usually state in advance who their instructors are, what qualifications and experiences in the field they have, and what are their main specialties. Aside from knowing that you are really in good hands, this also allows you to get familiar with your instructor beforehand.

Reviews

There’s no better advertisement for the course than honest reviews from its students. Just keep in mind that public endorsements on the official page of the course might be a bit biased.

If you really want to know, how were or weren’t your predecessors happy with the course, look for genuine comments from users of reputable online learning platforms.

Support

Some of the best courses offer a comprehensive support, including one-on-one chats with your instructor or conveniently facilitated contact with other members of your study group.

This will allow you to overcome any possible problems or uncertainties with ease, and you might also gain a broader perspective on the topics you study.

Of course, the more personal support course offers, the higher is usually its price. But even free courses should provide at least some basic technical support with responsive and helpful staff.

Content

Pharmacology courses on our list can be divided into two categories – courses for absolute beginners and advanced courses for intermediate students. The first category mainly focuses on fundamental principles and mechanisms of pharmacology.

Expect to learn about the drug nomenclature and classes, routes of administration, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, toxicity and adverse reactions, and also the process of drug design and development.

Advanced courses expect you to have some basic knowledge already, so they focus on more specific topics (e.g., pharmacoepidemiology).

Online courses usually combine various formats of learning materials: videos, slides, live or prerecorded lectures, reading materials from books and published studies, etc. This makes e-learning vivid and interactive.

Assessment

This varies from course to course greatly. Some of them just want you to read/watch/listen to the provided materials in the recommended time period.

Others include regular exams and award academic certificates to those who complete them successfully. If you’re planning further pharmacology studies or need to attach a reputable certificate to your CV, don’t choose the easiest option.

Technical Specifications

Unlike IT or graphic design courses, pharmacology courses usually don’t have any special technical requirements. However, it might still be useful to check whether the course works on both desktop and mobile platforms. This will give you extra comfort and flexibility to learn on the go.

Additional Costs

Some courses may ask for additional investment in recommended learning materials or optional exams/certificates. Read the description carefully and calculate all your expenses before you enroll.

Further Study

Even though many online courses are organized directly by some of the world’s most reputable universities, they often don’t count towards normal college credit.

But attending these courses might still be very useful if you decide to continue in the pharmacology studies. It will give you all the necessary basics, and you will also get a chance to test your personal “compatibility” with the field.

Fundamentals of Pharmacology – Canvas

Institution: The Ohio State University

Level: Beginner

Prerequisites: None

Length: Variable

Hours Required: 2-3 hours per week.

Price: Free

The Fundamentals of Pharmacology course hosted by the Canvas Network learning platform offers a comprehensive introduction into pharmacology. Whether you’re a complete laic or aspiring medical student, all your fundamental questions about pharmacology should be answered in this course.

The course is led by clinical instructor Molly Downing, Ph.D. from the College of Pharmacy at The Ohio State University. She has taught pharmacology in a variety of courses to both undergraduates and professional pharmacy students.

She also works closely with a project called Generation Rx, which is an initiative that educates the public about the safe approach towards prescription medications. Her experience and specialization make her an ideal instructor for both amateur enthusiasts and seasoned professionals.

The good thing is that this course is literally available to anyone. There are no special prerequisites, no technical demands, and it’s also completely free of charge. This course is also offered in a self-paced mode, so you can progress as slowly or as quickly as you like.

You can find out more about it here.

Learning Goals

Understand fundamental principles of drug action, including how drugs affect the body and how the body affects drugs
Understand and be able to map drug’s path in the body based on the route of its administration
Be able to explain factors contributing to varied drug response among different people.
Understand the mechanism of action, effects, and use for major drug classes
Be able to apply pharmacological principles in discussing emerging therapeutic strategies.

Course Structure

Throughout the course, students have access to various topic-related readings, videos, discussions, quizzes, and other materials. The course is structured into the following modules:

Principles of Pharmacology
Pharmacology of the Nervous System
Pharmacology of the Cardiovascular System
Pharmacology of the Endocrine System
Pharmacology of Infectious Disease
Pharmacology of Antineoplastics & the Immune System