Recommended Reading - Keele University
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School of Pharmacy

Explore…Your Recommended Reading

General:

The Keele MPharm programme has been designed to be accessible to all students and is guided by the principle of placing the scientific aspects of the course firmly in the context of pharmacy practice.   This helps to ensure that you realise the relevance of the topics you are studying, even when they seem somewhat removed from your knowledge of what a pharmacist does and the skills they use.  

All of you are expected to have acquired some core knowledge of the basic sciences and mathematics as a result of your education thus far.   Those of you who do not have a formal qualification in some subjects beyond GCSE, or if you gained a lower than expected grade at A-level, are recommended to undertake private study in key areas.   Once you arrive at Keele you will all be supported by academic staff who will provide expert guidance and help with any aspects of the course that are unfamiliar or challenging.

The following texts are amongst those that have been chosen to support the course and each of them have associated web-based resources.   To find the web-based resources please visit the website of the publisher.   All students who do not have a B grade in Chemistry, Biology and/or Mathematics at A-Level are strongly recommended to purchase copies of these texts before embarking on the course:

 

Chemistry: An Introduction to Organic, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry (4th Edition)

C.E. Housecroft and E.C. Constable

Pearson (Prentice Hall)

ISBN-10: 9780273733089

ISBN-13: 978-0273733089

http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/

 

Biochemistry (7th Edition)

J.M. Berg, J.L. Tymoczko, L. Stryer

Freeman

ISBN-10: 9780716787242

ISBN-13: 978-0716787242

http://www.whfreeman.com/

 

Foundation Maths (4th Edition)

A. Croft and R. Davison

Pearson (Prentice Hall)

ISBN-10: 0131979213

ISBN-13: 978-0131979215

http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/

 

An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry (4th Edition)

Graham L Patrick

Oxford University Press

  • ISBN-10: 0199234477
  • ISBN-13: 978-0199234479

http://www.us.oup.com/

 

Subject Specific:

Students without a strong pass at A-Level in Chemistry, Biology or Mathematics should also use a supplementary text to support their studies, especially those students who do not have a formal qualification in these subjects beyond GCSE Science. The sections that follow contain details of supplementary texts that have been selected to support a particular aspect of the course. Of course, you may feel more comfortable using other, more familiar texts but you should note that the books that are described below have been selected because they are either used already to support Keele’s Foundation Year programmes or are established texts proven to be fit for purpose.

 

Chemistry

Knowledge of Chemistry is fundamental to your studies in Pharmacy.   Stages 2 and 3 are particularly rich in aspects of Chemistry, or contain material that may be best understood in terms of the underlying chemical principles.   Aspects including pharmaceutical chemistry, drug discovery and metabolism are covered in Stage 1 and all students will be provided with the help and support needed.   Students without a strong pass in Chemistry at A-level will certainly be expected to purchase the recommended Chemistry text by Housecroft and Constable. This is a very readable text and covers the Chemistry required in an accessible style. The text is supported by comprehensive web-based tools and students are strongly recommended to use them. Such students may also be required to undertake structured reading and submit brief assignments for formative assessment. The following supplementary texts are strongly recommended to students to support their studies; both texts are used currently in our foundation year courses:

The following books will support your Stage 1 studies in Chemistry:  

Chemistry: Molecules, Matter and Change (4th Edition)

L. Jones and P. Atkins

Freeman

ISBN-13: 978-0716742579

ISBN-10: 0716732548

 

Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight (5th Edition)

P. Atkins and L. Jones

Freeman

  • ISBN-10: 9781429239257
  • ISBN-13: 978-1429239257

 

Chemistry3: Introducing Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry

A. Burrows, A. Parsons, G. Price and G. Pilling

Oxford University Press (Oxford)

ISBN-10: 0199277893

ISBN-13: 978-0199277896

http://www.us.oup.com

 

Biology

The following books will support your Stage 1 studies in the Life Sciences which covers areas such as, human physiology and pathology, metabolism, genetics and cell structure:

Whilst it is not necessary to have knowledge of Biology to be able to access the initial content of Stage 1, some background reading would certainly help all students who do not have a B grade in Biology at A-Level. The recommended Biochemistry text will be useful throughout the course and covers many aspects of Biology, Biochemistry and even Mathematics. The supporting website is well worth a visit.

The following text has been highly recommended by the Life Science staff as a good introduction to the biology of the human organism; this is the standard text in the field, is used to support our foundation year programmes and is thus recommended for purchase:

 

Human Biology (11th edition)

Silvia S Mader

McGraw Hill

  • ISBN-10: 0070167788
  • ISBN-13: 978-0070167780

http://www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/

 

Mathematics

Stage 1 of the course will lead you through the fundamentals of Mathematics and develop your knowledge of the subject, including a study of chemical kinetics and the typical calculations demanded of the pharmacist in practice.   This also underpins later studies, particularly the Stage 2 pharmaceutics elements. The  lectures in calculations will be supported by a comprehensive programme of examples and problem classes, and the laboratory component will help you place your studies in context.

Several texts are recommended to support the mathematical content of the programme.   Foundation Maths by Croft and Davison is recommended for purchase to support the module: this book has been written for students who have not specialised in Mathematics at A-level but is also a very useful revision guide for those who have more confidence. Web resources are available to support this text and, whilst not as comprehensive as other sites, the material provided is useful and can be downloaded.

 

Foundation Maths (4th Edition)

A. Croft and R. Davison

Pearson (Prentice Hall)

ISBN-10: 0131979213

ISBN-13: 978-0131979215

http://www.pearsoned.co.uk/

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further advice regarding the content of the course, and the various scientific aspects in particular. You will receive further information concerning background reading and assessments during the introductory sessions in Week 1.