Masters Degrees (Agrochemical)

This MSc allows you to build on your undergraduate training in Chemistry to develop a deeper understanding of the subject, whilst building advanced knowledge in aspects of Organic Chemistry; including organic reaction mechanisms, spectroscopy, and synthetic strategy.

This kind of high-level training is sought after by employers in the chemical industry as well as top academic institutions working on fundamental research. You’ll receive specialised lectures, seminars and laboratory classes which are tailored to the needs of pharmaceutical, agrochemical, speciality and fine organic chemicals industries.

You’ll also complete an in-depth research project, which allows you to work closely with our pioneering, award-winning academics on a topic of your choice. The School of Chemistry was ranked 4th in the UK for the quality of its research output (REF 2014), so you’ll be taught by some of the best researchers in the country.

Read less

The rapid transformation in the nature of drug discovery means that knowledge of related disciplines, and the technologies used, is essential for those considering a career in commercial or academic research.

This MSc will help you explore the latest methods of developing drugs and therapeutic compounds for humans and animals and disease control agents for plants.

You will learn about marketing, licensing and regulations, which are all part of the development process. Our multidisciplinary approach links structural biology, bioinformatics, chemistry and pharmacology.

You will investigate the fundamental scientific problems and techniques of drug discovery and design, alongside the challenges of developing principles for new therapeutic strategies.

You will have hands-on experience of crystallographic computer programming and computation for bioinformatics.

You will consider the moral and ethical aspects of the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries through case studies, seminars and discussions.

Programme structure

This programme consists of two semesters of taught courses followed by a research project, leading to a dissertation.

Compulsory courses:

• Applicable Mathematics
• Molecular Modelling and Database Mining
• Quantitating Drug Binding
• Protein Structure Determination
• Commercial Aspects of Drug Discovery
• Project Proposal and Literature Review
• Preparative Methods for Structural Biology
• Drug Discovery

Option courses:

• Biochemistry A & B
• Bioinformatics 1
• Chemical Medicine
• Functional Genomic Technologies
• Biophysical Chemistry for MSc Biochemistry
• Introduction to Scientific Programming
• Practical Skills in Biochemistry A & B
• Introduction to Website and Database Design for Drug Discovery;
• Detailed Characterisation of Drug or Ligand Interactions Using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR);
• Bioinformatics Programming & System Management
• Bioinformatics Algorithms
• Information Processing in Biological Cells
• Bioinformatics 2
• Protein Molecular Modelling Practical Skills
• Tools for Synthetic Biology

Career opportunities

This MSc is designed to help you pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry or relevant government agencies, and it will provide a good background for managerial or technical roles in research, design and development. It is also a solid basis from which to continue your studies to PhD level.

Read less

The course is intended to provide students with a detailed understanding of the sustainability issues associated with Northern European agriculture, and is underpinned by an extensive programme of agri-environment research at Harper Adams.

Having completed the MSc you will be able to identify farming systems and determine their key characteristics, and critically evaluate the environmental impacts of conventional, integrated and organic farming systems. You will also learn to assess and exploit the latest developments in technology, and produce integrated farm management solutions that pay due regard to agronomic, social and environmental requirements.

The course

The continuing production of safe, wholesome food in an environmentally sensitive manner is a major political issue for national governments and internationally within global commodity markets. A report produced by the UK Cabinet Office in 2008 (Food Matters: Towards a Strategy for the 21st Century) predicts that the global population will rise to 9 billion by 2050 rising from a current estimate of nearly 6.8Bn. This increase in population size will substantially increase the demand for food. The global estimates vary in magnitude, but it is thought approximately 25% of crops are lost to pests and diseases, such as insects, fungi and other plant pathogens (FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation 2009)

In a 2009 response to the emerging issues centred on global food security, the UK BBRSC launched a consultation exercise entitled Future Directions in Research Relating to Food Security. In seeking responses as to the direction of future research BBSRC identified a number of key themes. These included the:
■ Translation of research into commercial practice and the creation of effective partnerships to enable exchange of knowledge and development of skills in the uptake of new scientific findings
■ Establishment of require long-term programmes in research and training, underpinned by investment in the agricultural research infrastructure
■ Focus on applying the latest science to increasing crop and animal productivity globally while minimising negative environmental impact (including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving the efficient use of water, energy and other inputs, conserving biodiversity and landscapes), reducing losses from pests and diseases, enhancing food safety and quality for improved nutrition, and reducing waste throughout the food supply chain.

This course is intended to provide students with a key understanding of the issues involved in the sustainable production of food in accordance with the themes outlined above and is underpinned by an extensive programme of associated research at Harper Adams.

How will it benefit me?

The course provides an overview of the key issues involved in sustainable agricultural production within a global context. Since there is a focus on the underlying scientific principles, the course is suited to students of all nationalities in addition to those from the UK. Initially, you will learn to identify global farming systems and determine their key characteristics, before undertaking more complex evaluations of conventional and integrated or organic farming systems. You will undertake training in the use of the latest resources and use these to produce global integrated farm management solutions that pay due regard to agronomic, social, economic and environmental requirements. You will also have the option of undertaking a case study module where you will be able to focus exclusively on farming system of relevance to your background or intended career destination. The research project will provide training in the design, execution, analysis and interpretation of appropriate experiments or surveys to address research questions or problems relevant to sustainable agriculture.

Careers

Students have typically entered a wide variety of professions. Some have worked for government departments and agencies such as Natural England or the Environment Agency. Others have joined agrochemical companies or found positions within agricultural or environmental consultancies.

Read less

Course overview

In our search for better medicines to improve healthcare in an ageing population, for safer agrochemicals to aid food production for a growing population, and for advanced materials for new technologies, it may come as no surprise to acknowledge that chemistry plays a dominant role. Without chemistry, the necessary scientific advances will simply not be made to meet these global challenges and to secure our future.

Chemistry is often viewed as demanding in its need for energy and natural resources. We have to ensure that chemistry is safe, efficient and, above all, sustainable – chemistry that is benign by design. Sustainability is an issue facing the entire global chemicals industry, our vision is to train a new generation of scientists to find innovative 'green' resource and energy efficient solutions that have the lowest possible environmental impact; demonstrate social responsibility; and make a positive contribution to economic growth.

This course builds upon our international track record in green chemistry, particularly in the fields of synthetic chemistry, catalysis, new technologies, materials science, process engineering and entrepeneurship. Course material covers all aspects of modern green and sustainable chemistry including feedstocks, energy, sustainable synthesis (including biocatalysis) and industrial process design. Formal lectures are complemented by a 60 credit project based in our world-leading research laboratories and designed to reinforce and apply many of the concepts delivered during lectures. This MSc programme is highly interdisciplinary. It capitalises on strong established links between Chemistry, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Nottingham Business School to provide both breadth and depth in the scope of the MSc degree.

Course details

The principle objective of this MSc Green and Sustainable Chemistry is to train the next generation of scientists to appreciate, assess and address the challenges of sustainability across chemistry using industries through the implementation of robust, innovative science and technology.

Candidates will, therefore, develop an excellent operating knowledge of contemporary methods of synthesis, analysis and process design optimized for both energy and reaction mass efficiency. Graduates will be equipped with the tools and experience to critically evaluate comparable reaction pathways and make evidenced decision in the design and execution of efficient chemical processes key to the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, fine chemical and other chemical using industries. Furthermore, upon completing this degree, students will be able to make effective use of electronic communication and information search & retrieval to facilitate the development and dissemination of key critical skills with which to assess and analyse complex problems.

Further information

Read less