Masters degrees in Pharmaceutical Chemistry equip postgraduates with the techniques to study drug design, function and development.
Taught MSc courses are typical in this field, though research-oriented MRes and MPhil programmes may also be available. Entry requirements normally include an appropriate undergraduate degree such as Chemistry, Biochemistry or Chemical Engineering
The MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences programme was developed in response to the need for enhanced skills by employees within pharmaceutical research, development or manufacturing.
The programme will generate graduates with in-depth theoretical knowledge and extensive laboratory skills, allowing students to be involved in many disciplines of pharmaceutical sciences from drug discovery and medicinal chemistry through to product development and manufacture and including pharmaceutical analysis, quality control and quality assurance.
Delivery on this programme involves a series of lectures, seminars, workshops and lab-based exercises. Many of the lectures on this programme are delivered by leading industrial experts. Problem-based learning and case studies will provide students with experience of team-working that simulates an industrial setting. Students will develop team-working, critical thinking and analytical problem solving abilities which are important in the modern pharmaceutical industry.
The main part of the programme is a research project that runs over the whole academic year and gives students the opportunity to work with modern research equipment to carry out novel research. Project work will help students enhance practical skills, analytical thinking, time management, communication skills and independence.
The aims of the programme are to:
Visit the website http://www.gre.ac.uk/pg/engsci/mps
Full time
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses:
Colloids and Structured Materials in Formulations (30 credits)
Drug Discovery and Medicinal Chemistry (30 credits)
English Language Support (for Postgraduate students in the Faculty)
Analytical Methods and QA/QC Principles (30 credits)
MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Project (60 credits)
Modern Pharmaceutical Technologies and Process Engineering (30 credits)
Part time
- Year 1:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses:
English Language Support (for Postgraduate students in the Faculty)
Analytical Methods and QA/QC Principles (30 credits)
Modern Pharmaceutical Technologies and Process Engineering (30 credits)
- Year 2:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.
Colloids and Structured Materials in Formulations (30 credits)
Drug Discovery and Medicinal Chemistry (30 credits)
MSc Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Project (60 credits)
Your time at university should be enjoyable and rewarding, and it is important that it is not spoilt by unnecessary financial worries. We recommend that you spend time planning your finances, both before coming to university and while you are here. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.
Find out more about our fees and the support available to you at our:
- Postgraduate finance pages (http://www.gre.ac.uk/finance/pg)
- International students' finance pages (http://www.gre.ac.uk/finance/international)
Students are assessed through examinations, coursework and a dissertation.
Graduates from this programme can pursue careers in the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry or industries manufacturing other health care products.
Find out how to apply here - https://www.gre.ac.uk/study/apply
Chemists have always been in demand worldwide with pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, fine chemicals, and within research laboratories across the globe. The programme at Aberdeen is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Aberdeen is noted for Nobel prizes within Chemistry which include the invention of modern chromatography (Synge 1952) and the discovery of a new element - protactinium (Soddy 1921). Teaching at Aberdeen is informed by world class research within food security. Class sizes are kept small to enable you to have strong teaching interaction and support in your studies. You will be taught by many staff in the environment group (TESLA) https://www.abdn.ac.uk/ncs/departments/chemistry/trace-element-speciation-laboratory-111.php and (MBC) https://www.abdn.ac.uk/ncs/departments/chemistry/marine-biodiscovery-centre-112.php
The programme focuses on specialised modern analytical methodology. The range of industries or institutes where these skills are asked for includes the pharmaceutical industry, environmental institutions, research institutes and also the oil & gas industry. There are many new innovations which require chemists with advanced skills to analyse and test new methods of providing health via IOT devices, smart phones and small sensors deployed throughout the body to quickly provide analysis and customised recommendations.
Semester 1
Advanced Analytical Methodologies A and B
Practical Exercise and Professional Skills in Analytical Chemistry
Semester 2
Research Techniques and Professional Skills and Problem Solving Theory and Practice
Research Project in Analytical Chemistry
Semester 3
Research Project in Analytical Chemistry
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/degree-programmes/3/analytical-chemistry/
Find out about fees:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/tuition-fees-and-living-costs-287.php
*Please be advised that some programmes have different tuition fees from those listed above and that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/finance-funding-1599.php
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/funding/
Find out more about:
Find out more about living in Aberdeen:
https://abdn.ac.uk/study/student-life
Living costs
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/finance.php
The interdisciplinary master’s programme Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering at TU Graz connects the natural sciences of chemistry and pharmacy with the engineering field of chemical and process engineering. In this one-of-a-kind study, you work together with internationally recognized lecturers in well-equipped laboratories. The study qualifies you to conduct high-quality national and international and to develop innovative chemical and pharmaceutical production systems for industry.
Klara Treusch, master's degree student in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering:
"This master's programme is an interesting challenge for all who want to gain access to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries from the perspective of engineering technology. It opens doors to other fields of work, such as chemical and process engineering."
You may choose one of 2 areas of specialization:
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
In this area specialization, you gain expertise in chemical and process engineering and learn about the mission of the chemical industries of the future – to develop sustainable and economical chemical processes.
PHARMACEUTICAL ENGINEERING
Intelligent pharmaceutical products will revolutionize medical care: Personalised products can be customized to fit the age, sex and lifestyle of individual patients. You learn ways to develop pharmaceutical products more quickly and reduce production costs.
You may choose courses from the following catalogues of elective courses:
During your studies, you will have the chance to improve and enhance your social and soft skills, for example, through project work, during lectures, while conducting written work and working in teams.
For the individual courses, please see the semester plan.
Medicinal and Biological Chemistry requires a thorough understanding of molecules, their structures, properties and synthesis, but it also demands the chemical understanding of the nature of biological structures, from macromolecules to cells, the design of pharmaceutical materials in the laboratory and their function in clinical settings.
The knowledge and skills acquired in the course will leave graduates well equipped to compete for positions related to 'drug discovery' in chemical, pharmaceutical or biotechnological companies.
The degree consists of advanced lecture courses in:
These are studied concurrently with a predominantly practical based course offering an introduction to research methods.
Students then proceed to a period of full-time research project work, leading to the submission of their Masters dissertation.
Lectures are given by leading researchers in the area of medicinal and biological chemistry.
The lecture courses are supported by tutorial sessions and assessed by examination in May.
The Introduction to Research Methods course includes an exciting problem solving exercise where you learn important skills such as Communicating Science, Innovation, Dealing with Intellectual Property and Grant Application Writing, together with a literature survey and written report, defining the scope of the subsequent individual research project work.
On completion of the course, students should have developed a depth of comprehension and critique in the core elements of their subject area, including:
Additionally they will have enhanced their professional/practical skills through:
Students will also have the opportunity to develop transferable skills such as:
Graduates are well suited to take up roles in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, either in research and development or sales and marketing. You will gain valuable work experience in a real-life research environment.
Alternatively, a Masters degree is a precursor to a PhD degree.
Our courses teach students the valuable skills they need to also move into other areas outside chemistry. Careers in IT, management or finance are possibilities after completing your degree.
Chemical biology is the application of chemical tools and ideas to biological and medical problems. This programme is designed to build on an existing knowledge of chemical structure and reactivity to give you a thorough grounding in contemporary chemical biology and drug discovery as well as introducing you to topics from the research frontier.
You’ll be taught by experts from across the Astbury Centre in chemical biology, biophysics and medicinal chemistry using a "problem-based" approach. Visiting lecturers from the pharmaceutical industry will share their expertise in industrially-relevant applications of chemical biology and drug design with you.
Bridging the gap between your undergraduate degree in a core subject, and interdisciplinary research in chemical biology, you’ll develop the skills to solve real-life research problems, benefitting from a multi-million pound investment in fantastic research facilities. Rather than focusing on a single discipline, you’ll learn to use either chemical or biological approaches to tackle the problem in hand.
Royal Society of Chemistry Accreditation
The University of Leeds launched the first taught MSc degree in Chemical Biology in the UK. The course was one of the first two MSc courses in the UK to receive accreditation from the Royal Society of Chemistry; graduates from the programme with an appropriate first degree in chemistry satisfy the academic requirements for the award of Chartered Chemist (CChem) status.
In the first half of the year you’ll cover a core range of modules designed to build on an existing knowledge of chemical structure and reactivity to give you a thorough understanding of chemical biology and the techniques required for drug design. In the second half of the year you’ll spend the majority of your time working on an interdisciplinary research project which will allow you to work with and gain advice from two supervisors with complementary expertise.
This project will contribute 50% of the mark for your degree. The School will help you to select the project that is right for you, in an area that interests and motivates you. The project will provide you with key research experience to take your career forward. With the core modules behind you, you’ll be ideally positioned to choose an exciting problem to investigate.
The breadth of expertise available at Leeds means that you will be able to combine a wide range of techniques from computational ligand design to synthesis, protein engineering and laser spectroscopy. These techniques might span one of more of the following general areas;
You’ll receive training in the generic skills that are required for the module, including scientific writing and giving oral presentations. You’ll select your project at the start of the second semester,undertaking a programme of directed reading before writing an initial report. You’ll then spend over four months in your supervisors' research laboratories working alongside PhD students and experienced postdoctoral researchers. During the research project, you’ll have access to the outstanding research facilities in chemical biology that are available in Leeds.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
You will be taught by experts across the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, meaning you’ll learn from both chemists and biologists to gain the skills and knowledge to work in a multidisciplinary environment. You’ll be taught through a series of lectures, small group workshops and practical lab sessions. You will also get involved in student led activities such as literature presentations.
The wide range of continual assessment formats will allow you to improve your generic skills, and to hone your ability to solve problems. As part of the continual assessment of modules, you will give a wide range of oral presentations; prepare short articles, essays and research reports; perform computational exercises; and undertake group-based problem solving activities. Your research project will be assessed through your practical work and a written research report.
On graduation, you’ll be ideally placed to undertake interdisciplinary research in academia and the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry. You’ll also be in a strong position to pursue a science-related career, such as patent work, scientific publishing or scientific administration.
In addition, this course will leave you well-placed to forge a career at companies working at the interface between chemistry and biology. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are increasingly seeking researchers with a strong interdisciplinary background.
Further study
Many of our graduates have secured positions on Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry PhD programmes in the UK and internationally. The Astbury Centre hosts a wide range of PhD programmes incorporating Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, offering many opportunities for students graduating from the MSc course. The MSc provides tailored training at the interface between chemistry and the biological sciences, and will enhance your prospects of securing a place on one of these highly competitive postgraduate programmes.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
