Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry

The MChem (Hons) Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry is an integrated four-year undergraduate masters degree providing an excellent grounding in the skills and knowledge vital to a future as a pharmaceutical chemist working in drug discovery.

Throughout the programme, you’ll study a wide range of subjects, both to gain a good understanding of the wider subject and to develop the specialist skills central to pharmaceutical chemistry. So, while you’ll study general chemistry, research methods and professional laboratory techniques, your programme will also focus on more specialist areas like drug testing, drug efficacy, computer-based drug design and the quality control of pharmaceuticals up to the frontiers of knowledge in the field.

The MChem (Hons) Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry degree also includes a research project unit, where you spend a year focusing on a major independent project in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry that you design, carry out and present, alongside your other areas of study.

This degree also provides the option of spending an extra year expanding your horizons, either studying with one of our partner universities overseas, or working on a placement in industry.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

We are investing £115m to transform the way we teach and you learn in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Our new Dalton building will enhance collaboration between students, staff and industry and provide new and improved teaching spaces.

Over the last three years, we have invested half a million pounds to enhance our undergraduate lab experience and extend our wide range of analytical instrumentation, ensuring that you will benefit from a professional work environment. This includes a high-specification lab area with industry standard equipment and an adjacent computer suite.

Our teaching is supported by a range of technological innovations including videos, specialist software and simulations via VR to help you to prepare for practicals in advance – building your confidence in using lab equipment and allowing you to practise virtually from home.

In your first year you will have access to our online homework system, which gives you immediate, targeted feedback and hints to help you understand and practise key concepts.

We have embedded career preparation activities into each year of your course to help you explore options, gain key employability skills, and build your confidence to apply for work experience and your future graduate career.

Our diverse research activities directly inform our teaching. These focus on creating a sustainable and healthy future, including biosensors, drug discovery and the chemical monitoring of environmental change.

You can take the five-year route, spending a year studying overseas in Europe, North America or Australia, or boost your career prospects with a 9-12 month placement.