Combining chemistry with biochemistry, this course will give you a grounding in pharmaceutical chemistry and the skills needed to work in the field.

During the course you’ll cover all aspects of pharmaceutical drug development, such as target identification, synthesis, clinical testing and trials, alongside building your knowledge of the main branches of chemistry.

Our pharmaceutical chemistry course is designed to the standards of the Royal Society of Chemistry. During the course you’ll be taught by an academic team with links to the industry that include GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Johnson Matthey.

Building your chemistry skills in a lab environment

Divided into four broad themes, you’ll cover all aspects of chemistry including core chemistry knowledge, practical skills, pharmaceutical knowledge, and numeracy and computational skills. You’ll build your analytical and research skills so you can collect and interpret experimental data.

You’ll develop your chemistry skills in a high-tech laboratory. Access to the laboratory spaces at the Hendon Campus may be restricted in light of the ongoing Covid 19 outbreak, You will have access to a bioscience suite with a scanning electron microscope, microbiological and molecular equipment, as well as a host of other analytical technologies.

Pharmaceutical chemistry provides the skills for a wide variety of lab opportunities in pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology companies. Pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, Astrazeneca, as well as small biotechnology companies and contract research firms are examples of potential employers. Specific roles within a variety of sectors could include:

Pharmaceutical industry

• Research and development (drug design, synthesis and biological evaluation)
• Drug formulation
• Quality control and assurance (applicable to chemical industry as well)

Academia

• Pursue a PhD in Pharmaceutical chemistry and related disciplines
• Pursue industrial PhD in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company

Non-laboratory careers

• Regulatory affairs e.g developing guidelines and reviewing new drug applications from pharmaceutical companies
• Intellectual property (patent law)
• Project management
• Technology transfer
• Science publications
• Research officers
• Science education
• Other roles requiring strong analytical/quantitative skills