Overview

Medicinal chemistry is a highly interdisciplinary field that applies the knowledge of different aspects of chemistry to develop and modify drug and diagnostic molecules. It has had, and continues to have, a tremendous impact on society, contributing significantly to increased quality of (healthy) life and lifespan. Development of drugs/diagnostics not only requires practical and theoretical skills in, for example, small molecule synthesis of drug molecules, but it also requires an understanding of drug/diagnostic targets, and how drugs/diagnostics interact with their target. Gaining this knowledge will play an important role in the development of next generation therapeutics and diagnostics. Our Master’s course will provide the academic training you need to become a professional medicinal chemist. Our cutting-edge research in chemical sciences is at the heart of our teaching. The course will be delivered through lectures, workshops, small group tutorials and practicals – ensuring your learning is at the forefront of scientific thought. What’s more, our Year in Industry programme will allow you to gain invaluable hands-on experience in the workplace, giving you a distinct advantage when you graduate.

About This Course

This course is taught with the same academic rigour and structure as our MChem in Medicinal Chemistry, but in the third year of this four-year course you’ll join an industrial medicinal chemistry-focused laboratory, gaining extensive experience in a research-led work environment. Your placement will typically last 10 to 12 months, and after an initial training period you’ll be fully integrated into a research team, contributing to the day-to-day requirements of the organisation. At the end of your placement, you’ll prepare a detailed report, together with a presentation. And during the placement you’ll undertake a distance-learning module to continue your academic development and prepare you for your final year. This is the medicinal chemistry degree you should choose if you aspire to becoming a professional medicinal chemist and want to give yourself a head start. This four-year course will give you the in-depth academic training and hands-on experience you need to follow your chosen career path. A key benefit to our MChem course is the emphasis we place on laboratory-based teaching, and the development of practical skills. Your lab work will include synthesis of new compounds, characterization of these compounds by spectroscopic methods, and the study of their individual properties, with special emphasis on medicinal chemistry. In addition to the industrial placement, in your final year, you’ll undertake an independent research project in an academic laboratory at UEA. This will give you an opportunity to make a contrast between working in an industrial laboratory and an academic laboratory, which might help you in deciding your future career path.