MSc Drug Discovery & Development

University of Lancashire

Our MSc Drug Discovery and Development course is ideal if you wish to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry, you will also have the opportunity to go on an optional professional placement. We’ve designed this course to give you the knowledge and practical skills you need to become a valuable team member within the pharmaceutical industry. There’s an emphasis on the drug development process and the journey from discovery to product marketing, including quality control and regulatory science. You’ll get deep insights into the molecular basis of disease, drug targets and their validation, identification of lead compounds, structure-based drug design, and analytical and synthetic techniques. You’ll also learn all about the regulatory and commercial aspects of management in the pharmaceutical industry.By the end of this course you’ll have developed in-depth knowledge of biopharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics and toxicology, and an understanding of research skills and scientific methods. Our aim is to produce scientists with expertise in drug discovery and development as well as non-scientists who are equipped to work in pharmaceutical work environments. Future careers:When you graduate you’ll be equipped with a knowledge and skills base that will allow you to pursue a range of scientific and non-scientific careers within pharmaceutical work environments.This may include roles in the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, academia or further studies (such as a PhD).Sandwich option:Our sandwich degrees offer the perfect blend of academic study and practical work experience, allowing you to build confidence in the workplace and graduate work-ready from your degree programme.Our previous graduates have found their sandwich year particularly beneficial as it has allowed them to gain practical, hands-on experience within their chosen career and the opportunity to learn directly from professionals based out in industry. It is not uncommon for sandwich year programmes to also open up future work opportunities in similar fields or professions for our graduates.