BioPharmaceutical Science
| From | To | UK Fee * | International Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Sep 2012 | 31 Aug 2013 | £8,500 | £9,000 |
* Exceptions may apply. Please see Fees and Finance for further information.
Introduction
In the BioPharmaceutical Science programme a broad academic background and range of skills for a career in the pharmaceutical, emerging biopharmaceutical and related industries, the largest and most profitable manufacturing industries in the UK will be developed.
Over a quarter of all industrial research in the UK; and a significant proportion of global research spending, is performed by pharmaceutical companies and the wide range of theoretical knowledge and extensive practical skills gained through completion of the BioPharmaceutical Science programme will ensure that graduates can play an important and well respected role in this challenging field and prepare them to follow exciting modern career paths.
The programme is designed to produce graduates at the forefront of recent pharmaceutical industry research and development trends, reflective of an ever increasing proportion of possible new drugs being large biopharmaceutical molecules.
The focus of the BioPharmaceutical Science programme will be to deliver a broad, relevant and responsive curriculum covering the major branches of chemistry, combined with pharmaceutical, clinical and chemical analysis. This will be performed in a vocationally-driven manner from which the practical and theoretical aspects of various areas can be easily integrated into a modern work environment. This programme will be the first to take advantage of the newly refurbished laboratory provision within the Sciences Complex on the City Campus and will be designed, in particular, to take maximum advantage of the industrially relevant analytical provision.
Graduates of this programme will be well versed and have transferrable training certificates in techniques encountered in, specifically, the pharmaceutical and clinical environment, but also techniques which underpin a wide range of scientific disciplines.
Students will develop knowledge into the function of the body and the structure and design of drugs to mitigate disease and symptoms. Using this basis the changing nature of new drugs will be illustrated and the use of larger biomolecules will be demonstrated. At each stage of the programme the integrated teaching of industrial workflows and up-to-date laboratory instrumentation will provide graduates with highly desirable skills in a number of diverse fields.
Course Content
Level 1
At Level 1, the programme will offer an introduction to characterisation of compounds of a synthetic and biological nature and provides a foundation to properties of molecules important to biological processes and the treatment of disease. The is achieved through a range of modules covering fundamentals of
- biological and organic chemistry;
- basic analytical science
- pharmacology
- molecular and cell biology
- human physiology
- practical application of statistics and data handling
Level 2
At Level 2, the programme will develop the themes created in Level 1 to introduce the development of new biologics and pharmaceuticals through modules in:
- analytical techniques: theory and instrumentation
- clinical science (including toxicology and disease diagnosis)
- essential bioorganic, bioinorganic and pharmaceutical chemistry
- drug design (including aspects of the iterative development of drugs)
- approaches to drug delivery
Further, a student-led mini-project in pharmaceutical and biomedical science will be used to prepare students for further research activity in Level 3.
Level 3
At Level 3, the programme will offer advanced modules in:
- analytical techniques
- proteomics and metabolomics
- clinical bioanalysis
- synthetic and biological development of drugs; and
- research project
Entry Requirements
A-Levels
Our typical offer will be 260 points from a minimum of 2 A levels/AVCEs or equivalent (e.g. 1 x AVCE double award) which must include Chemistry. We also require at least three passes at GCSE grade C or above which must include Mathematics and English Language.
Scottish Advanced Highers: 260 points - which must include Chemistry.
Irish Leaving Certificate: 260 points - which must include Chemistry.
Fees and Finance
The fees for this course are as specified in the table at the top of the page.
Please note that different fees apply to students studying for "Equivalent or Lower Qualifications" (ELQs). For more information about ELQs, please see the page Information for applicants who already have an HE Qualification.
For information about University scholarships and bursaries please see the page Fees and Finance.
Teaching and Assessment
Presentations, research essays, laboratory reports and examinations. An average is taken of all the assessments and the benchmark pass is 40%. In both semesters, there are visits to the University with students participating in lectures, seminars and laboratory experimentation.
During the course you will experience a combination of teaching and learning styles such as classroom teaching, laboratory practical work, library and Learning resource centre work. There will also be information technology activity, seminar work, tutorials and directed work with other students.
Work Experience
Students will have the option to contextualise the relevance of the Biopharmaceutical Science programme by taking an industrial placement year between Level 2 and 3. The placement will offer invaluable industrial and practical experience and enhance student career prospects; in addition, students will be eligible for an additional award of City and Guilds Licentiateship, to recognise personal achievement and the application of professional knowledge in the workplace.
The programme offers the student the opportunity to undertake a 12 month work-based placement in multi-national pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sanofi-Aventis. There are also the possibilities of placement into an NHS or biomedical clinical laboratory.
The University of Sunderland has well-established links with a number of multi-national Pharmaceutical companies. Through these links we are able to provide visiting lecturers to discuss the cutting-edge of pharmaceutical research and development and through parallel interactions with collaborating NHS trusts, ensure our graduates are able to interact with eminent people in their prospective field of employment.
Career Opportunities
The combination of the use of new methods of analysis and drug design will provide an enriching experience for the students and provide highly trained graduates with a pre-existing knowledge of the techniques and work processes implemented in the modern clinical and pharmaceutical laboratory.
This range and breadth of knowledge of technique is unique to the University of Sunderland through its recent laboratory upgrade - the provision of the most current iterations of analytical science equipment, in quantity, allows hands-on practical use by students to a level not replicated elsewhere in a UK University and will result in a high demand for our graduates in a number of fields including the pharmaceutical industry and clinical research laboratories.
Facilities
We have invested £7.5 million in Phase 1 of the new Sciences Complex which opened in September 2010. This provides high quality teaching and learning facilities and social learning spaces for staff and students.
The building also includes multi-disciplinary science laboratories including new equipment for drug discovery, pharmaceuticals and health related sciences.
In 2011 a new integrated industry-standard Analytical Services Lab and scientific imaging suite will open. As well as the new Lab there will also be an attractive landscaped public realm space as part of a new university square.
*World Class Web/Design Tools*
The University of Sunderland has made a significant investment in providing students with access to the latest releases of Adobe products.
Selected PCs within the St Peter's and Murray Libraries have been pre-loaded with the Creative Suite 4 (CS4) Adobe Design Premium Suite for your exclusive use.
CS4 Creative includes key products such as Indesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver as well as Photoshop and a range of many others.
Further information is available from:
http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/creativesuite/design/
For information regarding locations of PC or Macs within your own faculty that have access to Adobe products please contact your Faculty IT Support.
If you are interested in purchasing Adobe products for your own PC/Mac Adobe offer significant savings for student purchases via any of its approved re-sellers.
Please visit: