BioPharmaceutical Science
| From | To | UK Fee * | International Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Sep 2012 | 31 Aug 2013 | £4000 per 120 credits | £n/a |
* 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.
The new programme has been developed to reflect the change in focus of the pharmaceutical industry from the production of classical pharmaceuticals to those of a biological nature. Using informed development from industrial partners we will be offering the programme in full and part-time mode as a mechanism for generic pharmaceutical companies to formalise the education of existing staff and provide theoretical and practical access to the large capital investment within the University of the new technology being implemented at the forefront of the pharmaceutical industry.
This programme may be studied in part-time mode with students attending the University one day per week for formal lectures and laboratory sessions.
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
As with FT students there is an option to take a full year, FT paid placement within a Pharmaceutical or related company.
The University has wide ranging and historic links with a number of large pharmaceutical, fine chemical and related companies.
This provides a good level of feedback and iterative development of the programme to ensure it is current and producing graduates reflective of the industry need.
These links also afford a close relationship with regards to ensuring our students are able to be placed within companies during an optional placement year.
Career Opportunities
At the core of the Biopharmaceutical Science programme is the development of industrially relevant practical skills.
The programme will make extensive use of the redeveloped laboratory infrastructure within the Science Complex on the University City Campus, which through forward thinking purchases of equipment has capacity for successful Programme implementation. In particular, a recent capital expenditure of ~£1 million in state-of-the art analytical equipment will provide an unparalleled, modern, high-end University-wide provision in a fully integrated analytical suite.
This resource allows the programme to be rapidly developed and modified as changes in the focus of Biopharmaceutical research change, thus providing a constant high level of industrial relevance.
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.