Master of Science - Pharmacology and Drug Discovery

Pharmacology is the study of drugs and their effects on living organisms. Students will examine the way drugs work to combat disease and, combined with drug discovery, they will learn how new drugs are designed, synthesized and manufactured. The Pharmacology Drug Discovery program is the only MSci of its type in the UK and is innovative in its multidisciplinary approach.

The course brings together scientific disciplines - biology, chemistry and physical sciences – around the context of disease and medicines.  Within integrated modules, students will learn about the major diseases and science behind the drugs used to treat them. The program also include business studies to provide students with an understanding of management practice focused around the pharmaceutical industry; vital tools to working in today’s corporate world.

Students will be taught by academic researchers including pharmacologists, cell biologists, medicinal and pharmaceutical chemists, whose own research is in pharmacology and drug discovery.  In practical classes students will gain experience of synthetic medicinal chemistry as well as techniques in current molecular pharmacology – the techniques used in the discovery of new medicines.  Students will learn about designing experiments and how to write reports in the form of a scientific papers.  A highlight of the course will be performing original research in an individual project carried out within an active research laboratory.