MSc

Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Designed to make employable and skilled graduates.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £10,800*

  • International students

    £16,900*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

Designed with a focus on employability and skilling graduates for roles within the pharmaceutical sector- one of the largest area of employment in the UK and the world, utilising the specialist facilities and staff at USW.

DESIGNED FOR

The MSc in Pharmaceutical Chemistry is specifically designed for graduates with a chemistry-based degree to tailor their expertise towards jobs in the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry is a global industry so the award is particularly attractive for overseas graduates looking to upskill to secure jobs the world over.

Career Paths

  • Pharmaceutical analyst
  • Quality assurance officer
  • Pharmaceutical data science officer
  • Process development chemist 
  • Quality control analyst 

Skills taught

  • Industry lab-based practical skills
  • Project management skills 
  • Pharmaceutical product testing and analysis
  • Regulatory affairs and quality control compliance
  • Data analysis and computational modelling for pharma

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.


Course Highlights

Increase Your Employability

Upskill or focus your training for roles in the pharmaceutical industry.

Latest Industry Requirements

Learn about current industry regulations and practices.

Meet Subject Specialists

Learn from experts in their fields.

Hands-on Training

Learn the techniques and instrumentation used in Industry.

Module Overview

Studying at our Upper Glyntaff campus, graduates will gain industry specific skills (e.g., pharmaceutical analysis) and knowledge (e.g., regulatory affairs), in addition to bespoke professional skills (e.g., project management, research skills, and data science) allowing them to gain access to the wide range of roles within the Pharmaceutical Industry.

This one-year course has two entry points, both September and February. Students study the same modules throughout their course, working side by side, which creates opportunities for extending networks and friendships. Both courses culminate in the research projects, that allow students to demonstrate all the skills gained, not just in the project module, but throughout all their modules.

Project Management and Techniques
Particularly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry – where projects could be small (e.g., lab based) to huge (whole site based) –this module will give you a good grounding in the principles and techniques in project management, enabling you to evaluate the processes associated with planning, controlling, executing and commissioning a specific project.

Quality in the Manufacture and Distribution of Medicines
This industry focussed module looks at how companies try to guarantee that the drugs they manufacture and distribute are of the highest quality to ensure safety and efficacy. It examines the underlying principles of Quality Assurance, a key element of quality management systems that underpin the pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution industries.

Medicines: Scale-up, Formulation, and Manufacture (Optional)
This module will challenge students to think about the factors that need to be considered when working in the area of process development/laboratory scale, to identify potential hazards or processes that would prove challenging to perform on a bulk scale, e.g., when going from the lab to a production plant. and provide alternative pathways.

Analytical Techniques and Quality in the Laboratory
This module will allow students to develop the required laboratory skills to conduct accurate laboratory analysis while exploring the theory and requirements surrounding method validation principles and processes – Why validate? Learning is supported by a significant practical based experience.

Advanced Formulation Science
With a significant lab-based, hands on training component, the module expands students’ knowledge on the types, properties, and testing and characterisation of medicinal formulations with a particular focus on disperse pharmaceutical systems. Students are also able to investigate a formulation of their choice in depth.

Toxicology (Optional)
Many drugs are actually toxic substances that we take in controlled doses. This module will allow students to understand the principles behind the toxicological effects of substances on the body and the factors that influence this. Students will develop a knowledge of the range and classification of toxic substances.

Computational and Data-Driven Techniques in the Pharmaceutical Industry
At the cutting edge of advanced computing and applied mathematics, students will gain an understanding of the core techniques from data science and machine learning as applied to the pharmaceutical industry and future trends, e.g., artificial intelligence in drug discovery. Students will also gain practical computational skills through interacting with such systems.

Major Research Project, Professional Practice And Employability
Students develop or enhance their existing skills relevant to working in a professional setting, such as advanced and applied industry specific practical skills, research skills, communication, presentation, and employment ready skills. Students are enabled to showcase the acquirement of these skills.

Course Highlights

Delivery and assessment

The delivery and assessment of each module are designed to ensure the best learning experience for the student and demonstrate clear attainment of the module learning objectives.  Learning activities include everything from traditional lectures through to interactive workshops, simulations, case studies, class discussions, and peer demonstrations. With a significant practical and applied focus, students spend appreciable time in USW’s pharmaceutical and computational laboratories. In person teaching is supported by significant online material (videos, exercises, online reading etc).  Assessments are as widely varied as the teaching methods, and include everything from reports, online tests, assignments, reviews, essays, portfolios, presentations, and posters. Novelly, the Project module incorporates an element of students’ choice in their assessment.

Teaching staff

Staff are passionate about their topics, the student experience, and their student’s success.  Alongside highly qualified staff with years of knowledge and experience, some of whom have come from the pharmaceutical industry, USW also engages Industry Specialists to ensure that, where necessary, industry specific learning is fully up to date.

Placements

The south of Wales is a thriving pharmaceutical/life science industry hub and many of our students go on to work for the various local companies that also regularly take on students for work placements. Our 60-credit professional skills module enables students who successfully secure a work placement to use this towards the practical project component of this module. Students are encouraged to source a work placement early in the course and are supported by USW in then vetting and setting up the experience, in addition to supporting students during their time on placement. A £500 fee is charged to students as remuneration to the host company for the costs of the placement.

Facilities

The bulk of the learning activities will be based in the George Knox Chemical and Analytical Laboratories and the computing labs based at USW’s Glyntaff campus. The laboratories house instrumentation and other equipment routinely found in Pharmaceutical companies, as such the hands on training received is highly applicable to the work place. The Glyntaff campus is served by its own specialist library and other student facilities, however we also make use of the specialist computing facilities on the Treforest campus which is home to the student union, the careers centre, and the International Student office providing access to these on a regular basis.

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Graduates from the MSc in Pharmaceutical Chemistry award go on to a large variety of roles in the vast pharmaceutical sector both in the UK and abroad.  The knowledge gained of the industry and the different skills gained in the degree allow access to all of these, and allow graduates to use their strengths, some students prefer working in the lab and utilise the practical skills gained, others enjoy the challenge of preventing regulatory breaches, some may follow a quality pathway, other have gone into product design, and yet others have gone into sales, the possibilities are as vast as the roles available.

Possible career paths

Specific examples of roles in the pharmaceutical sector that past students have secured include QC Analyst, Development Analysts, QC Technical Manager, Research Scientist, Technical Sales and Support specialist, Laboratory Supervisor and Research Scientist, Project Manager, Formulation Scientist, Quality & Process Improvement Officer.

The skills gained are highly transferable to other industries (e.g., cosmetics, veterinary medicine, food) and we have had students go on to work for many companies in very different sectors, e.g, Zorba foods, Bob Martin, 3M etc.

Alongside undertaking roles immediately within industry, a number of students have gone on to further study, including PhDs.

Careers support

We offer students career support not only through USW’s specialist careers advice entre but through the professional development and skills training provided as part of the major project component of the award. However, the embedding of employer sought transferable skills and knowledge forms the basis of he whole award.  Our graduates are highly employable.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

2:2 BSc (Hons) degree in either Chemistry or Pharmaceutical Science or a degree which includes chemistry. Other applicants will be considered on an individual basis.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£10,800

per year*
UK Full-time Fee

£10,800

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

*Obligatory 

Although supplied by USW, students are encouraged to equip themselves with a suitable laboratory coat and safety glasses for lab-based activities.

Cost: Variable

This fee is only payable by students who successfully secure a placement in industry to cover the costs incurred by the company hosting the USW student.

Cost: Up to £300

Costs incurred in undertaking a placement (e.g., travel, accommodation, purchase of any personal safety equipment) needs be paid by the student.

Cost: Variable

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.


Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.