Program Overview
This BSc Pharmaceutical Chemistry with Foundation program provides a comprehensive education in chemistry, including advanced topics relevant to modern pharmaceutical chemistry. Students will develop a strong grounding in basic chemistry and biology, as well as learn about the application of those skills into areas of pharmacy. The program is designed to prepare students for a career in the pharmaceutical sector, which employs a significant number of people in the UK and contributes substantially to the national economy.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Our BSc Pharmaceutical Chemistry with Foundation course offers a broad education in chemistry, and provides you with the skills to succeed in a range of professions. Are you keen to take our BSc Pharmaceutical Chemistry course but haven't taken the necessary A level subjects? We go beyond organic chemistry – which is traditionally associated with pharmaceutical programmes – to cover many other areas of chemistry and biology. As such, we consciously address the needs of this modern and growing industry. You will develop a strong grounding in basic chemistry and biology, and also cover advanced topics relevant to modern pharmaceutical chemistry. As well as underlying theory, the course covers the application of those skills into areas of pharmacy:
- metals in medicine, dosage and formulation
- pharmacology and toxicity
- analytical science
- regulatory requirements. These fundamental skills will help you to succeed in this diverse and dynamic sector. Learn from internationally leading experts through a combination of lectures, practical classes, workshops, and tutorials. As well as benefitting from hands-on, practical experience in our large, cutting-edge laboratories and purpose-built Chemical Analysis Facility, you will have access to our new £55m Health & Life Sciences building and pharmaceutical laboratories. In the National Student Survey 2023, 98% of students said said that their course challenged them to achieve their best work very often or fairly often (97.5% of respondents studying in the Department of Chemistry). If you do not have an A level in maths, you will take the first-year Maths for Chemists module, which covers all the topics required for later years of the course. Depending on your level of maths, you may have the opportunity to take an option from outside the Department in your first year. Our existing chemistry degrees are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). As this is a new course, we will continue to work closely with the RSC and expect this programme to be accredited when the first cohort graduates.
Outline:
Foundation Year
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Academic Skills
Year 1
- Chemistry Practicals 1
- Fundamentals of Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
- Shape, Structure and Reactivity in Organic Chemistry
- Physical Processes and Molecular Organisation
- Cellular and Molecular Principles of Life
Year 2
- Further Inorganic Chemistry
- Further Organic Chemistry
- Further Physical Chemistry
- Chemistry Practicals 2
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry 1
Year 3
- Industrial Placement
- Chemistry Project 3
- Chemistry Core 1 (Inorganic and Organic)
- Chemistry Core 2 (Physical and Analytical)
- Further Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Optional modules
- Further Cosmetic Science
- Chemistry in the Natural World
- Polymers in Nature and Industry
- Further Analytical Techniques
Teaching:
Learn from internationally leading experts through a combination of lectures, practical classes, workshops, and tutorials.
Careers:
This course has been developed in partnership with industry to provide good quality graduates for the pharmaceutical sector. We incorporate skills development into each year of the degree, giving you a better chance of securing work when you leave university. You will graduate with a range of skills that are essential for the pharmaceutical industry and a wide range of other careers.
Other:
- 98% of students said said that their course challenged them to achieve their best work very often or fairly often (97.5% of respondents studying in the Department of Chemistry).
- We have many industry links with pharmaceutical companies based in the Thames Valley and beyond.
- New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250
- New international students: £27,650
