MSc Pharmaceutical Medicine
- Programme director
- Glyn Steventon
- Programme length
- Part-time: 24-60 months
- Programme start date
- September 2013
Offered as part of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme.
This programme is suitable for those practising within the pharmaceutical industry, related fields of commerce or licensing authorities, or the public health service.
Programme overview
This programme is designed to meet the needs of those working (or intending to work) in the specialty of pharmaceutical medicine, or those who require a professional qualification pertinent to pharmaceutical medicine. It is suitable for those practising within the pharmaceutical industry, the related fields of commerce or licensing authorities, or the public health service.
The programme is designed to:
- Enable students to secure further recognition in the field of pharmaceutical medicine
- Give a greater understanding of pharmaceutical medicine in the domain of healthcare
- Provide evidence of specialisation, which is increasingly required under EU legislation
- Demonstrate proficiency across the whole field of pharmaceutical medicine through a system of continuous assessment
The programme enables you to gain a wider perspective of pharmaceutical medicine, including the discovery, development, evaluation, registration, monitoring and marketing of medicines. It will improve your ability to evaluate various aspects of drug development processes, and you will acquire postgraduate training suitable for senior scientific or clinical posts within pharmaceutical medicine.
The part-time and modular nature of the programme is well suited to busy people with additional work commitments, allowing a flexible rate of attendance (one to four modules per year).
Entry requirements
A degree (medical or non-medical) or professional qualifications and/or practical experience (usually at least three years’ postgraduate work experience) sufficient to pursue the programme of study. Selection is based upon the candidate’s application and references. An informal interview may be required. Application to register for the Postgraduate Diploma or MSc can be made following the third module attended. Retrospective application is permitted provided not more than four modules have been completed.
English language requirements
IELTS minimum overall: 7.0
IELTS minimum by component:
6.5
Fees and funding
All fees are subject to increase or review for subsequent academic years. Please note that not all visa routes permit part-time study and overseas students entering the UK on a Tier 4 visa will not be permitted to study on a part-time basis.
| Programme name | Study mode | Start date | UK/EU fees | Overseas fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc Pharmaceutical Medicine | Part-time | Sept 2013 | £1,385 per module | £1,385 per module |
| MSc Pharmaceutical Medicine | Distance-learning | Sept 2013 | £1,385 per module | £1,385 per module |
Programme content
Module Overview
Programme Orientation (Molecule to Medicine)
This module is an introductory overview of the drug development process ‘from molecule to medicine’ and the healthcare environment within which the pharmaceutical industry operates.
Pre-clinical Discovery and Development of New Medicines
This module considers the early stages in the drug development process, from research strategy to lead candidate identification, including the methodology used in establishing the toxicological profile of new drug candidates and predicting drug safety in man.
Regulatory Affairs
This module covers the systems adopted by government authorities for regulating safety, efficacy and quality of medicines during the development and marketing of new drugs.
Clinical Pharmacology and Early Human Studies
This module looks at the principles of clinical pharmacology and how they are applied in clinical studies.
Clinical Development and Therapeutics
This module considers the principles of clinical research in clinical trial design, implementation, evaluation and reporting on Phase II–IV studies across many therapeutic areas.
Drug Safety and Pharmacoepidemiology
This module considers all aspects of safety monitoring, signal detection, study design, appraisal of safety issues, crisis management and communication.
Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism
This module covers pharmacokinetic analysis, from sample collection through mathematical data analysis to interpretation of results. Factors affecting absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of a drug and their assessment in animals and man are looked at.
Ethical and Legal Aspects
This module looks at the legal and ethical requirements for conduct of clinical research, with an emphasis on regulatory control.
Translational Medicine and Biomarkers
This module explores the non-invasive methods used in healthy volunteers in decision-making, the design of efficacy and safety studies in patients, and how these findings can be translated into the drug development programme.
Health Economics
This module considers the key concepts underpinning pharmacoeconomic evaluations at different stages in the drug development process.
Pharmacogenomics and Personalised Medicine
The aims of this module are to provide the student with the basic concepts of pharmacogenomics and the importance of these concepts to the drug discovery and development process in relation to adverse drug events, biomarkers of disease susceptibility and the individualisation of medicine in the clinical setting, now and in the future.
Programme Structure and Modules
Module | Credits | PGCert | PGDip | MSc |
| Programme Orientation (Molecule to Medicine) | 15 | C | C | C |
| Regulatory Affairs | 15 | C | C | C |
| Clinical Development and Therapeutics | 15 | C | C | C |
| Clinical Pharmacology and Early Human Studies | 15 | C | C | C |
| Drug Safety and Pharmacoepidemiology | 15 | - | R | R |
| Ethical and Legal Aspects | 15 | - | R | R |
| Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism | 15 | - | O | O |
| Pre-clinical Discovery and Development of New Medicines | 15 | - | O | O |
| Translational Medicine and Biomarkers | 15 | - | O | O |
| Health Economics | 15 | - | R | R |
| Other Relevant University Modules** | 15 | - | - | O |
| Pharmacogenomics and Personalised Medicine | 15 | - | 0 | O |
| Research Methods | 15 | - | O | C |
| Dissertation | 45 | - | - | C |
C – Compulsory modules for specified programme
R – Recommended modules – choose at least two out of the three options
O – Optional modules
** At master’s level and subject to approval by the Programme Director
Research Methods
This module covers the practical approaches to understanding and conducting research in the pharmaceutical sector, including study design, methodology and evaluation, statistical principles and reporting.
Assessment
If you are registered on the Postgraduate Certificate, you will be required to complete four 15-credit modules, which are all compulsory.
If you are registered on the Postgraduate Diploma, you will be required to complete eight 15-credit modules. Four of these modules are compulsory, two or three are recommended (see table) and the remainder optional.
In addition to this, the MSc award requires the completion of a 15,000–20,000-word dissertation, linked to the Research Methods module. A viva voce examination may be required by the external examiners.
Relevance to industry
Pharmaceutical companies and health-related organisations increasingly demand experienced staff with expert knowledge. Our programmes provide training in pharmaceutical medicine and clinical pharmacology across the drug development process.
We provide academic postgraduate training for senior scientific or clinical positions which demonstrate your proficiency across the fields of pharmaceutical medicine and clinical pharmacology, and enhance your understanding of the underlying scientific disciplines involved.
Economic pressures and work commitments can make it difficult for organisations to release staff for training on a long-term basis. Our part-time, modular programmes are designed to fit in with full-time employment and make it easier to balance work commitments with learning.
We regularly attract professionals from pharmaceutical companies, contract research organisations, government departments and health services. Established in 1994, these are now the largest training programmes of their type in Europe, attracting participants from around the world.
Most students undertaking these programmes are already in direct or indirect full-time employment within the pharmaceutical sector and use the programme to increase their skills, knowledge and job satisfaction, and to aid their career progression.
These programmes are designed for individuals developing their career in the field of drug development. They are unsuitable for recently qualified graduates with limited work experience in this field.
Time commitment
Each of the modules on all of the awards comprises an intensive four-day* taught course.
Each taught course is then followed by distance learning and a written assessment specifically designed to meet the learning outcomes of the module.
Students may register for programmes at any time, subject to attending the Programme Orientation module first, and are advised to undertake no more than four modules a year. The maximum time allowed for completion of the MSc programme is five years. Modules can be taken as stand-alone courses and/or as part of continuing professional development.
* Clinical Pharmacology and Early Human Studies is a five-day taught course
Self-study hours
Each module comprises an intensive four-day taught course accompanied by distance learning and written assessment, totalling approximately 150 hours of study. Students may register for programmes at any time, subject to attendance at the Programme Orientation module. The maximum time allowed for completion of the MSc is five years.
Department links
Contact us
For general enquiries
0800 980 3200 or +44 (0)1483 681 681
For admissions enquiries
+44 (0)1483 686 400