Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery

Description

If you're interested in one of the biggest fundamental issues in healthcare - the design and creation of smarter, safer and better drugs against diseases such as cancer, diabetes, malaria and AIDS - our Biochemistry and Drug Discovery degree is for you. It involves the design, chemical synthesis and testing of new medicines.

You can also choose to take a five year degree, with one year spent on a related industrial placement.

The College of Life Sciences is superbly placed to deliver this Drug Discovery degree, having recently formed the Drug Discovery Unit. The University of Dundee's world-renowned research activities in molecular and cell biology and drug design mean that students are taught by a team of experts who work at the cutting edge of their field.

You have the option to take the honours degree as either a five-year programme with a year in industry or a four-year programme without a year in industry.

Drug discovery is a practical science at the interface between chemistry, pharmacology and biology that includes modern computational methods combined with chemical and molecular biology techniques.

We live in a new era with detailed knowledge of genes and the abilities to determine three-dimensional molecular structures and to create complex molecules. The Drug Discovery degree utilises these facets to identify drug targets against diseases such as cancer, diabetes, malaria and AIDS and to design and create new cures and safer, more effective drugs whilst also equipping you with extensive knowledge of assay design and development.

Year in Industry

If you choose to take the degree with a year in industry, this provides an exciting opportunity for work experience with a leading local or international biotechnology or pharmaceutical company with which the University of Dundee has close links. You will acquire skills that are in great demand in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

The course can lead to a wide range of careers including research and development in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries; chemical, pharmaceutical or biomedical research in universities or research institutes; teaching in further or higher education; scientific publishing; scientific patenting or further professional education and training.

The interdisciplinary nature of the programmes also provides generic skills that are applicable to many careers.

The degree is recognised by The Royal Society of Chemistry for associate membership (AMRSC).

Some of our students proceed to higher degrees (MSc or PhD) and go on to undertake or supervise original research, and others go on to take a degree in Medicine.

We offer a number of Masters level courses in addition to PhD research opportunities in the College of Life Sciences.

Detailed Course Facts

The fees you pay will, in most cases, depend on your current country of residence.

The fee shown is annual, and may be subject to an increase each year.

Fee category

Fees for students starting September 2015

Scottish students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Rest of UK students

£9,000 per year, for a maximum of 3 years, even if you are studying a four year degree. See our scholarships for rest of UK applicants.

EU students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Overseas students (non-EU)

£15,950 per year of study. See our scholarships for international applicants.

• English

Course Content

Typical Degree Programme

Levels 1 and 2

All Life Sciences degree programmes share common core modules at Level 1 that provide a general introduction to the life sciences through an integrated programme of lectures, tutorials, practical work and field excursions.

Please refer to the Biological/Biomedical Sciences degree structure and overview webpagefor details of the common curriculum in Levels 1 and 2.

Level 3

Specialist topics cover biochemistry, synthetic chemistry, analytical techniques and pharmacology.

• You will study synthetic organic chemistry with reference to biological and pharmaceutical applications.
• In analytical techniques you will cover the theory and applications of NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic and chromatographic analysis, protein structure prediction & modelling.
• You will also study drug metabolism and kinetics, drug design and screening technologies, mechanistic enzymology, drug targets & drug leads, pharmaceutical development, metabolism & drug interactions.
• The study of biochemical pathways and processes and molecular interactions at the cellular level will expand your understanding of disease processes.

Between Levels 3 and 4

A year working in industry if you have chosen the degree programme with a year in industry.

Level 4

At level 4, you will carry out more advanced study of topics in the field of drug design and development, these will be at the level of current research in your chosen subject area.

You will choose units from a range of topics that include:

• Drug design and discovery
• Advanced synthetic organic chemistry
• Bioinformatics
• Advanced instrumental analytical techniques
• Protein structure and pharmacokinetics

You will be able to choose additional topics from a wide range of specialist research areas within life sciences according to your personal interests.

Your studies will involve extensive use of scientific literature and the opportunity to attend a regular programme of seminars given by invited speakers from Britain and abroad.

• Research project - several formats are available including laboratory-based research under the supervision of a leading scientist, computer modelling, multimedia teaching packages, literature and electronic database review.

All modules are assessed by a combination of in-course and end-of-course procedures. Regular in-course assessments (e.g. practical reports, computer-based exercises, essays and data processing exercises) provide feedback on your progress and help you prepare for end-of-module examinations.

On-line assignments are used extensively at Levels 1 and 2, with access via a PC on or off campus. Peer assessment operates in many team projects.

Requirements

See Course Homepage for Full Details

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Dundee.

Accreditation

The BSc (Hons) Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery is recognised by The Royal Society of Chemistry for associate membership (AMRSC).