Pharmaceutical Formulation and Entrepreneurship

This MSc will provide students with the skills and knowledge to allow them to participate effectively in the creation and growth of high-impact pharmaceutical business ventures. Its graduates will be ideally positioned to initiate their own start-up companies or join existing biotech or pharmaceutical businesses.

Students will learn how to develop and assess a new business concept, and how to raise finance for and market a business and its outputs. They will build their scientific skill set by exploring four scientific research areas in pharmaceutics, and will interact closely with and be mentored by those who have direct experience of initiating a start-up business.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of four core modules (60 credits), four optional modules (60 credits), a scientific research project (30 credits) and a business case development project (30 credits).

Core modules

• Mastering Entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurial Marketing
• Entrepreneurial Finance
• Initiating a Pharmaceutical Start-Up

Optional modules

Term One

• Analysis and Quality Control
• Preformulation
• Formulation of Small Molecules
• Personalised Medicine

Term Two

• Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
• Clinical Pharmaceutics
• Nanomedicine
• Formulation of Natural Products and Cosmeceuticals

Dissertation/report

All students undertake two projects which comprise the major component of this MSc programme and culminate in two written reports and oral presentations. One of these is a short laboratory research project, while the second involves the development of a business case for a new pharmaceutical endeavour.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars and practical sessions as well as industrial visits. Assessment is through a combination of written examinations, coursework assignments and the project.

An upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree or higher in pharmacy, pharmaceutical science, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, biotechnology, pharmaceutics or a related field in the life or physical sciences, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard is required.