MChem Medicinal Chemistry with a Year in Industry

Course Overview

Delve into the fascinating world of medicinal chemistry and learn to apply the knowledge of different aspects of chemistry to the role of drug development. Medicinal chemistry has a tremendous impact on society, contributing significantly to improving our quality of life and increasing our healthy lifespan. This Master’s course with a year in industry will provide you with the academic training you’ll need to become a medicinal chemist, as well as real-world experience in a research-led environment.

Following the central structure of our MChem Medicinal Chemistry, this course allows you to spend your third year in an industrial chemistry laboratory. Your placement will typically last between 10 to 12 months, and after an initial training period, you’ll be fully integrated into a research team, contributing to the day-to-day requirements of the organisation.

At UEA, our cutting-edge research in chemical sciences is at the heart of all our teaching. This course will be delivered through lectures, workshops, small group tutorials and practicals – ensuring that your learning is at the forefront of scientific thought. Our scientists are world-class experts in their field, check out the latest cancer treatment breakthrough made at UEA.

Another key benefit to our MChem course is the emphasis we place on laboratory-based teaching, and the development of practical skills. UEA offers state-of-the-art facilities for medicinal chemistry teaching. These include high-quality laboratories in the new science building that opened in 2019, and several advanced instruments required for medicinal chemistry related teaching and research.

UEA is part of the Norwich Research Park that includes John Innes Centre, Quadrum institute, and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, making it a highly desirable place for medicinal chemistry teaching and future employment opportunities.

This course is open to

UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.

We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.

You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.

English and Mathematics

All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade C or grade 4.

We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.

Typical International Entry Requirements

We accept many international qualifications for entry to this course. For specific details about your country, view our information for International Students.

A levels

AAB including Chemistry

Where applicable Science A Levels awarded by an English Exam board require a pass in the practical element. Not accepted: Critical Thinking and General Studies.

International Baccalaureate

33 points overall including HL 5 in Chemistry

INTO UEA

If you do not meet the academic and/or English language requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO UEA offers progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree.

English Foreign Language

Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading): 

• IELTS:  6.0  overall (minimum  5.5  in all components) 

We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

  If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study.

Deferred Entry

We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.

Admissions Policy

Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.

Recent Study

We would prefer you to be able to demonstrate evidence of recent academic study within 5 years of the start of the course. If your last qualification will have been completed more than 5 years ago by the time the course starts, please contact Admissions.

Employability

Medicinal chemistry graduates go on to careers in a wide range of areas, including within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Many also go on to further study, while some opt for careers in teaching or outside of science, such as in finance or insurance.

Our medicinal chemistry degrees provide the skills that employers are looking for – high level subject knowledge combined with problem solving, IT, analytical skills, instrumentation, time management, organisation, and team and individual work.

Many of our graduates secure positions in emerging chemistry industries, such as Iceni Diagnostics (a UEA spin off company developing lateral flow test technology, including for Covid-19), and leading pharmaceutical companies (Glaxo SmithKline, AkzoNobel or Sanofi), chemical and advanced technology companies (Johnson Matthey, Dell or British Airways) with roles in research, management, product development and quality control.

Others have used their medicinal chemistry degree to pursue more diverse career options. These range from further research degrees (PhD) towards academic positions, to teaching training (PGCE) to become schoolteachers, through to careers in publishing (RSC and Wiley editors), computing (ANDigital) and even banking (Barclays), insurance (Aviva), and almost everything in between.

At UEA, we have a great team to support graduates in securing excellent career starts through CareerCentral. In the School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, our Director of Employability coordinates internal and external events and makes sure that all additional key skills training elements are present in our curriculum from year 1, allowing you to present a highly competitive CV. Skills training is embedded within our modules, especially in years 3 and 4, but in addition, you’ll benefit from chemistry careers drop-in sessions and 1to1 guidance, plus chemistry-specific employer events and fairs.

We also encourage you to participate in the UEA award, which is a university certificate that recognises a range of extracurricular activities that you can undertake to help you become highly employable. To complement your studies, we offer a wide range of internships during the summer break (6-12 weeks) supported by the University and different funders, in years 2 and 3. These provide you with additional opportunities to experience work and develop key skills in one of the many diverse research areas being pursued in the School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology.

“During the internship I have been exposed to a range of techniques such as bacterial transformation, recombinant protein expression and SDS-PAGE, all of which I would only have read about or been briefly introduced to in my undergraduate studies. I strongly suggest that if you’re focused on research that you apply for as many experience opportunities as possible and refine your CV as best you can for that first interview.”- Jack Fendley, 2nd Year intern student, working on oligomerisation of the chlamydia protein TarP for cell invasion, with Dr Tharin Blumenschein over the summer 2021, funded by a Tim Pickup UEA Internship.

Examples of careers that you could enter include:

• Medicinal chemist in the pharmaceutical industry
• Biochemist in the pharmaceutical industry
• Synthetic organic chemist in a Contract Research Organisation
• Healthcare
• Teacher

Discover more on our Careers webpages.