BSc (Hons) Medicinal Chemistry and Biology

The goal of medicinal chemistry is to support the search for new drugs to treat conditions such as heart disease and cancer. You’ll work in well-equipped laboratories, and learn to conduct effective independent research. You’ll develop valuable skills for employment, such as problem-solving, presentation, and communication. Biology at Keele focuses on the amazing world of organisms – from how they’ve evolved to their relationships with the environment and each other. Keele takes a broad approach to biology, examining the diversity of life and its evolution from the geological past. You’ll consider a range of biological concepts which may include the complexity of biological processes and mechanisms at molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecosystem levels, and the related philosophical and ethical issues. You’ll engage in activities to strengthen your skillset which may include sampling, recording, and analyzing data in the field and in our well-equipped labs.

Year 1

• Physiology and Anatomy
• Fundamentals of Biology
• Core Practical Skills
• Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills
• Chemical Structure and Reactivity

Year 2

Year 3

• Mechanisms of Drug Action
• Topics in Medicinal Chemistry

OPTIONAL MODULES

• Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment
• Applied Insect Ecology
• Applied Life Sciences Placement – ISP
• Conservation Biology
• Double Applied Life Sciences Placement – ISP
• Life Sciences Double Experimental Project (with research skills assessment)
• Life Sciences Single Experimental Project (with research skills assessment) – ISP
• Life Sciences Dissertation
• Human Evolution
• Plant Science and Sustainability
• Chemical Kinetics, Photochemistry, and Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms
• Advanced Organic Chemistry
• Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry Research Project
• Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry Dissertation

Employability

Our medicinal chemistry graduates have a range of employment prospects, whether at the cutting edge of drug discovery or in a wide range of related fields. You might go to work for a pharmaceutical company, either as a research scientist or in a more business-related role. Alternatively, you might work in a different organization as a development chemist, a research assistant, or a site chemist. Biology at Keele offers both breadth and depth of knowledge, preparing you for a range of directly or indirectly related careers. You might work as a research scientist, as an environmental consultant, conservationist, in quality control areas of the food industry, in the pharmaceutical industry, or as a scientific writer.

Previous employers:

• Boots
• Higher Education providers
• ESF Consultants
• LGC
• Bentley