Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry MChem

at University of Warwick

We offer a high degree of flexibility, allowing you to transfer between Chemistry degree course at any time in the first two years as you develop your interests and future plans. (Please note, all course transfers are subject to academic performance and, for overseas students, are subject to UK visa regulations.)

You will study a range of core modules in Years One and Two which provide a solid foundation in Organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. These modules will be the same as those studied in our standard BSc course, providing you with a solid foundation in chemistry before specialising in medicinal chemistry in Years Three and Four.

In Year Three there are four core modules across all aspects of Chemistry, and extended laboratory work, giving you a broad and deep understanding of the subject. You will also use your experience of the themes and topics from Years One and Two to choose optional modules to tailor your degree to suit your interests. At this stage, you will begin to explore medicinal chemistry in more detail, for example through the Molecular Pharmacology module, which focuses on learning about the pharmaceutical industry through a series of case studies.

In Year Four you will complete an individual investigative project on a topic that reflects your passion (worth 50% of the year's mark) in collaboration with one of our academics, and you can select optional modules to support your research or broaden your knowledge. You can expect to be working on drug discovery of novel antibiotic, anticancer or anti-inflammatory compounds through organic synthesis or natural product isolation.

Once you are here, you can apply to transfer onto a variant of this degree, either with industrial placement or with international placement.

RSC accreditation is subject to the appropriate choice of options in Years Two to Four.

Year One
Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry
Here, you will build a solid understanding of chemical bonding and interatomic interactions, and how they determine the structure and reactivity of inorganic compounds. You will apply your understanding to the chemistry of transition metal complexes, Bronsted and Lewis acidity, and the redox properties of main group compounds. You will examine fundamental aspects of crystal field theory and develop your practical skills in using the models studied in light of their industrial applications and use in materials science.

Introduction to Organic Chemistry
You will start this module by developing a keen understanding of the structures, properties and reactions of organic molecules. You will expand your knowledge of different types of organic compounds, discover methods for creating new molecules, and be able to describe bonding in organic compounds to predict the reactivity of molecules. You will apply your understanding to the synthesis and chemistry of key functional groups and to the structure, properties and reactivities of biologically important molecules and organic macromolecules.

Introduction to Physical Chemistry
You will develop a firm grounding in core concepts in physical chemistry: quantum mechanics, kinetics, thermodynamics and spectroscopy. You will learn how the laws of quantum mechanics can be used to predict the properties of atoms and molecules, how observed kinetic rate laws of multistep chemical processes emerge from elementary reaction steps, how thermodynamics can be used to predict the properties of gases, and how light interacts with matter.

Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills I
You can study the theory of chemistry, but the laboratory is where science comes alive. You will put your chemistry knowledge to work with experiments that build your expertise in using scientific instrumentation, data collection, and data analysis. You will use new techniques and lab skills to synthesise chemical compounds, investigate key concepts and experimentally verify some of the chemical theories introduced in lectures. You will also have opportunities to combine established techniques, equipping you with the understanding and practical competence needed to develop your own research methods and problem-solving techniques.

Year Two
Practical and Professional Chemistry Skills II
In this module, you will experience more hands-on laboratory investigations as the skills you have developed allow you to conduct more complicated multistep syntheses, learn advanced lab and instrumentation techniques, and take more control and ownership of your work. By the end of this module, you will be able to plan new experiments, set up and monitor instrumentation to record your results, and characterise and assess reactions using spectroscopy alongside other sophisticated techniques. You will also learn to process and present your results in statistical, graphical and written form.

Selective Organic Synthesis
Having already developed a foundation understanding of organic chemistry you will now broaden your knowledge of the range of synthetic routes available to design new molecules. You will examine a variety of methods for forming different bond types and functional groups and consider the factors influencing the choice of reagents and reaction conditions. You will use your knowledge to form your own strategies to design organic synthesis routes to target molecules.

Mechanistic and Biological Chemistry
In this module you will look at the features of organic molecules that affect the reactions that they can undergo. You will develop the ability to use structures and information about rates to predict reactions and identify the mechanisms of organic reactions. You will use your knowledge of the structures and reactivity of small molecules and apply these to the chemistry of carbohydrates, proteins and enzymes. During the module you will also develop understanding of the drug discovery process and its challenges.

Transition Metal Chemistry
You will develop a formal understanding of bonding in transition metal complexes, as a platform for understanding the reactivity and spectroscopy of such complexes, and acquire a systematic knowledge of organometallic chemistry through exploring some of the conceptual links between organic and inorganic chemistry.

Materials and Polymers
Materials and Polymers are used across an enormous range of functional and structural chemical applications. They turn molecules into useful devices and items, or are extended arrays of connected atoms that have unique properties as solids. This module will give you an understanding of how polymers and materials can be made and how they can be characterised. This will let you appreciate how materials can be designed for use in energy, healthcare, electronics, personal care and other applications.

Electrons in Molecules and Solids
You will develop in-depth knowledge of symmetry and group theory and its role in molecular structure and bonding, and interpretation of electronic and vibrational spectra. You will study how photo-excited molecules undergo relaxation through radiative and non-radiative decay processes, and how these processes can be harnessed in useful applications. You will be introduced to the fundamental concepts of solid state chemistry that relates to crystal structure, chemical bonding in solids and the electronic properties of solids, and how these used to derive various condensed matter properties, including electrical conduction and opto-electronic characteristics.

Statistical Mechanics and Electrochemistry
In this module you will study concepts from across electrochemistry and statistical mechanics. Here, you will learn about fundamental electrochemical processes, such as nerve signalling and the function of nanowires and nanoparticles; through statistical mechanics, you will also develop a better understanding of how properties at the atomic scale connect to the macroscopic world around us.

Year Three
Advanced Organic Chemistry and Laboratory
Here, you will gain the advanced knowledge to allow you to understand and apply empirical rules and models related to the reactions of organic molecules, complex pericyclic reactions, intramolecular cyclisation processes, rearrangement reactions of reactive intermediates, and reactions creating new stereogenic centres by either substrate, reagent or catalyst control.

Advanced Inorganic Chemistry and Laboratory
This advanced module will help you to understand the issues affecting industrial catalytic reactions. You will study the application of organometallic chemistry and physical chemistry (particularly kinetics), drawing together aspects of this work developed in year two, and extending your understanding to the types of reactions and catalysis used widely in chemical industries, such as those concerned with petrochemicals, polymers, fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Advanced Physical Chemistry and Laboratory
Here, you will meet two advanced topics in physical chemistry: interfacial chemistry and molecular modelling. You will study a range of surface and interfacial processes, including both solid and liquid interfaces, and learn about advanced experimental methods for characterising them. You will learn the key concepts in molecular dynamics simulations, including periodic boundaries, integration algorithms and thermodynamic ensembles. A significant aspect of this module is to demonstrate the importance of surface processes in chemistry and the borders of chemical engineering, biomedical science, materials science and physics. As well as standard lectures, these aims will be supported by experimental laboratory sessions which have an emphasis on designing and implementing experiments.

Advanced Analytical Chemistry
You will focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of instrumental analytical techniques, including data generation, acquisition, interpretation, instrumentation and state-of-the-art applications. You will consider the techniques of chromatography, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in both lecture and workshops. As part of your studies, you will learn to test hypotheses, use databases and software independently, analyse your findings and improve your ability to communicate these in written form.

Molecular Pharmacology
Through the presentation of case studies by major pharmaceutical companies, you will learn to understand and articulate current advances in drug design, development and discovery, including the techniques used to support each of these. You will gain important transferable skills, including effective teamwork and the presentation of a topic related to drug discovery in oral and written form.

Extended Laboratory
You will build on your previous practical chemistry work by choosing two further optional practical modules. Your studies will see you using a range of resources to design synthetic and measurement experiments, and performing advanced synthetic techniques such as column chromatography, manipulation of air-sensitive compounds and emulsion polymerisation. You will complete this module with a poster presentation on a piece of published research work.

Year Four
Advanced Medicinal and Biological Chemistry
You will deepen your understanding of current research in medicinal chemistry, and develop your ability to evaluate published literature, using your knowledge of organic, mechanistic and medicinal chemistry. You will be encouraged to be original in applying your knowledge to the solution of research problems. You will learn to communicate your findings in discussion, presentation and writing, and have substantial opportunities to work independently on a specific research topic, such as molecular mechanisms of action, of drugs targeting ribosomal machinery, cholesterol biosynthesis, or the principles and methods of drug discovery.

Research Project and Methodology
You will carry out an extended research project under the supervision of an academic in an area reflecting your interests. You will become competent in original research practice, including evaluating literature, designing practical or computational experiments, analysing and assessing your results and drawing conclusions to set against the current field. You will learn to present your findings in discussion and debate, and to complete report-writing to a high standard.

Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Examples of Year Three or Four optional modules may include:

• Molecular Structure and Dynamics
• Bioorganic Chemistry
• Polymer and Colloid Science
• Energy
• Advanced Coordination and Bio-Inorganic Chemistry
• Secondary School Teaching

All applicants, regardless of their visa requirements, are required to show that their ability to understand and express themselves in both written and spoken English is sufficiently high for them to derive full benefit from their degree course. The level of competence required depends on what type of degree you wish to study. Many applicants can demonstrate this through a satisfactory level of achievement in, for example, GCSE English Language or the English courses within the International Baccalaureate.

Applicants whose academic qualifications meet the University’s admissions requirements, but whose English language qualifications are not accepted as equivalent, may be offered a place at Warwick conditional on an acceptable English language qualification being achieved before they join the University. A number of English language tests are accepted; some of the most frequently offered ones are detailed below.

Please note that certain English tests (including IELTS and PTE) must be taken within two years and one month prior to the start of your course at Warwick. Applicants whose tests fall outside this timescale will need to retake a suitable English language test.

Applicants who require a visa to study in the UK may, depending on the circumstances, be asked to provide evidence of a secure English language test (e.g. IELTS for UKVI (Academic)), rather than an examination (such as International Baccalaureate English) due to the visa requirements set by the UK government.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (2022 Entry)

If you do not meet the English Language Requirements for your course in full, you may still be eligible for the course on condition of:

• Meeting the English Language Requirements for our Pre-sessional English course, and
• Successfully completing the Pre-sessional English course

Please use the table below to find the relevant band for the course(s) in which you are interested. You can sort the table by clicking on the heading of the column you wish to sort by.

International Tuition Fees:

£26290 per year

Our graduates are active in fields as diverse as:

• Chemical Science
• Sustainable materials
• Drug Discovery and Pharmaceutical Development
• Laboratory Technical Services and Leadership
• Public Health
• Business and Financial Analysis
• Investment Management
• Management Consultancy
• Academic Research and Teaching
• Medicine and paramedic
• Secondary School Teaching

Our graduates have gone on to work for employers such as:

• Amazon
• Deloitte
• GSK
• HMRC
• HSBC
• KPMG
• NHS Trust
• Ovo Energy
• Royal Society of Chemistry

• Unilever
• Vertex Pharmaceuticals