Pharmaceutical Analysis / with Management Studies Masters (MSc)

Choose Kingston's Pharmaceutical Analysis / with Management Studies MSc

This course enables you to gain a recognised qualification that will further your career in the pharmaceutical industry or public services, while also providing an excellent foundation for a further research degree. You will gain a strong background in the theory of analytical techniques used in pharmaceutical science and how to apply them to complex problems in an industrially relevant context. You can choose to combine your studies with training in the fundamentals of management theory.

The Pharmaceutical Analysis MSc (ie not including Management Studies) provides exemption from Part A of the Mastership in Chemical Analysis, which is the statutory qualification for a public analyst.

What will you study?

You will gain key skills in the specialised area of pharmaceutical analysis, including good measurement and scientific practice, evaluation interpretation of data, and other professional and organisational skills. In addition to studying core analytical techniques and their applications, you will be introduced to various pharmaceutical technologies, for example, formulations and topics such as clinical pharmacokinetics.

You may be offered a placement within industry (depending on your results and project availability) where you will carry out your independent research project.

The Management Studies option enables you to explore the fundamentals of management theory within the commercial and public sectors.

Find out more about the teaching on this course by watching a video of James Barker, reader in analytical science:

Assessment

Exams, laboratory reports, assignments, case studies, oral presentations, poster presentations, research project.

Many postgraduate courses at Kingston University allow students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The responsibility for finding the work placement is with the student; we cannot guarantee the work placement, just the opportunity to undertake it. As the work placement is an assessed part of the course, it is covered by a student's tier 4 visa.

Invoicing on the placement courses is split into two stages. The standard course fee is payable in year 1 with the placement fee invoiced in year 2. Therefore, students starting in September 2018 would therefore be charged the placement fee of £1,230 in September 2019. Students commencing the course in September 2019 will be invoiced the placement fee in 2020 (provisionally £1,350).

This amount will only be charged to your account after you find a placement and are enrolled on the module. You will not be charged this fee if you do not manage to secure a work placement.

Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.

You will gain key skills in the specialised area of pharmaceutical analysis, including good measurement and scientific practice, evaluation interpretation of data, and other professional and organisational skills. In addition to studying core analytical techniques and their applications, you will be introduced to various pharmaceutical technologies, for example, formulations and topics such as clinical pharmacokinetics.

You may be offered a placement within industry (depending on your results and project availability) where you will carry out your independent research project.

The Management Studies option enables you to explore the fundamentals of management theory within the commercial and public sectors.

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

Modules

• Molecular and Atomic Spectroscopy

• Molecular and Atomic Spectroscopy

  This module introduces the main spectroscopic techniques used in industry, e.g. UV/Vis, FTIR, Mass Spectrometry, NMR, AES, AAS and X -Ray methods and later progresses to the more advanced designs and applications, eg MS/MS, FTMS, TOF, sector and quadrupole mass analysers, 2D NMR, LCMS, MALDI, Atomic Fluorescence and ICPMS/AES.

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• Separation Science

• Separation Science

  This module introduces students to the principles and theory of separation science and its application in the laboratory including solvent extraction, high performance liquid chromatography, gas/liquid chromatography, centrifugation, gel and capillary electrophoresis and hyphenated techniques.

  Read full module description

   
• Pharmaceutical and Analytical Technology

• Pharmaceutical and Analytical Technology

  The module is intended to ensure that students are aware of the processes by which a drug is formulated into a medicine. It examines the effect that formulation decisions have on the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines, and on the pharmaceutical industry's business model. It includes the principles of pharmaceutical analysis and the application of pharmaceutical analytical techniques (both routine and non-routine) for the design, process- and quality-control of manufactured pharmaceuticals and process-intermediates. It is designed to enable students to review instrumentation choices when confronted with pharmaceutical issues and to select the appropriate tool(s). It also looks at the emerging quality assurance concepts of process analytical technology and quality by design. The module aims are:

  • To analyse aspects of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing including process analysis.
  • To extend the students' knowledge of total quality management and apply it to the analytical laboratory in the pharmaceutical industry.
  • To provide current examples of the applications of the techniques studied in this course specifically to pharmaceutical problems.

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• Statistics and Quality Systems

• Statistics and Quality Systems

  The module introduces students to the role of statistics and quality systems in modern analytical science. It demonstrates how a thorough understanding of statistical concepts, the analytical process and the quality systems and quality management paradigms collectively enable the consistent and reliable interpretation of analytical chemical data to support the economic requirements of a business organisation. The module aims are:

  • To define analytical chemistry and the criteria that distinguish it from other sciences.
  • To describe and appraise the analytical process in a systematic manner and emphasise the purpose of each stage.
  • Provide the rationale for the use of statistics in chemical analysis and experimental design and the skills required to perform statistical testing and interpretation of chemical data manually, via a calculator and with software.
  • To enhance students knowledge of the planning and development of quality systems in the analytical laboratory.

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• Project

• Project

  This module involves a research- or industry-based in-depth research project. You will develop your ability to critically evaluate your own work as well as the work of others, utilising analytical and laboratory skills.

  On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

  • Prepare a realistic and coherent project proposal, formulate aims and objectives and plan your own time to achieve stated objectives.
  • Critically evaluate the current literature.
  • Carry out appropriate experiments in a safe manner (applying COSHH) and generate reliable data suitably analysed and apply appropriate statistical tests.
  • Communicate the results of the project in a coherent report and in oral and visual manner.

  Read full module description

   

Management Studies pathway modules

• Separation Science

• Separation Science

  This module introduces students to the principles and theory of separation science and its application in the laboratory including solvent extraction, high performance liquid chromatography, gas/liquid chromatography, centrifugation, gel and capillary electrophoresis and hyphenated techniques.

  Read full module description

   
• Pharmaceutical and Analytical Technology

• Pharmaceutical and Analytical Technology

  The module is intended to ensure that students are aware of the processes by which a drug is formulated into a medicine. It examines the effect that formulation decisions have on the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines, and on the pharmaceutical industry's business model. It includes the principles of pharmaceutical analysis and the application of pharmaceutical analytical techniques (both routine and non-routine) for the design, process- and quality-control of manufactured pharmaceuticals and process-intermediates. It is designed to enable students to review instrumentation choices when confronted with pharmaceutical issues and to select the appropriate tool(s). It also looks at the emerging quality assurance concepts of process analytical technology and quality by design. The module aims are:

  • To analyse aspects of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing including process analysis.
  • To extend the students' knowledge of total quality management and apply it to the analytical laboratory in the pharmaceutical industry.
  • To provide current examples of the applications of the techniques studied in this course specifically to pharmaceutical problems.

  Read full module description

   
• Manufacture and Clinical Trials of Medicines

• Manufacture and Clinical Trials of Medicines

  This module introduces you to the different phases and types of clinical trials and the associated legal, regulatory and ethical issues. This includes statistical data analyses and how to manage and review clinical trial data in relation to evidence-based medicine. The technology and application of the manufacture of various medicine formulations are discussed and the place of biotechnological products introduced. The module also covers elements of medicines regulation with particular reference to the UK and European Union. Regulations are dealt with both within a general framework and specific areas including manufacturing, dealing with specialist products, regulation in clinical use, and licensing. The module aims are:

  • To develop an understanding of the testing of medicines and medical devices in human volunteers and patients, and role of statistics and clinical data management.
  • To facilitate review of results from drugs under test or in therapeutic use, to make judgement of these data and to make valid recommendations or warnings where appropriate.
  • To enable students to undertake detailed review of the progress of medicinal products from instigation to patient.
  • To allow design of improved systems of production, testing and control of medicaments including the different types of clinical trial.
   
• Business in Practice

• Business in Practice

  This module runs on Saturdays.

  This module is aimed at the practical needs of students from different academic contexts such as, but not limited to computing, science, medicine, biotechnology and the health services who are aspiring team leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs in business within the context of the commercial, public, voluntary, or academic sector.

  The module introduces and uses activities and problem-solving to investigate business topics ranging from finance, accounting, budgeting, and marketing, to organisational management by developing the leadership skills to meet business challenges and cope with its complexity.

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• Project

• Project

  This module involves a research- or industry-based in-depth research project. You will develop your ability to critically evaluate your own work as well as the work of others, utilising analytical and laboratory skills.

  On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

  • Prepare a realistic and coherent project proposal, formulate aims and objectives and plan your own time to achieve stated objectives.
  • Critically evaluate the current literature.
  • Carry out appropriate experiments in a safe manner (applying COSHH) and generate reliable data suitably analysed and apply appropriate statistical tests.
  • Communicate the results of the project in a coherent report and in oral and visual manner.

  Read full module description

   
• Professional Placement

• Professional Placement

  The Professional Placement module is a core module for those students following a Masters programme that incorporates an extended professional placement. It provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in an appropriate working environment, and develops and enhances key employability and subject specific skills in their chosen discipline. Students may wish to use the placement experience as a platform for the major project or future career.

  It is the responsibility of individual students to find and secure a suitable placement opportunity; this should not normally involve more than two placements which must be completed over a minimum period of 10 months and within a maximum of 12 months. The placement must be approved by the Course Leader, prior to commencement to ensure its suitability. Students seeking placements will have access to the standard placement preparation activities offered by Student Engagement and Enhancement (SEE) group.

   

You will have the opportunity to study a foreign language, free of charge, during your time at the University as part of the Kingston Language Scheme. Options currently include: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.