Description

Are you fascinated by organic chemistry and designing potential drug substances? Then the master’s programme in Medicinal Chemistry is the answer for you.

The course's core subject is medicinal chemistry and how new drugs and biopharmaceuticals are discovered, designed and manufactured.

You will build upon a solid foundation of organic chemistry and learn new routes towards the synthesis of chemical compounds that eventually can be used as active substances in new drugs. In addition, you will learn biostructural and computational chemistry and how these relate to modern drug discovery methodologies.
 
As a medicinal chemist you can expect to find work in the area of the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biotech industry that conducts research into new drugs – either as soon as you graduate or after completing a PhD course, for example, via the Drug Research Academy.

The MSc in Medicinal Chemistry is a springboard to a research-based career.

Career Opportunities  

As a medicinal chemist, you can expect to find work in a broad range of areas within the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biotech industry that design, discover and develop new drugs.

• The degree qualifies the holder for admission to PhD programmes in medicinal chemistry including biostructural chemistry, biopharmaceuticals as well as structural and computational drug design.
• Patenting – positions in pharmaceutical companies and private- or public-sector patent agencies securing and defending intellectual property rights.
• Upscaling – process chemistry. Developing effective, safe, robust environmentally friendly synthesis procedures for use in high-volume production of the active drug substance. Production is performed according to GMP (good manufacturing practice). The work also includes producing reference substances for analytical use and patenting.
• Chemistry and manufacturing control (CMC) as an employee of a parent company or a CRO (Contract Research Organisation), that is, small, specialised research enterprises.
• Regulatory affairs and QA/QC (Quality Assurance/Quality Control). Among other things, pharmaceutical companies are required to document that they develop and produce drugs in accordance with GMP. The skills of the medicinal chemist are needed for this and many similar functions.

Admission  

To qualify for admission to the MSc programme in Medicinal Chemistry, you must have a relevant Bachelor's degree comprising of sufficiently high knowledge in chemistry, biology and pharmacology as well as meeting the language requirements.

Applicants must have completed a Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacy, or a corresponding qualification at Bachelor’s level completed within five years of enrolment in the MSc programme in pharmaceutical sciences.

In addition, applicants must have specific courses and meet the language requirements.
Read about the admission requirements.

In addition, documentation may be required verifying that your proficiency in English is at a specified level. Read about the language requirements of University of Copenhagen.

Apply directly at University of Copenhagen with all relevant documentation.

When you apply, please attach all your relevant foreign certificates and diplomas to satisfy the general entry requirements. The Admissions Committee will subsequently perform the final assessment. A list of the most commonly recognized exams and diplomas can be found at the Danish Agency for Higher Education http://ufm.dk/en/recognition

Exchange students should contact their home institution for information on application procedures and deadlines.

Tuition

There is a tuition fee for all full-time degree students who hold a citizenship from outside EU/EAA/Switzerland.

Students within an exchange programme are not required to pay tuition. 

Read about tuition fees and application fee.

For Further Information

Information from the Danish Agency for Higher Education can be located at http://ufm.dk/en

You will find information about the Danish assessment of foreign qualifications in Guide to diploma recognition

About the Educational System in general visit the section The Danish Higher Education System