Keele University Prospectus Undergraduate | 2016 | Page 186

HEALTH

Pharmaceutical Science,
Technology and Business
Overview

The global pharmaceutical industry has experienced
substantial change in recent years. Industry leaders
must now understand how discoveries in science and
technology translate to business opportunities within
the pharmaceutical industry, whether in discovery,
manufacturing, marketing and medicines supply and
control. The employment market is becoming more
challenging and this programme meets the needs
of the industry by producing graduates who are
well qualified in all aspects of the relevant applied
sciences, who have well developed key employability
skills, and who also have significant knowledge
and understanding of and insight into business and
management – so you get more than just training in
the core pharmaceutical sciences.
The key to this is in the excellence of the
underpinning science and its relevant application
to global industrial challenges, leading to the
preparation of our graduates in becoming key,
well qualified members and potential leaders of
pharmaceutical management, drug development,
drug discovery, regulatory affairs and business
development teams within the industry.
At Keele we pride ourselves on the applicability of
our degrees to the work environment graduates
are entering into. The course structure and ethos
have been designed to ensure that you will hit the
ground running, giving you the subject and industry
knowledge and transferable skills so that you can
make an immediate contribution to your employer
or indeed your own company.
Throughout the course you will study materials
shared with the MPharm students, ensuring
a clinically relevant contextualisation of the
underpinning science. You will also participate in the
same discussion forums as the MPharm students
and be eligible to attend the Masterclass Lecture
Programme hosted by the Keele School of Pharmacy.
You will also have the same excellent mentoring
and tutorial support structures as the MPharm and
postgraduate students.

Course content

At Keele we continue to monitor carefully the
environment and how our degrees should develop,
keeping our course relevant and fully up to date both
in its scientific and business content.

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This course covers the main aspects of
pharmaceutical discovery and development,
product formulation, manufacture and quality
assurance assessment, and explains how such
pure and applied sciences fit into global business,
legal and regulatory frameworks. This includes
elements of clinical development and the role of the
pharmaceutical scientist within the industry team
that take a drug from research to the clinic.

As part of the preparation to enter the global
pharmaceutical industry, in the first year you will
take a language module in English (business or
academic orientated depending on fluency levels)
or a modern foreign language for those fluent
in English (at a level suitable to your existing
knowledge). This will ensure you have both a
language and cultural understanding of nations
outside your home country. As an extracurricular
activity, you can apply to further your language skills
at Keele through the Language Learning Unit in
years 2 and 3. Content also involves sessions which
contribute to the Distinctive Keele Curriculum.
First year
The first year of the programme adopts an integrated
approach to developing your knowledge of the
physical and life sciences, alongside coupled modules
that are rich in business content and provide essential
skills for entering the global business environment.
You will study these modules:
• Essential Topics in Pharmaceutical Science
• Core Topics in Pharmaceutical Science I and ll
• Language Module (Language Learning Unit)
• The Business of Drug Discovery
Second year
As the programme progresses, your knowledge and
understanding of the sciences will be applied in the
key areas of chemistry and pharmaceutical analysis,
pharmacology and drug action, and pharmaceutics
and formulation science. Your business acumen will
be developed in the core business and management
module Pharmaceutical Business Development
through interactions with leading practitioners from
the industrial arena. You will begin to see the value
of networking within the business environment and
this may lead to experiential learning opportunities.
The Applications of Pharmaceutical Science
modules are enriched by a comprehensive
fully formed programme of laboratory classes,
and additional practical exercises reinforce the
key concepts in product design and formulation.
You will study these modules:
• Applications of Pharmaceutical Science I and ll
• Pharmaceutical Business Development