Diploma in Medicinal Chemistry

Course Introduction

Fascinated by how the blockbuster medicines are being discovered and developed? Intrigued by how the medicines act in the body to cure a myriad of illnesses? Interested to learn the science of creating the next generation medicines to treat diseases? Look no further. The Diploma in Medicinal Chemistry will prepare students for an exciting journey ahead.   Medicinal chemistry is a branch of chemistry that is focused on the discovery, design, synthesis and analysis of novel medicinal molecules that are suitable for therapeutic use.   As the world population grows and ages, there is a surge of unmet medical needs for many life-threatening diseases. This creates a huge demand for new medicines to treat these diseases.

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Course Aims

The Diploma in Medicinal Chemistry aims to train technically competent graduates to integrate into the drug discovery and development programmes in the pharmaceutical industry.

The course equips students with a firm foundation of medicinal chemistry with emphasis on:

• The fundamental and essential chemistry knowledge ranging from organic chemistry to analytical chemistry

• Key laboratory skills required for medicinal chemistry:

• synthesis of medicinal molecules

• purification of medicinal molecules

• sample preparation and analysis

• spectroscopic data interpretation and instrumentation

• Sales & marketing in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries

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Course Prospects

Graduates from the Diploma in Medicinal Chemistry will be able to gain employment as:

1. Research Officers / Associates in medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical and chemical companies, biotechnology start-ups as well as research organizations;

2. Technical Specialists / Officers in government statutory boards and institutes of higher education; and

3. Sales & Marketing Executives in pharmaceutical, chemical and analytical instrument companies.

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Further Studies

Students who aspire to pursue a degree and meet the entry requirements of the local or overseas universities can progress into the bachelor degree courses in areas such as Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences, etc.

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