MSc Clinical Pharmacology

Entry standards

A degree (medical or non-medical) or professional qualifications and/or practical experience (usually at least three years’ postgraduate work experience) sufficient to pursue the programme of study. 

Selection is based upon the candidate’s application and references. An informal interview may be required. 

Application to register for the Postgraduate Diploma or MSc can be made following the third module attended. Retrospective application is permitted provided not more than four modules have been completed.

Candidates for whom English is not their first language will normally be required to have IELTS 7.0 or above (or equivalent).

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 7 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - structure and modules

Module Overview 

Programme Orientation (Molecule to Medicine) 

This module is an introductory overview of the drug development process ‘from molecule to medicine’ and the health care environment within which the pharmaceutical industry operates. 

Pre-clinical Discovery and Development of New Medicines 

This module considers the early stages in the drug development process, from research strategy to lead candidate identification, including the methodology used in establishing the toxicological profile of new drug candidates and predicting drug safety in man. 

Regulatory Affairs 

This module covers the systems adopted by government authorities for regulating safety, efficacy and quality of medicines during the development and marketing of new drugs. 

Clinical Pharmacology 

This module looks at the principles of clinical pharmacology and how they are applied in clinical studies. 

Clinical Development and Therapeutics 

This module considers the principles of clinical research in clinical trial design, implementation, evaluation and reporting on Phase II–IV studies across many therapeutic areas. 

Drug Safety and Pharmacoepidemiology 

This module considers all aspects of safety monitoring, signal detection, study design, appraisal of safety issues, crisis management and communication. 

Pharmacokinetics and Drug Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion (ADME) 

This module covers pharmacokinetic analysis from sample collection through mathematical data analysis to interpretation of results. Factors affecting absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of a drug and their assessment in animals and man are looked at. 

Human Pharmacology 

This module considers the types of clinical pharmacology study and their implementation, and the legal, ethical, moral and regulatory requirements of study design in healthy human volunteer subjects. 

Ethical and Legal Aspects 

This module looks at the legal and ethical requirements for conduct of clinical research with an emphasis on regulatory control. 

Translational Medicine and Biomarkers 

This module explores the non-invasive methods used in healthy volunteers in decision making, the design of efficacy and safety studies in patients, and how these findings can be translated into the drug development programme. 

Health Economics 

This module considers the key concepts underpinning pharmacoeconomic evaluations at different stages in the drug development process. 

Research Methods 

This module covers the practical approaches to understanding and conducting research in the pharmaceutical sector, including study design, methodology and evaluation, statistical principles and reporting.

Programme Structure and Modules

C Compulsory modules for specified programme

R Recommended modules - choose at least two out of the three options

O Optional modules

** At Masters level and subject to approval by Programme Director

For an up-to-date timetable of when each module will be running please contact the course adminstrator, Mrs Rosemary Mulreany (r.mulreany@surrey.ac.uk), or visit http://surrey.ac.uk/pgms/study/postgraduate/mscpharmmed

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - entry standards

Entry standards

A degree (medical or non-medical) or professional qualifications and/or practical experience (usually at least three years’ postgraduate work experience) sufficient to pursue the programme of study. 

Selection is based upon the candidate’s application and references. An informal interview may be required. 

Application to register for the Postgraduate Diploma or MSc can be made following the third module attended. Retrospective application is permitted provided not more than four modules have been completed.

Candidates for whom English is not their first language will normally be required to have IELTS 7.0 or above (or equivalent).

English language requirements

Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 7 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component (or equivalent).

Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.

Planned intake

Rolling programme, therefore limited only by numbers on modules

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - fees and funding

Fees

Clinical Pharmacology (per module):

UK/EU - £1,320 
Overseas - £1,320

www.surrey.ac.uk/pgfees/2012

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - professional context

Relevance to Industry 

Pharmaceutical companies and health-related organisations increasingly demand experienced staff with expert knowledge. Our programmes provide training in pharmaceutical medicine and clinical pharmacology across the drug development process. 

We provide academic postgraduate training for senior scientific or clinical positions which demonstrate your proficiency across the fields of pharmaceutical medicine and clinical pharmacology and enhance your understanding of the underlying scientific disciplines involved. 

Economic pressures and work commitments can make it difficult for organisations to release staff for training on a long-term basis. Our part-time, modular programmes are designed to fit in with full-time employment and make it easier to balance work commitments with learning. 

We regularly attract professionals from pharmaceutical companies, contract research organisations, government departments and health services. Established in 1994, these are now the largest training programmes of their type in Europe, attracting participants from around the world. 

Most students undertaking these programmes are already in direct or indirect full-time employment within the pharmaceutical sector and use the programme to increase their skills, knowledge and job satisfaction, and to aid their career progression.

These programmes are designed for individuals developing their career in the field of drug development. They are unsuitable for recently qualified graduates with limited work experience in this field.

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - teaching

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - learning

Self study hours

Each module comprises an intensive four-day taught course accompanied by distance learning and written assessment, totalling approximately 150 hours of study. Students may register for programmes at any time, subject to attendance at the Programme Orientation module. The maximum time allowed for completion of the MSc is five years.

Assessment

If you are registered on the Postgraduate Certificate you will be required to complete four 15-credit modules, which are all compulsory. 

If you are registered on the Postgraduate Diploma you will be required to complete eight 15-credit modules. Four of these modules are compulsory, two or three are recommended (see table) and the remainder optional. 

In addition to this, the MSc award requires the completion of a 15–20,000-word dissertation, linked to the Research Methods module. A viva voce examination may be required by external examiners.

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - graduate profile

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - more

Time Commitment 

Each of the modules on all of the awards comprise an intensive four-day taught course. 

Each taught course is then followed by distance learning and a written assessment specifically designed to meet the learning outcomes of the module. 

Students may register for programmes at any time, subject to attending the Programme Orientation module first, and are advised to undertake no more than four modules a year. The maximum time allowed for completion of the MSc programme is five years. Modules can be taken as stand-alone courses and/or as part of continuing professional development.

MSc Clinical Pharmacology - apply