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Non-EU Applicants

• Medicinal Chemistry, 4 Year(s) Full Time, Closing Date: 30/JUN/2013

Mature Student - Supplementary Application Form

Read the information about how to apply as a mature student, then select the link below to complete the TCD Supplementary Application Form for mature students.
• Medicinal Chemistry, 4 Year(s) Full Time, Closing Date: 08/FEB/2013

Advanced Entry Applications

Read the information about how to apply for Advanced Entry, then select the link below to apply.
• Medicinal Chemistry, Closing Date: 01/JUN/2013

What is Medicinal chemistry?

Medicinal chemists are the creative talent behind the modern pharmaceutical industry. As well as being expert chemists, they have a particular expertise in molecular design, the synthesis of drugs and the understanding of biological functions.

Is this the right course for you?

Yes, if your dream is to design and prepare new drugs, if you want to understand the biological reasons by which they cure diseases, if you have a natural flair for chemistry and are simultaneously interested in developing skills and expert knowledge relevant to the rapidly growing pharmaceutical industry.

Did you know?

• Medicinal chemists are the professionals behind the discovery and development of new drugs such as Taxol, which is manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb in Swords (Co. Dublin) and has saved the lives of many women with breast cancer.

Course overview

This degree provides you with a sound general grounding in chemistry but focuses on, and extends into, topics of relevance to the design and production of new medicinal compounds and understanding their biological actions.

The Freshman years

In the first two years you will follow the Science (TR071) programme, taking chemistry (CH1101 & CH1102), biology (1101 & 1102) and mathematics in the Junior Freshman (first) year. In the Senior Freshman (second) year you will take chemistry and 20 prescribed units of biology with the option of further biology (20 units) or mathematics (20 units). In addition, special sessions held specifically for your group will introduce you to the ideas and techniques of medicinal chemistry.

The Sophister years

In the Junior and Senior Sophister (third and fourth) years the course will branch off into the more specialised aspects of medicinal chemistry, although there will be considerable overlap with the Chemistry programme.

The overlap will be mainly in organic chemistry, with less emphasis being placed on physical chemistry and inorganic chemistry in order to allow for the introduction of the new medicinal chemistry units.

In the Junior Sophister (third) year, your special medicinal chemistry courses will include:

• Basic principles of medicinal chemistry
• Pharmacology (how drugs interact with the body)
• Drug design (how chemists design new drugs for specific diseases)
• Anti-viral and anti-cancer agents
• Anti-microbial and anti-infective agents (compounds that can combat the microorganisms that cause disease)
• Anti-malarial chemistry (study of the development of new drugs in this area)
• Steroid drugs (study of drugs based on the steroid skeleton)
• Industrial chemistry (short course on medicinal chemistry in industry)

In the Senior Sophister (fourth) year, you will cover the medicinal chemistry of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems, combinational chemistry and drug delivery, as well as computational medicinal chemistry and modern analytical methods. Case studies in medicinal chemistry (focusing on specific diseases or drug types), will also feature on your programme.

Practical work in the final year will consist of a research project. This may be carried out either in Trinity College under the supervision of a member of staff, in a chemistry department at an overseas university, or in a commercial laboratory.

Study abroad

To date, arrangements have been made for students to carry out their final-year research projects, from October to December, in Regensburg, Madrid, Liverpool, Copenhagen, Montpellier and Bologna universities.

Assessment

You will be assessed by a combination of continuous assessment and end-of-year examinations.

Career opportunities

As with graduates in other types of chemistry, the skills acquired during this course will make you highly attractive to employers in a wide variety of areas. In addition to the pharmaceutical industry itself, business, finance, administration and teaching are all possibilities open to you as a graduate of medicinal chemistry. Former graduates of this course are working in companies such as Wyeth, Abbot, GlaxoSmithKline, Servier and Deloitte & Touche.

Medicinal chemistry would also serve as an excellent primary degree for a graduate course in medicine.

Further information

www.tcd.ie/Chemistry/undergraduate/medicinal-chemistry
Tel: +353 1 896 3411

Specific Entry Requirements

Leaving Certificate	OC3 or HD3 Mathematics HC3 In two of: physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics/chemistry, geology, geography, applied mathematics or agricultural science
GCSE	Grade B Mathematics
Advanced GCE (A-Level)	Grade C In two of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, geology, geography or applied mathematics
	Combinations not permitted: Physics/chemistry with physics or chemistry Agricultural science with biology Applied mathematics with mathematics

This course is funded by the Irish government under the National Development Plan 2007-2013 and aided by the European Social Fund (ESF) under the Human Capital Investment Operational Programme 2007-2013.