Drug & Medicinal Product Analysis - BSc (Hons)

Course Code: LC266

Level

Duration

4 Years

Department

Applied Science

CAO Points

252

Course Type

Undergraduate - CAO

Location

Limerick

This programme was developed with input from people working in the relevant industries. We aim to produce graduates who understand how medicines and healthcare products, including pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals, are manufactured and checked to make sure they are safe, effective, and high quality. Students who graduate from the programme are ready to work in one of Ireland’s most valuable industries.

This Honours Degree allows students to develop the analytical laboratory skills necessary to work in the highly regulated industries that manufacture medicines, medical devices, and healthcare products. It also offers students the chance to study quality control and management in those industries.

The programme takes a detailed look at every aspect of manufacture in Ireland’s most successful sector and develops the students’ skills in the areas most required to obtain good, well-paid jobs in the industry. There is a six-month work placement in Year 3 of the programme to provide valuable work experience.

What are the entry requirements?

Leaving Certificate

A minimum of 2 H5 & 4 O6/H7 grades in six Leaving Certificate subjects, including English or Irish and a minimum of an O6 in Mathematics.

Mature Applicants

Candidates applying as mature applicants may be required to attend an interview and may be requested to take an aptitude test to prove their suitability for a place on this programme."

Who can I contact?

View our Science CAO presentation and Q&A session

Click here to view

What modules will I study?

Year 1

Title: Biology

Credits: 15
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This module is designed to introduce the student to the fundamental principles and concepts underlying how biological systems function.

Title: Chemistry

Credits: 15
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Basic Introductory Inorganic, Physical and Organic Chemistry and laboratory practical skills through a fusion of theory and practice.

Title: Introduction to Drug and Medicinal Products

Credits: 10
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This module introduces students to how scientists work and communicate. It provides a broad introduction to the drug and medicinal products industry, with an overview of manufacturing practises and environmental considerations. Students also learn about health and disease and study various methods of formulating medicines.

Title: Introductory Physics Concepts

Credits: 10
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This physics module is designed to introduce students to the concepts in fundamental physics that are necessary to support other core modules and to provide a comprehensive grounding in physics that is relevant to biological and chemical analysis, as well as environmental science and forensic science.

Title: Mathematics for Scientists

Credits: 10
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This module will provide the learner with the necessary mathematical skills, problem solving skills and computer application proficiency required by the analytical scientist.
Year 2

Title: Analytical Techniques

Credits: 15
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This module introduces students to the the hardware and techniques used to carry out chemcial analysis. A variety of chromatographic, spectrophotometric andelectrochemical instruments are covered. Students are also given an appreciation of the performance characteristic required in chemcial analysis.

Title: Drug and Medicinal Product Technology

Credits: 15
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This module develops the students' knowledge of the drug and medicinal product industries, discussing areas like production and waste disposal processes. It also introduces topics including formulation, drug delivery systems, materials and packaging relevant to those industries. It includes a weekly laboratory practical in the organic chemistry area of drug extractions, synthesis, purification and analysis.

Title: Inorganic and Physical Chemistry

Credits: 10
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This module will build upon the fundamentals of general chemistry already covered to allow the learner to form a deeper understanding of the basic princicples of inorganic and physcial chemistry of particular relevance to analytical chemistry.

Title: Introduction to Molecules in Medicine

Credits: 5
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A study of simple organic compounds, their structure and reactions in relation to drug & medicinal product development. Although there is no practical element in this module there is one lab-lecture each week in order to facilitate the demonstration of some chemical tests and reactions.

Title: Pharmaceutical Bioscience

Credits: 10
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This module will provide a biochemical, microbiological and basic foundation to students wishing to progress their learning in areas encompassing medicinal product synthesis, formulation, analysis and/or activity. The module provides experimental grounding in basic biochemical and microbiological techniques, data processing and formulation preparation.

Title: Statistical Process Control

Credits: 5
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The aim of this module is to provide learners with the necessary skills required to create and analyse statistical process control charts and to apply basic statistical analysis using statistical software (excel, minitab)in a scientific context.
Year 3

Title: Biotoxicology, Molecular and Immuno-Biology

Credits: 10
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This module focuses specifically on the areas of biochemical toxicology, molecular biology, applied immunobiology and biotechnology.

Title: Drug and Medicinal Products & Good Manufacturing Practices

Credits: 10
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This module is designed to enhance the learners' awareness of the requirements in the Drug and Medicinal Product industries. A significant portion of this module will be utilised to prepare learners for work in this sector, both through practical, lecture and workshop experiences.

Title: Industrial Practice

Credits: 15
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Industrial Practice is offered as an alternative for students who have not been placed. The main aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity of tackling common industry themed projects in order to practice and develop their skills in a simulated regulated analytical science laboratory. Main areas focused on include calibration, qualification, method development and degradation studies.

Title: Instrumental Analysis

Credits: 10
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This subject builds on the understanding of chemical instrumentation obtained in Year II. It deepens and broadens that knowledge and set of skills.

Title: Molecules in Medicine

Credits: 10
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This module developes the students organic chemistry skills. There are two parts to the course namely the lectures and the practicals. The lectures examine reactivity, functional group chemistry and reaction mechanisms with the aim to develop student problem solving and understanding. What determines reactivity? Why do organic reactions behave as they do? How can one predict what will happen if these chemicals are mixed together? These questions and more will be tackled in order to give a sound logical basis for tackling problems that may be encountered in the future.

Title: Quality Assurance

Credits: 5
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This module will introduce the student to the fundamental concepts of Quality Assurance.

Title: Work Placement

Credits: 15
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This module involves the learner taking a six month work placement with an LIT approved Industrial partner.

The learner will gain valuable work experience in the Food, Bioprocessing, Biotechnology, Environmental, Pharmaceutical, Biopharmaceutical, Forensic or Analytical sector.

Learners are tasked with the responsibility of searching for and securing a suitable work placement with the support and approval of the work placement coordinator.
Year 4

Title: Advanced drug and medicinal product analysis

Credits: 15
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This is a problem lab based subject where students work in teams to manufacture and analysis pharmaceutical components using international pharmaceopia's. Students also create all relevant documentation (Batch Books, SOP's, Test Specifications, Tests Reports, Certificates of Analysis). Another aspect involves examining dissolution profiles of a range of medicinal product formulations. Site visits/Field trips are also conducted as well as a course in CV writing and interview skills in conjunction with the careers office.

Title: Chromatographic Methods and Validation

Credits: 5
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This module examines the most up to date chromatographic methods and technologies, hyphenated mass spectrometry and capillary electrophoresis as used in the pharmaceutical, chemical and environmental sectors. Current views on validation and associated regulation is also examined.

Title: Data Analytics

Credits: 5
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This module will provide the learner with knowledge and practical application of statistical concepts for data driven analytic methods.

Title: GMP and Chromatographic Methods

Credits: 5
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This module examines current views of GMP and associated regulation in a wide vary of sectors. It introduces topics in the area of chromatographic methods and technologies as used in the pharmaceutical, chemical and environmental sectors and finally examines the basic princples and componements pertaining to mass spectrometery.

Title: Project

Credits: 10
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The Project allows for students to work independently in a selected area. A wide variety of projects covering a variety of topics in the Drug and medicinal product, chemical and environmental areas are available for the student to select. It is also possible and encouraged that a student would develop a project related to their own interest area or in association with a local company.

Title: Quality Management

Credits: 5
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This module will provide the learner with knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques employed in quality managment.

Title: Special Topics

Credits: 5
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This subject provides final year science students with the opportunity to study specialist areas which would not have been available to them in the core area of their course.

Title: Spectroscopic and Complementary Methods I

Credits: 5
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This module will teach the student the principles and procedures used in spectroscopic and complementary instrumental analysis The student will be able to critically discuss the theory, concepts and application of these spectroscopic techniques and apply these instrumental techniques to solve a range of laboratory based problems.

Title: Spectroscopic and Complementary Methods II

Credits: 5
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This module will teach the student the principles and procedures used in spectroscopic and complementary instrumental analysis The student will be able to critically discuss the theory, concepts and application of these spectroscopic techniques and apply these instrumental techniques to solve a range of laboratory based problems.

Are there opportunities for further study?

Graduates from this programme will be employed in Quality Control and Quality Assurance roles in state-of-the-art drug and medicinal product or medical device.