Precision Medicine and Pharmacological Innovation

Entry requirements

Candidates must normally possess one of the following:

• at least a second class honours degree in Life Sciences including Pharmacy/Pharmacology, Genetics and Biochemistry from a university in the United Kingdom; or
• a qualification deemed by the Joint Management Committee to be equivalent to the above; or
• professional or industrial experience deemed appropriate by the Joint Management.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This programme is open for applicants domiciled in Scotland.

This unique, prestigious and fully-funded MSc programme (tuition fee waiver; eligibility criteria apply) is awarded by the Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Strathclyde, in collaboration with the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh.

The programme focuses on the current and future needs of the Life Sciences sector and is delivered in conjunction with the Precision Medicine Scotland - Innovation Centre (PMS-IC) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow and multiple private sector partners. Project placements in this MSc programme are increasingly seen by our biotechnology and industry partners as an effective means of assessing and recruiting new, high quality graduate employees.

Precision medicine and pharmacological innovation holds huge potential in the timely development of new treatments for human disease. It is among the most important concepts to emerge in 21st century clinical science and will be a crucial component of the global drive to increase the efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of new treatments.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• Students will be given the unique opportunity to undertake an industry placement as their main project. This fantastic opportunity will be offered by partner commercial organisations/companies and universities. Previous partners include Epidarex, LGC NHS Scotland, Roche and Thermo Fisher Scientific to name a few.
• The programme will cover aspects of commercial innovation and entrepreneurial skills, together with the principles which underpin the emerging science at the interface between genetics and pharmacology.
• Students on the programme will undergo theoretical and practical training in state-of-the-art research processes, enabling an appreciation of how to apply novel stratified approaches, together with clinical pharmacological, regulatory and ethical principles to the optimisation of future clinical research and therapeutic practice.
• Students will also gain an understanding of statistical methods used to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of new treatments, and direct experience of how all of these techniques are applied by academic and industrial researchers in the development of new medicines.
• Following successful completion of the programme a joint master’s degree will be awarded.
• The five stakeholder universities, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Strathclyde, Dundee and Edinburgh are internationally recognised as leaders in biomedical research, hosting highly collaborative and productive groups with the requisite expertise in pharmacology, clinical trial methodology, pharmacogenomics, and life sciences.
• This vibrant environment, coupled with Scotland’s tradition of excellence in clinical research and significant recent investment in the new science of Stratified Medicine make it the ideal place to acquire the transferrable skills required for a successful and fulfilling career in 21st century biomedicine.