Program Overview

Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry MChem (Honours) 2025 entry

Overview

The MChem (Hons) in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry focuses on the important interface of chemistry with biology and medicine. You will learn about the critical role of chemistry in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries and in solving problems such as antibacterial resistance and developing healthcare for an aging population. You will receive a broad base of chemical knowledge, focusing on biological and medicinal chemistry, and reinforced by extensive practical experience and familiarity with modern laboratory, instrumental and computational techniques.

Accreditation

All single Honours Chemistry degree programmes are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

UCAS code

• F152 (with external placement: F151)

Start date

• September 2025

End date

• September 2030

Duration

• Five years full time

School

• School of Chemistry

Entry requirements

SQA Highers

• Standard entry grades: AAAAB, including A in Chemistry and an A in one other subject from the following: Biology (or Human Biology), Computing Science, Economics, Geography, Mathematics and Physics.
• Minimum entry grades: AABB, including A in Chemistry and an A in one other subject from the following: Biology (or Human Biology), Computing Science, Economics, Geography, Mathematics and Physics.
• Gateway entry grades: Applicants who have narrowly missed the minimum entry grades, but meet the University's contextual criteria, may be interested in one of the University’s Gateway programmes.

GCE A-Levels

• Standard entry grades: AAA, including A in Chemistry.
• Minimum entry grades: ABB, including A in Chemistry.

IB points

• Standard entry grades: 38 (HL 6,6,6), including HL6 in Chemistry and HL6 in one of the following subjects: Biology, Computer Science, Economics, Geography, Mathematics and Physics.
• Minimum entry grades: 36 (HL 6,5,5), including HL6 in Chemistry and HL5 in one of the following subjects: Biology, Computer Science, Economics, Geography, Mathematics and Physics.

General entry requirements

• All applicants must have attained the following qualifications, or equivalent, in addition to the specific entry requirements for individual programmes.
• SQA qualifications: SQA National 5 (B) in English and one SQA National 5 (B) from the following: Biology, Chemistry, Computing science, Geography, Applications of Mathematics, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology.
• GCSE qualifications: GCSE (5) in English language or English literature, and one GCSE (5) from the following: Biology, Chemistry, Computing Science, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology.

Course details

Modules

• First year:
  • Introductory Inorganic and Physical Chemistry: covers origin of the elements and the periodic table, atomic structure, shapes and properties of molecules, chemistry of the elements, properties of solutions, thermochemistry, thermodynamics and kinetics, and mathematical tools for chemistry.
  • Inorganic and Physical Chemistry 1: covers bonding in simple molecules, inorganic solids, chemistry of the first-row transition metals, properties of solids, states of matter, and introductory spectroscopy.
  • Organic and Biological Chemistry 1: covers the structure and nomenclature of simple organic compounds, basic stereochemistry, fundamental organic reaction mechanisms, organic functional groups and their reactions, introductory bioorganic chemistry, and organic spectroscopy.
• Second year:
  • Inorganic Chemistry 2: covers metal complexes and organometallics, descriptive transition-metal chemistry, atmospheric chemistry, solid-state chemistry and descriptive main-group chemistry.
  • Organic Chemistry 2: covers methods for carbon-carbon bond formation and interconversion of functional groups, aromatic and heteroaromatic reactivity, retrosynthetic analysis, mechanistic biological chemistry and organic spectroscopy.
  • Physical Chemistry 2: covers quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and electrochemistry, chemical kinetics, molecular spectroscopy and diffraction, and advanced mathematical tools for chemistry.
• Third year:
  • Examples of Medicinal Chemistry Honours modules that have been offered in previous years include:
    • Carbohydrate and Nucleic Acid Chemistry
    • Mechanism in Organic Chemistry
    • Organometallic Chemistry
    • Quantitative Aspects of Medicinal Chemistry
    • Synthetic Methodology.
• Fourth year:
  • You will have the opportunity to work on a placement outside St Andrews for up to 12 months.
  • Alternatively, you have the choice to complete the MChem without doing an external placement, and will take lecture and practical modules during your fourth year at St Andrews.
• Fifth year:
  • You will take advanced research-led modules in your chosen specialist areas.
  • Advanced modules offered in the past include:
    • Asymmetric Synthesis
    • Chemical Biology
    • Molecular Recognition
    • Natural Products, Biosynthesis and Enzyme Co-factors
    • Reactive Intermediates.
  • You will also undertake a substantial research project in your final year on a topic chosen in consultation with academic staff.

Teaching

• Teaching format: Chemistry is taught through a combination of lectures (80 to 200 students) and labs (20 to 50 students), which are supplemented by small group tutorials (5 to 10 students).
• Assessment: All sub-honours modules are assessed by 60% to 70% written examinations combined with 30% to 40% coursework covering laboratories, tutorials and transferable skills exercises.
• Support: The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities.

Fees

• Scotland: £1,820
• England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man: £9,535
• EU and overseas: £31,670

Joint Honours degrees

• You can also take Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.
• UCAS code C761: Bachelor of Science (Honours) Biology and Chemistry
• UCAS code FF16: Bachelor of Science (Honours) Chemistry and Earth Sciences
• UCAS code FG11: Bachelor of Science (Honours) Chemistry and Mathematics
• UCAS code FF13: Master in Science (Honours) Chemistry and Physics

Careers

• St Andrews chemistry graduates have an employment rate of over 95% and are in demand by large multinational and grassroots companies alike.
• Chemistry degrees provide a range of highly desirable skills, that are prized by employers across numerous sectors, including:
  • problem-solving
  • numeracy
  • data handling
  • teamwork
  • oral and written communication.
• St Andrews chemistry graduates move into a wide range of employment both in the chemical and allied industries, as well as other sectors outside physical sciences.
• Many MChem graduates continue on to PhD-level degrees both in the UK and overseas.