Drug Discovery and Development MSc
Year of entry 2025
- Start date
- September 2025
- Delivery type
- On campus
- Duration
- 12 months full time
- Entry requirements
- A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in a relevant subject area
Full entry requirements - English language requirements
- IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component
- UK fees
- £14,500 (Total)
- International fees
- £35,000 (Total)
- Contact
- fbspgt@leeds.ac.uk
Course overview
Do you want to have a positive impact on society by discovering new medicines that will improve lives?
On this course you’ll be exposed to a range of fields spanning the pharmaceutical industry, including pharmacology, biochemistry, chemistry, clinical research, and pharmaceutical commercialisation.
The multidisciplinary aspect of the course means you'll be taught by experts from the School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Chemistry, the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, the Faculty of Medicine and Health, the Business School, as well as experts currently working in the pharma sector.
The broad range of topics will allow you to tailor your experience, offering you the opportunity to focus on topics such as medicinal chemistry, molecular pharmacology and preclinical/clinical drug development.
Course highlights
Choose a specialisation pathway based on your experience and interests, reflecting the different career areas within the pharmaceutical discovery and development pipeline.
Undertake a substantive research-based project which will develop your expertise and help you gain new research skills to prepare you for the professional lab environment.
You'll be taught by experts from the multidisciplinary Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, meaning you'll learn from medicinal chemists, structural molecular biologists and pharmacologists to gain the skills and knowledge to succeed in a multidisciplinary environment.
Benefit from our close links with the pharma industry and the Faculty of Medicine and Health to gain valuable real-world insight into drug discovery and clinical drug development.
Course details
Modules on this course cover the entire drug discovery and development pipeline, enabling you to develop an integrated and comprehensive understanding of the process.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Year 1 compulsory modules
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Pharmaceutical Science and Commerce | 15 |
| Research Planning and Scientific Communication | 15 |
| Drug Development: from candidate to patient | 15 |
| Foundations of Drug Discovery | 15 |
| Modern Drug Discovery | 15 |
Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
| Module Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Advanced Biomolecular Technologies | 15 |
| Medical Diagnostics | 15 |
| Treatment of Infectious Disease and Cancer | 15 |
| Protein Engineering Laboratory Project | 15 |
| Bioscience MSc Research Project | 60 |
| Animal Models in Drug Development | 15 |
| Structure-based Drug Discovery | 15 |
| Advanced Topics in Chemistry (15 Credits) | 15 |
| Advanced Topics in Chemistry (Examined S2) | 15 |
| Advanced Practical and Research Skills for Medicinal Chemists | 15 |
| MSc Research Project | 60 |
Learning and teaching
The learning and teaching on this course have been designed in order to reflect the current needs and activities in the industry, preparing you for the workplace after you graduate.
You’ll be challenged to think about creative solutions to complex problems, enhance your interpretation and data analysis skills, improve your ability to communicate information and defend ideas. You'll also develop your understanding of legal, economic and social elements affecting the area of drug discovery and development.
The course follows a blended learning approach. All tutorials, seminars, debates, discussions, data analysis sessions, laboratory sessions, oral/poster presentations and computer-based learning activities will be delivered face-to-face on campus. However, traditional lecture content will often be delivered via pre-recorded screencasts that enables flexible access and the ability to study it at your own pace.
On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
Assessment type varies by module, but methods may include in-course essays, oral presentations, business reports, annotated bibliographies, short answer questions, problem-based assignments, preclinical and clinical trial designs, computational drug design tasks, laboratory reports, ethics reviews, and the main research project dissertation paper.
Choose your independent advanced research project from a wide list of topics, which are designed to offer you an immersive individual research experience, as well as the opportunity to contribute to science in an area you are passionate about.
Applying
Entry requirements
Applicants should normally have a bachelor’s degree with at least a 2:1 or equivalent, preferably in a chemistry, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, pharmacy or pharmacology subject. Consideration will be given to applicants holding a 2:2 but who have 2:1 level marks in modules relevant to the programme.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
Documents and information you’ll need
- Completed online application form (for Taught Postgraduate Study).
- Full CV.
- Transcript of degree examination marks achieved to date.
- Copy of final degree certificate (if completed).
- Evidence of English language qualification (non-native English speakers only).
- Copy of passport (if you’re an overseas student).
- Completed supporting statement.
Find out more about how to apply.
The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page will take you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Taught postgraduate confirmation
Taught postgraduate applicants are required to submit their results for consideration as soon as possible. Applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK are recommended to submit their results no later than 31 July, although they will still be considered if submitted after this date.
Interviews
It is standard procedure to interview applicants, prior to making a decision on their application, for MRes Neuroscience, MSc Biopharmaceutical Development (Industrial), MRes Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, and MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine. Interviews do not form part of the standard admissions process for other programmes in the Faculty of Biological Sciences.
International application deadline: July 31 2025
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025
This course is taught by
School of Chemistry
Faculty of Biological Sciences
Contact us
Faculty of Biological Sciences postgraduate taught admissions team
Email: fbspgt@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:
Fees
UK: £14,500 (Total)
International: £35,000 (Total)
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more at Masters funding overview.
Scholarships for Faculty of Biological Sciences students
The Faculty of Biological Sciences offers a number of Masters scholarships to support and reward students from the UK and around the world. Don’t miss out on available support, visit our dedicated faculty scholarship page to check your eligibility.
Career opportunities
This course is designed to ensure you’re workplace ready. Upon graduation, you’ll be equipped with the skills necessary to work for large pharmaceutical companies, small biotech companies, contract research organisations, government regulatory bodies and many more. It will also put you in a strong position to undertake a further research degree.
Our dedicated employability and opportunity team will ensure that you're aware of events and opportunities to increase your employability.
Our Masters career development programme will also support you to explore career options, practice job interviews and understand the PhD application process.
You'll also have access to seminars and presentations from industry professionals (including our alumni) at faculty-led career events. We also have regular research seminars presented by leading academics from around the world on their specialist subjects.