Medicinal Chemistry covers all elements of the development of new medicines for human use, including the isolation of new medicinal agents from natural sources, the design and synthesis of new drugs, and understanding the cause of diseases at the molecular level. Medicinal chemists design and synthesise new medicinal and pharmacological agents, monitor guidelines for testing drugs and analyse drug regulatory affairs, assess patent applications for new drugs, and teach in tertiary institutions. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills in Australia is becoming a fast-growing area creating new and increased job prospects. There is a forecasted growth of 14.4% in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Industry and with this brings exciting employment opportunities and career options. The projected high rate of employment growth for 2015 to 2019 reflects ongoing strength and demand for the services of qualified and highly educated workers. Source: Employment Projections This degree: The Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry (Honours) provides excellent training in the modern techniques of chemical science applied to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic agents. During the fourth (Honours) year of your degree, you will undertake a substantial piece of independent research in Medicinal Chemistry, under the supervision of a leading researcher, together with other course work. On completion you will be ready for a career in the pharmaceutical industry, government agencies (health, agriculture, food and drug administration), or research organisations. What you will study: As well as fundamental training in the chemical sciences, you will also study physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology in order to understand the mechanisms by which diseases affect the human body, and how drugs can prevent disease. You will also study specialised subjects describing drug discovery and design techniques that use both computer-aided and bio-prospecting approaches.

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