Important: prior to 2016 this program was known as 3992 Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry. Students must follow the Handbook of the year they commenced their program, so continuing students should refer to the relevant Handbook here.

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The Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry (Honours) is a professionally oriented, truly interdisciplinary program taught as a joint initiative between the Schools of Chemistry and Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences (Faculty of Science), and the Pharmacology section of the School of Medical Sciences (Faculty of Medicine).

Medicinal Chemistry is an exciting, rapidly-expanding area within the broad discipline of Chemistry that has seen enormous growth recently both within Australia and globally. It is, quite simply, the development of new pharmaceutical agents, from Concept to Clinic. Many different stages are involved; from the design and synthesis of novel drug candidates, to their biochemical effects, testing regimes and regulatory and ethical considerations. The Medicinal Chemistry (Honours) program had been designed to ensure that graduates will have a strong background in contemporary biology, biochemistry and pharmacology, based upon a solid foundation of essential chemistry.

Graduates from the Medicinal Chemistry(Honours) program will be equipped with a unique and wide harmony of skills, ranging from fundamental chemistry enabling the synthesis and analysis of drug candidates, through to relevant pharmacology and molecular biology skills. This combination will see graduates in high demand both locally and globally in pharmaceutical companies involved in modern drug design. In addition, the multidisciplinary nature of the program will mean that graduates will also be highly marketable within other science-based industries and related fields. The research focus in the Honours year, which provides projects that emphasise the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the area, will also enable students to progress seamlessly into a higher degree if they wish.

Graduates will obtain a broad education across a range of relevant scientific areas, as well as a strong grounding in advanced biological and chemical techniques. There will be particular emphasis on the medical sciences. The first year of the program will provide solid foundation knowledge in some fundamental areas of science, chemistry, mathematics, and biology- as well as specific graduate attributes courses. Year two and three will focus on chemistry, pharmacology, and biochemistry, with a number of recommended electives to broaden a student's knowledge in relevant fields (physiology, anatomy, genetics). The fourth (Honours) year provides a substantial research experience.

Specifically, at the conclusion of this program, students should be able to:

 

Where a student studies the Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry(Honours) as part of a dual degree with another UNSW undergraduate degree program, they are required to complete a minimum of 168 units of credit comprised of the core Medicinal Chemistry courses, the elective Medicinal Chemistry courses, and Honours, ie. the blue coloured area in the table above. This 168 UoC is in addition to the requirements of the second degree program.

Stage 1

Semester 1

Plus 6 UOC electives (see the Note at the end of Stage 3)

Notes:

CHEM1011 (Chemistry A) and CHEM1021 (Chemistry B) could be taken instead of
CHEM1051 Higher Chemistry Medicinal A and CHEM1061 Higher Chemistry Medicinal B, with permission of the Program Authority.

Students intending to take 6 UoC of Level 1 Physics as an elective in Session 2 should substitute MATH1131 (Mathematics 1A) or MATH1141 (Higher Mathematics 1A) for MATH1031 (Mathematics for Life Sciences) in Session 1. The choice will depend on the level of Mathematics and performance in HSC or equivalent. Contact the Mathematics Office for further information.

Stage 2

Semester 1

Notes:

In stages 1, 2 and 3 there are 36 UoC elective courses (6 UoC in Stage 1, 12 UoC in Stage 2, and 18 UoC in Stage 3). Within this 36 UoC of electives, students must choose:

    a) 12 UoC from the approved elective list, below;

    b) 12 UoC as free electives (which may also be chosen from the elective list, but could also be chosen from elsewhere within the University)*; and

    c) 12 UoC of General Education*

*Notes b) and c) do not apply when the Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry (Honours) is taken as part of a dual degree program.

Students must consider prerequisites for Stage 3 elective courses when choosing Stage 2 electives.

    1. Students in the single degree program must complete a minimum of 192 Units of Credit.

    2. Students must follow the program of study as outlined in this Handbook, including 108 units of credit of core courses and at least 12 units of credit of courses from the approved electives list (see above).

    3. Students must complete exactly 12 UoC of general education and these must be taken in the first three stages in a student's program.

Students must follow the UNSW rules for general education. Any course defined as a 'science' course in Table 1, cannot be taken as general education. Any exceptions to these rules must be approved by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) or nominee.

'Science' courses are courses offered by the following Schools. The course prefixes that are associated with each School are in bold below:

Table 1: Definition of 'Science' courses

 

    4. Students must complete 12 UoC of Free Electives (which may be chosen from the approved elective list, but could also be chosen from elsewhere within the University).

    5. An Honours Year of 48 units of credit must be completed. No student may commence Stage 4 until stages 1 to 3 have been completed successfully.

For information regarding the admission requirements and application process for honours, please see the information below under 'Honours'.

    6. Students must complete a maximum of 60 units of credit of level I courses, excluding any GEN*#### course or other mainstream level I course taken to fulfil the 12 UoC general education requirement.

    7. No student may commence level II courses until 30 units of credit of level I courses have been successfully completed. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the Program Authority.

    8. Students may commence level III courses upon successful completion of 72 units of credit. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the Program Authority.

    9. Progression to Stages 3 & 4 is subject to academic performance. Students will be required to maintain a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 65% for progression to Stage 3, and to Stage 4.

Students who do not meet the requirement to enter Stage 4 will be transferred to program 3970 (Bachelor of Science) and will, on successful completion of the first three stages of program 3992, graduate with the degree of Bachelor of Science (program 3970). Students who transfer to program 3970 before successfully completing all requirements of stage 1 to 3 of program 3992 will be required to complete an approved major in 3970 as specified in the Handbook.

Where a student undertakes a Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry(Honours) program as part of a dual degree with another undergraduate program at UNSW, the program rules for the Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry(Honours) are as follows (for further information regarding each rule, please refer to the relevant rule for the single degree program as listed above):

   1. Students must complete a minimum of 168 Units of Credit.

   2. Students must follow the program of study as outlined in this Handbook, including 108 units of credit of core courses and at least 12 units of credit of courses from the approved electives list (see above).

   3. An Honours Year of 48 units of credit must be completed. No student may commence Stage 4 until stages 1 to 3 have been completed successfully.
For information regarding the admission requirements and application process for honours, please see the information below under 'Honours'.

   4. No student may commence level II courses until 30 units of credit of level I courses have been successfully completed. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the Program Authority.

   5. Students may commence level III courses upon successful completion of 72 units of credit.

   6. Progression to Stages 3 & 4 is subject to academic performance. Students will be required to maintain a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of at least 65% for progression to Stage 3,
and Stage 4.

Students who do not meet the requirement to enter Stage 4 will be transferred to program 3970 (Bachelor of Science) and will, on successful completion of the first three stages of program 3999, graduate with the degree of Bachelor of Science (program 3970). Students who transfer to program 3970 before successfully completing all requirements of program 3999 will be required to complete a major in 3970 as specified in the Handbook.

Students must complete a 48 UOC Honours sequence at Stage 4. Progression to stage 4 is subject to academic performance, and requires completion of a total of 144UOC and all the requirements of the first three years of the program, including level I, core and elective courses, and General Education requirements. Students are expected to have attained an overall WAM of 65 or higher to be eligible to continue to Honours. Students who are ineligible to progress to Honours, will be required to transfer to the Bachelor of Science program (3970) and graduate with the Bachelor of Science award at pass level.

Fourth year Honours in this program is comprised of a 36 UOC major independent research project, 6 UOC of coursework on contemporary chemistry and pharmacology and 6 UOC of coursework on relevant professional and ethical topics. Honours Grades are awarded as follows:-

A student's Honours Grading is calculated only on their performance in the final year of the program. The final honours grading is calculated as follows:-

The research project is assessed by a thesis (60%), oral examination (25%), and final seminar (15%).

In addition to these items, students are required to attend all School research seminars, however there is no formal assessment associated with this.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry(Honours) program who wish to take out the Bachelor of Science award at pass level without proceeding to Honours, are required to transfer to the 3970 Bachelor of Science. Applications to transfer should be lodged with the Science Student Centre no later than the census date for the semester in which the student expects to satisfy requirements. Students applying after that date may not be able to graduate in the next round of ceremonies.

See the Single Degree and Dual Degree Program Rules above.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  UNSW Fee Website.

The Faculty of Science has some rules that relate to all students enrolled in programs offered by the Faculty in relation to recognition for prior learning, general education, course exclusions, study load, and cross-institutional study. All students should read the information contained on the Faculty General Rules and Requirements page in this Handbook.