Drug Discovery and Development: Multidisciplinary Science for Next Generation Therapeutics
Imperial College London Rank #790Program Overview
The Drug Discovery and Development: Multidisciplinary Science for Next Generation Therapeutics at Imperial College London is a MRes programme in Humanities over 12 months, delivered On-campus. This programme equips graduates with advanced knowledge and practical skills for professional and academic careers in the field.
Students gain a rigorous grounding in both the theoretical foundations and applied dimensions of humanities. The programme combines coursework, research components, and practical projects that develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and specialist expertise relevant to industry and research needs.
Graduates of the Drug Discovery and Development: Multidisciplinary Science for Next Generation Therapeutics programme are well-prepared for careers in academia, industry, government, and the private sector across United Kingdom and internationally. The programme provides an internationally recognised qualification within the Bologna higher education framework.
Key Program Features
- Duration: 12 months
- Language of instruction: English
- Study mode: On-campus
- English requirement: IELTS 6.5
- Tuition: GBP 29,300 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 10,450 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
- Location: London, United Kingdom
Career Opportunities
Graduates of the Drug Discovery and Development: Multidisciplinary Science for Next Generation Therapeutics programme are prepared for diverse careers in humanities:
- Researcher / Academic
- Cultural Programme Manager
- Editor / Writer
- Translator / Interpreter
- Museum Curator
- Communications Specialist
Program Curriculum
Course Structure
- Standard Drug Discovery Model
- Small molecule drugs
- Biologicals
- Molecular Interactions in Proteins and Enzymes
- What makes a good drug?
- Overview on target validation
- Systems Approaches in Drug Discovery
- Chemical Genetics
- Target selection and Biomarkers
- Protein modelling strategies
- In silico drug design
- Structural biology for drug design
- Bioanalytical Techniques
- High throughput screening
- High content screening
- Re-purposing drugs
- Fragment-based drug design
- Whole animal imaging
- Gene therapy
- Getting drugs to market
- Financing and protecting drug discovery
- Designing Clinical Trials
- Current therapeutic challenges in...
- Infection
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cancer
- Inflammation and COPD
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Keynote lectures from high profile guest speakers covering past, future, and frontiers of the field
- The major component of the course is an eight-month long multidisciplinary research project on drug discovery and development, to be written up as a thesis.
- You will select a research project from a range of proposals submitted by collaborating staff, and jointly supervised by at least one physical scientist and one scientist from the biomedical sciences or industry; the lead supervisor will be based at the College.
- The projects are based entirely in the research laboratories of the supervisors, allowing you to benefit from interaction with postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers from each discipline.
- You will also present your research findings at a one day MRes conference held at the beginning of September, which counts towards your overall assessment.
- Satisfactory progress is monitored by a mid-term progress report completed by you and your supervisors. The course directors will regularly request feedback regarding your project progress, logistics and effectiveness of split site working, and will offer additional support whenever necessary.
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
You need the following GPA score:
Applicants for graduate programs must have the equivalent of a bachelor\xe2\x80\x99s degree with a minimum GPA equivalent to Upper Second Class on the UK Honour scale. Admitted applicants typically have an undergraduate GPA of or better on the UK Honour scale. No exam grade should be lower than 4.5 (European grade scale) or D (American grade scale).
Your GPA (Grade Point Average) is calculated using the grades that you received in each course, and is determined by the points assigned to each grade (e.g. for the US grading scale from A-F).
- This course is run by the Institute of Chemical Biology and accepts students with a first or Upper Second Class (2:1) Honours degree in a relevant subject (particularly in subjects such as Chemistry, Pharmacy, Physics, Biochemistry and Medicine).
- If your first degree is from a country other than the UK, you may find the guidelines within our Country Index helpful. Please note that these guidelines indicate the College minimum. Our requirement is usually higher.
- All candidates must demonstrate a minimum level of English language proficiency for admission to the College.
- For admission to this course, you must achieve the standard College requirement in the appropriate English language qualification. For details of the minimum grades required to achieve this requirement, please see the English language requirements for postgraduate applicants.
English Proficiency: IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 29,300 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 10,450 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
Tuition fees: GBP 29,300 (Tuition (Year)) — International students; GBP 10,450 (Tuition (Year)) — EU/EEA students
IELTS requirement: 6.5
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Contact Imperial College London directly for scholarship, grant, and financial aid information for this programme. Many European universities offer merit-based and need-based funding for international and domestic students.
About Imperial College London
Imperial College London
London, United Kingdom
Imperial College London is a distinguished institution of higher education committed to academic excellence, innovative research, and preparing students for leadership in their chosen fields. The...
University Profile- Application Deadline 29 April 2026
- Start Date 2017-10-01
- Language English
- Duration 12 months