Biopharmaceutical Engineering

Overview

Biopharmaceutical products are highly important in today’s global healthcare systems in treating illnesses and disease. The industry in the British Isles has seen significant investment, particularly in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) where there has been capital investment of approximately £7.97 billion in new facilities, mostly in the last 10 years. The global market for biopharmaceuticals was valued at £149 billion in 2017, and is projected to reach £419 billion by 2025, growing at an annual rate of 13.8% from 2018 to 2025. As a result, over 30,000 highly skilled people are currently employed in Ireland north and south with new companies setting up facilities in RoI every year. The increased uptake of skilled biopharmaceutical employees has necessitated the need for a high quality education in this sector.



Queen’s University Belfast School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering has a proven track record for delivering high quality teaching and research and has launched the options-based Postgraduate Certificate in Biopharmaceutical Engineering from this platform. This qualification will provide students with knowledge and skills which will help them to find employment in the field of biopharmaceutical production, separation and purification by applying fundamental science and engineering principles.



It is partly designed to augment skills and qualifications already gained by STEM graduates and by staff who are working in the Biopharmaceutical Engineering sector but who wish to add some specialisations in order to progress. It should also anyone seeking a career pathway change who meets he entrance criteria.



Through studying this postgraduate course students will be able to gain a highly relevant qualification which will give them greatly enhanced employability.



Through the use of theory and mathematical approaches to engineering problems, students will understand and become skilled in the development of systems which can facilitate biopharmaceuticals production and their subsequent purification.



This course is run in collaboration with our industrial partner Eli Lilly, a global company with excellent standing in the field of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical production and commercialisation. A collaborative course of this nature is the first of its kind in the British Isles and will provide students with real-world knowledge of how these systems are operated in an industrial setting through the case studies and first-hand knowledge imparted by the academics and industry staff delivering the course.

Module Options

CHE7501 Medicinal Chemistry

CHE7502 Biopharmaceuticals & Upstream Processing

CHE7503 Chemical Engineering Principles

CHE7504 Bioreactor Design and Bioprocess Control

CHE7505 Separations, Downstream Processing and Bioanalytical Science

CHE7506 Regulatory Affairs and Quality Systems



Students must make a choice of THREE modules from the following:



CHE7501 Medicinal Chemistry

The purpose of this module is to provide students with the knowledge of the inception of a biopharmaceutical product, what it is made from in terms of chemistry and how it will act in the body. The module is split into three lecture series: Drug Discovery, Proteins and Pharmacology.

Within each of these series there will be lectures which will look at each of the three areas in detail. This module will be delivered by staff from Chemistry and as such there will be key understanding and information imparted by leading medicinal chemists whose expertise has been instrumental in advancing the research intensity of our School.

The module is assessed on a 100% continual assessment basis - workshops, questions/problems and short essays on journals will be used.



CHE7502 Biopharmaceuticals & Upstream Processing

This module will begin the introduction of biopharmaceuticals to students, the need and context for biopharmaceutical products and also what form they may take depending on patient needs. The module is split into two lecture series (following its title) and will be assessed by a mix of formal examination (60%) and tutorials (40%).



CHE7503 Chemical Engineering Principles

The third of the first semester modules will look at the principles which are applied to chemical engineering in terms of kinetics, heat and mass transport and also thermodynamics. This module will provide students with an advanced understanding of the theory of Chemical Engineering and why these principles must be adhered to in a chemical process especially in the production of a biopharmaceutical product.

There will be a considerable mathematical element to this module and as such there is significant emphasis on the relevant workshops provided. These are assessed and will make up 75% of the available marks for the module. The remaining 25% is based on tutorial work.



CHE7504 Bioreactor Design and Bioprocess Control

The content of this module will look in detail at the design of specific reactors for the carrying out of a chemical process with particular reference being made to the production of proteins in a biopharmaceutical setting. The theory which will be applied throughout this module will align with the previous module (Chemical Engineering Principles) and use the principles of chemical engineering to inform the decisions to be made when designing a reactor for a specific function. This module will be assessed through the use of workshop problems (40%) and a design project with presentation (60%).



CHE7505 Separations, Downstream Processing and Bioanalytical Science

This module looks in detail at the different methods which are employed for the purification of the crude protein following the upstream process. The module is split into four lecture series: filtration, separations, downstream processing and bioanalytical science.

Access to the state of the art analytical suite in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering will facilitate understanding and development of knowledge as students will have the opportunity to use the analytical pieces of equipment within the laboratory to perform their own separations. This will not only aid in reinforcement of the lecture content but will also give students hands-on experience in performing chromatographical separations - a highly desirable skill in industry. CHE7405 has a formal examination which will form 60% of the final mark for the module; the remaining 40% will be derived from submitted tutorial work.



CHE7506 Regulatory Affairs and Quality Systems

The last taught module in the course is delivered in its entirety by staff from Eli Lilly. They will contextualise the key regulatory bodies in detail, as well as the range of global regulations which apply to biopharmaceutical products. One of the unique features of this module is the fact that the content is delivered by industry experts who work with biopharmaceutical products on a daily basis and are consequently fully conversant with the regulatory requirements. This module is coursework assessed through compulsory Eli Lilly run workshops.

Normally a 2.2 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Biochemistry or closely allied subject. Applicants with relevant work experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.



The University's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy provides guidance on the assessment of experiential learning (RPEL). Please visit the link below for more information.

http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpolicyQUB

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 30th June 2025 for courses which commence in late September. In the event that any programme receives a high number of applications, the University reserves the right to close the application portal prior to the deadline stated on course finder. Notifications to this effect will appear on the application portal against the programme application page.



Please note: a deposit will be required to secure a place.

1 year part-time.

Entry Year: 2025/26

Career Prospects

Introduction

This course will develop your biopharmaceutical engineering knowledge and skills increasing your opportunity of being employed in many roles in the industry. You may be already in employment and want to skill up and equip yourself with the knowledge to either progress on or seek employment in a biopharma company.



Employment after the Course

With a course like this, you will gain highly desirable skills which will feed into the rapidly expanding industry which is biopharmaceutical production. With the vast investment on the island of Ireland alone, there will be many companies for students to gain employment in.



Alongside working in the field of biopharmaceutical production, the skills and knowledge gained through this course will also give students the opportunities to work in a chemical engineering role more widely (subject to options taken).