Pharmaceutical Analysis with Industrial Placement

Overview

Acquire the skills, knowledge and hands-on experience for a career as a Pharmaceutical Analyst in Industry or Academia.



Who Are You?

You are probably a recent physical or life sciences graduate – chemistry, pharmacy and biology.



But you could equally be in work and want to develop your professional skills. If you are, we offer this course part-time as well, one day per week.



Why Study This Course?

Our industrial partners are always telling us they need people like you. Analysts are among the most sought after professionals with some of the highest employability rates.



Experience in a pharmaceutical company can help you decide if you enjoy working in industry or prefer research/academic career. Placements also improve employability prospects as a lot of placement students get offered a job immediately after they complete their degree.



You will receive practical training on state-of-the-art separation techniques, such as HPLC/MS and GC/MS, in the purpose built Pharmaceutical Analysis lab designed in partnership with Agilent (a world-leading instrument manufacturer).



Placements on this course can be done in an appropriate company anywhere in the UK or the Republic of Ireland. They are open to both local and International students (subject to visa requirements).

Core Modules

Quality Assurance and Quality Control in the Pharmaceutical Industry (20 credits)

MSc in Pharmaceutical Analysis Industrial Placement (0 credits)

Advanced Separation Science (20 credits)

Solid-State Characterisation of Pharmaceuticals I (20 credits)

Spectroscopic Analysis Methods I (20 credits)

Solid-State Characterisation of Pharmaceuticals II (20 credits)

Spectroscopic Analysis Methods II (20 credits)

Advanced Practical Skills in Pharmaceutical Analysis (60 credits)

Entrance requirements

Graduate

Normally a 2.2 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in Chemistry, Pharmacy or a closely allied subject. Performance in key modules will be taken into consideration.



Applicants with relevant work experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.



International Students

Our country/region pages include information on entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships, student profiles, upcoming events and contacts for your country/region at https://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/international-students/your-country/



English Language Requirements

Evidence of an IELTS* score of 7.0, with not less than 6.0 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required (*taken within the last 2 years).



International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.



For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.



If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and ideally no later than 30th June 2026 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.

2 years (Full-time)

3 years (Part-time)

Entry Year: Academic Year 2026/27

areer Prospects

Introduction

This programme is designed to prepare students for employment as analysts in the pharmaceutical and related industries.



There is currently a high demand, both locally and internationally, for graduates with analytical skills in this sector.

Queen’s is a member of the Russell Group and, therefore, one of the 24 universities most-targeted by leading graduate employers.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/



Employment after the Course

WHERE YOU MIGHT BE IN FIVE YEARS' TIME?



You might be working as a laboratory analyst or senior analyst, in quality assurance or quality control or in an industrial R&D facility.



You could be managing graduate recruits of your own, signing off the analysis and the quality of drugs and releasing batches into the world.



You could study further towards obtaining a PhD and continue towards an academic career.



The main focus of this degree is pharmaceutical analysis, but your training and placement experience could open up career pathways in other areas, such as the food industry or environmental protection.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/



Employment Links

Many of our previous students have gone on to work for companies such as:



Almac

Randox

Norbrook

Pfizer

AbbVie

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/