Astrophysics and Medicinal Chemistry

Astrophysics and Medicinal Chemistry - BSc (Hons)

Explore the nature of our universe, tackle global health issues and develop your understanding of drug design. Our Astrophysics and Medicinal Chemistry BSc will arm you with the knowledge, skills and techniques to pursue a variety of careers or continue your studies at a higher level.

Year of entry

2023 - for 2024 entry see here - for 2023 entry see here

Course type

Combined Honours

Location

Keele University campus

Subject area / School

School of Chemical and Physical Sciences

UCAS code

FF51

Duration of study

3 years/ 4 years with International Year

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Why study Astrophysics and Medicinal Chemistry at Keele University?

Professional accreditation pathways are available

Develop your practical skills in Keele's state-of-the-art Central Science Laboratories (CSL)

Engage with award-winning academics who are at the forefront of innovation in teaching and research

Discover diverse cultures through an International Year at one of our partner universities across the globe

We have our very own observatory here at Keele that you can get involved with on a volunteer basis

Course overview

Develop your expertise and understanding of two exciting subjects by studying Astrophysics and Medicinal Chemistry BSc at Keele.

In astrophysics you will apply physics to understanding how the universe works and potentially explore questions like is there an Earth-like planet around another star? Is there a black hole at the centre of every galaxy? And why is the expansion of the Universe accelerating? These are questions that astrophysics helps you discover the answer to.

Medicinal chemistry is aimed at students interested in working within the pharmaceutical sector. From understanding how pharmaceuticals interact with our bodies to exploring drug design to combat various diseases, the application of medicinal chemistry plays a vital part in prolonging and improving life.

Astrophysics will give you the quantitative and analytic skills needed for analysing data and solving problems and is underpinned by a core physics curriculum as set out by the Institute of Physics. This includes the fundamentals of classical and quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, optics, thermodynamics, solid state, atomic and nuclear physics, together with the mathematics that is used to describe them. Later in your degree you will study electromagnetism at a deeper level, and have the option of studying cosmology, binary stellar systems and exoplanets, black holes and gravitational waves in different modules. We have our own observatory here at Keele that students on this combined honours programme can get involved with on a volunteer basis with the potential to learn some astronomical techniques.

As you progress, you will build on your existing knowledge in familiar core areas of astrophysics including mechanics, relativity, nature of matter, gravitation, electricity, oscillations, waves. You will also focus on areas like the basics of stellar structure and stellar astrophysics. Later in your degree you will study electromagnetism at a deeper level, and have the option of studying cosmology, binary stellar systems and exoplanets, black holes and gravitational waves in different modules.

The medicinal chemistry element of the course provide you with a strong grounding in core medicinal chemistry knowledge in areas such as the principles of drug design. This focusses on understanding the interaction of small molecules with biological targets in the body and applying this to the design of drug molecules. During practical sessions you will learn advanced experimental techniques including handling air-sensitive reagents, and also complete a multi-step synthesis of nalidixic acid (the heterocyclic core of a new class of antibacterial agents) to mimic the processes used in the pharmaceutical industry.As you advance on this course modules will build on the knowledge you've acquired in the principles of drug design by looking at the mechanism of drug action. This follows the pathway of a drug substance through the body, looking at the key areas of pharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics.

International Year

In between years two and three of your studies you can choose to spend a year studying abroad. This exciting opportunity enables you to experience different cultures and to establish international networks. It also shows you have the personal attributes to embrace new experiences which can enhance your employability. We offer exchange opportunities with a wide variety of partner institutions.

Student Support

We offer a multi layered student support structure to help you meet your academic and personal needs. Our open-door policy enables you to engage with us directly, meaning you can seek support, gain feedback or discuss any matters related to your course. You will also benefit from the support of an assigned academic mentor and Keele's dedicated Faculty Student Experience and Support team.

Societies

We have a wealth of student-led societies here at Keele which cover a diverse range of interests. Joining a society related to astrophysics or medicinal chemistry is a great opportunity to continue to develop your skills away from your studies. This is another excellent way of demonstrating your genuine interest for the area and can be beneficial when it comes to applying for graduate roles. It’s also a great way to make friends and share interests with fellow students.

Next Steps

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Related Courses

Accreditation and professional recognition

This programme is accredited by the Institute of Physics or the Royal Society of Chemistry if you specialise in Medicinal Chemistry.

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Additional opportunities

Foundation year International year Explore more

There are a range of additional opportunities available when studying this course.
Please note, undertaking one may impact upon the availability of another.

Entry requirements

Keele strives to be a place where learning, living and working is a positive experience for our entire community, and we're committed to ensuring equality of opportunity to all our applicants with the potential and motivation to succeed, regardless of background. That's why we operate a range of 'alternative offer' schemes with clear eligibility criteria, including contextual offers, offers for those studying within the Keele region, and recognising a range of additional qualifications in your offer.

The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the likely offer or range of offers which would be made to candidates along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application.

A Level requirements

A Level requirement BBC
A Level Chemistry at grade B or above AND A level Physics or Maths at grade B or above. If Maths is presented without A Level Physics, please contact Admissions

GCSE requirements

Maths at C (or 4)
English Language or English Literature at C (or 4)

BTEC

BTEC requirements DMM
You must have taken sufficient Chemistry, Maths and Physics units, please contact us for advice

International Baccalaureate

29 points to include Higher Level Physics at 6 or above or Higher Level Maths at 6 or above plus Higher Level Physics at 4 or above AND Higher Level Chemistry at 6 or above

Access to HE Diploma requirements

Obtain Access to Higher Education Diploma with 112 UCAS Tariff points including 30 Level 3 credits at Distinction, to include sufficient Chemistry and Maths/Physics units, please contact us for advice.

If you don't think you'll meet the entry requirements specified, you may be able to gain entry to this course via a Foundation Year.

Preparation programmes for international students

International students who do not meet the direct entry requirements for this course have the opportunity to study an International Foundation Year programme.

These courses are designed to prepare international students to enter into Keele University undergraduate degrees.

Next Steps

Entry requirements

The following section details our typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If you don’t see your qualifications listed, please contact us to find out if we can accept your qualifications. If you don't think you'll meet the entry requirements specified, you may be able to gain entry to this course via a Foundation Year.

Additional information

A Level requirements

A Level requirement BBC
A Level Chemistry at grade B or above AND A level Physics or Maths at grade B or above. If Maths is presented without A Level Physics, please contact Admissions

GCSE requirements

Maths at C (or 4)
English Language or English Literature at C (or 4)

BTEC

BTEC requirements DMM
You must have taken sufficient Chemistry, Maths and Physics units, please contact us for advice

International Baccalaureate

29 points to include Higher Level Physics at 6 or above or Higher Level Maths at 6 or above plus Higher Level Physics at 4 or above AND Higher Level Chemistry at 6 or above

Access to HE Diploma requirements

Obtain Access to Higher Education Diploma with 112 UCAS Tariff points including 30 Level 3 credits at Distinction, to include sufficient Chemistry and Maths/Physics units, please contact us for advice.

English Language Requirements

All of our courses require an English language qualification or test. For most students, this requirement can be met with a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please see our English Language guidance pages for further details, including English language test information for international students. For those students who require an English language test, this course requires a test from .

Alternative and contextual offers

We're committed to ensuring equality of opportunity to all our applicants with the potential and motivation to succeed, regardless of background. That's why we operate a range of alternative offer schemes with clear eligibility criteria, including contextual offers, offers for those studying within the Keele region, and recognising a range of additional qualifications in your offer.

General information

The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the typical offer which would be made to candidates, along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application.

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"As a Fraud Analyst, I use the skills I developed as an astrophysics undergraduate to identify and solve complex problems"

David, Astrophysics with Business Management

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What is it like to be a Medicinal Chemistry student at Keele?

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Learn from inspiring and award-winning academics

In Chemistry, a dynamic group of staff with a broad range of expertise teach on the programme and bring a wealth of experience acquired through fundamental and applied research across a diverse range of areas.

Many of our teaching staff are Fellows or Senior Fellows of the Higher Education Academy, the professional body for teachers in Higher Education. Fellowship provides individuals with recognition of their practice, impact and leadership of teaching and learning.

A number of our academic staff have also achieved national recognition for their excellence and innovation in teaching and hold awards from a variety of institutions, including the Royal Society of Chemistry.
In testament to our teaching excellence, many of the teaching methods we use have been adopted by other chemistry departments in the UK and beyond.

Chemistry department award

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"The laboratory facilities were truly incredible. They improved my understanding and impacted greatly on my future career prospects"

Laura, Medicinal Chemistry and Neuroscience

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Teaching, learning and assessment

Teaching in Astrophysics

The student voice is at the heart of our teaching and we regularly seek student feedback on our programmes and make improvements through meetings with student representatives and by asking students to provide anonymous feedback on module content. In addition to our variety of teaching methods, great emphasis is placed on teaching in smaller groups and collaborative working. This is supported by a diverse mixture of digital learning materials that are available on our Keele Learning Environment (KLE) and the assistance of PhD student demonstrators during practical sessions.

Our teaching focuses on problem solving. This occurs in problem classes where practice problems are solved with staff and postgraduate research students (acting as graduate teaching assistants) are available to help both in laboratory teaching where practical and computational problems are addressed; and in directed work for assessment.

Methods of teaching include:

Lectures
Tutorials
Laboratory classes
Computational laboratory classes
Exercise/problem-solving classes
Individual progress interviews
Problem sheet assignments
Group and individual projects
Directed reading and independent study
Literature research tasks
Use of e-learning/the Keele Learning Environment (KLE)

Assessments in Astrophysics

The wide variety of assessment methods used on this programme at Keele reflects the broad range of knowledge and skills that are developed as you progress through the degree programme. Teaching staff pay particular attention to specifying clear assessment criteria and providing timely, regular and constructive feedback that helps to clarify things you did not understand and helps you to improve your performance.
Methods of assessment include:

End of module examinations
Assessed problem sheets
Laboratory and project reports
Observation of laboratory skills and laboratory notebooks
Oral and/or poster presentations
In-class exercises and tests
Group oral presentations and reports
Engagement with problem classes
Dissertation
Mini-projects

Teaching in Medicinal Chemistry

A dynamic group of staff with a broad range of expertise teach on the programme and bring a wealth of experience acquired through fundamental and applied research across a diverse range of areas. To ensure you receive a high-quality learning experience, teaching will be delivered through a diverse range of methods.
Methods of teaching include:

Lectures
Seminars
Interactive personal response systems
Screencasts
Recorded lectures
Tablet PCs
Demonstrations
Detailed personalised and generic written and face-to-face feedback
Electronic submission and return of marked coursework (with feedback)
Audio feedback
Pre-laboratory and post-laboratory exercises
Laboratory classes
Research projects
Problem classes and workshops
Team based learning
Problem-based and context-based activities
IT instruction (spread sheets, word-processing, chemical structure drawing, databases and processing of spectroscopic data)
Group work
Self and peer-assessment for learning
Information literacy activities
Computer-aided learning (simulations and animations, online activities and exercises)
Small group tutorials
Case studies
Chemical Sciences Seminar Series
Use of e-learning/the Keele Learning Environment (KLE)

Assessments in Medicinal Chemistry

Our methods include a mix of examinations and a variety of authentic assessments that mirror the type of tasks you may be asked to complete in your future career working in the field of chemistry.
Methods of assessment include:

Unseen written examinations
Pre-laboratory exercises
Laboratory reports and diaries
Practical and oral examinations
Class tests
Information retrieval exercises
Research projects and reports
Oral and poster presentations and reports
Video/screencast presentations
Problem sheets
Design exercises

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Central Science Laboratories

Develop your practical skills in Keele's state-of-the-art Central Science Laboratories

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Foundation year

Our Foundation Year provides an excellent alternative route to Keele, providing a unique opportunity to better prepare for your chosen degree, and with guaranteed entry onto your undergraduate course once you successfully complete your Foundation Year.

This extra year of study can improve your academic skills, expand your subject knowledge, give you a better understanding of higher education and, perhaps most importantly of all, build your confidence.

Keele University is consistently ranked among the top universities for student satisfaction, and we have over 70 years' experience of teaching a foundation year to students. On the Keele Foundation Year, you'll study on campus, joining our undergraduate community from the outset, with access to all the facilities and support that you'd get as an undergraduate student at Keele.

The information in this Foundation Year section is for UK/Home applicants. Where an international Foundation Year is available, please see the 'Information for international students' tab.

The information within this page is for students wishing to start their studies in September. If you would like to start this course in January, please visit our January pages for further details.

Course Content

Our Foundation Year allows you to develop your critical thinking, academic reading, writing, and communication study skills along with subject-specific knowledge and skills. Upon meeting the progression criteria and successfully completing our Foundation Year, you will automatically progress into your Keele undergraduate degree with the confidence that you have the skills, and knowledge needed to successfully complete your course.

The Keele Foundation Year is a two semester programme which provides a tailored pre-degree programme of study to better prepare you for the BSc (Hons) Astrophysics and Medicinal Chemistry degree. For example, the Foundations of Physics module will introduce you to the mathematical skills needed to solve problems in physics at level 3 while studying fundamental equations and concepts in classical physics. In addition, the Advancing Chemsitry module aims to increase your knowledge and understanding of the principles and concepts of chemistry in a theoretical context, while also demonstrating the application of concepts in a practical environment. All of the modules you take will prove useful in your degree and professional career. Course content has been developed in collaboration with degree teaching teams, so that by the time you begin Year 1, you will be ready to excel at your studies, as the majority of our Foundation Year students do.

Find out more about the Keele Foundation Year, including information about teaching and assessment methods by visiting the Foundation Year homepage.

Course Structure

The module details given below are indicative, they are intended to provide you with an idea of the range of subjects that are taught to our current students. The modules that will be available for you to study in future years are prone to change as we regularly review our teaching to ensure that it is up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. The information presented is therefore not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules available in any given year.

Semester One

FYO-00185	Practical and Academic Skills in Science	15 credits
FYO-00215	Foundations of Mathematical Methods	15 credits
FYO-00189	Foundations of Chemistry	15 credits
FYO-00205	Foundations of Physics	15 credits

Semester Two

FYO-00209	Advancing Physics	15 credits
FYO-00231	Advancing Mathematical Methods	15 credits
FYO-00191	Advancing Chemistry	30 credits

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Between 40-56 UCAS points from at least 1 A level/level 3 qualification or equivalent, or
Relevant work experience

AND

GCSE English Language at grade 4 (C), or Level 2 Functional Skills, or
IELTS 5.5 (with 5.5 in all subtests)

AND

GCSE Mathematics at grade 4 (C) or above

How to Apply

Students will need to apply for BSc (Hons) Astrophysics with Foundation Year (UCAS code: F513) through UCAS at www.ucas.com. You will then be contacted to confirm your second subject by a member of our team.

Direct Entry Students

If you already have your qualifications, are not expecting any further results and only wish to apply to Keele, please contact the Admissions Office directly.

The information in this Foundation Year section is for UK/Home applicants. Where an international Foundation Year is available, please see the 'Information for international students' tab.

We also offer a January start for some of our Foundation Year courses. Adopting a blended learning approach, the January start is particularly useful for students wishing to return to education following time out of studying, or who are seeking a flexible approach to their Foundation Year studies. Our January start is available across most of our Science, Humanities, Social Science and Business courses.

Whilst still being a full-time course, our blended delivery model combines live teaching sessions - both online and on-campus - with self-directed study, enabling you to predominantly study at a time that suits your lifestyle. You will benefit from weekly online taught sessions which encourage you to engage with your teachers and peers.

In addition to online study there will be a series of full study days that you will be required to attend throughout each semester. These sessions may include lab-based activities, group work, review of course and assessment materials studied online. They will emphasise opportunities for you to deepen your knowledge and understanding of your chosen route.

Please refer to the September start tab for more information about the entry requirements and what you will study. The modules that you will take on a January start Foundation Year will be similar to those for the September start, but in a slightly different order and pattern.

For more information, including fees, the UCAS code for this course, how to apply, and how you will be taught, please visit our January Start Foundation Year webpage.

Our International Foundation Year is delivered on campus through Keele University International College (KUIC). Find out more about the International Foundation Year options on the KUIC website.

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