3455 - Honours degree of Bachelor of Formulation Science

This honours year is designed to prepare students for entry to a higher degree by research. The honours research projects in this course are offered in the principal areas of pharmaceutics, formulation science and product development. Available honours projects depend upon the availability of resources for supervision, laboratory space and materials.

The prerequisite for entry to the honours year is a bachelors degree in pharmaceutical science, formulation science or other related field with an average overall credit grade or higher in the final year of the course, or equivalent qualifications and experience deemed by the faculty research training committee to be suitable preparation for the candidate's proposed field of study.

The objectives of this course are to:

• develop students skills in research including research planning in conjunction with their project supervisor, experimental techniques, data analysis and scientific writing
• provide students with a research-oriented degree suitable for entry into the pharmaceutical science and formulation science industries
• provide future higher degree candidates with advanced knowledge in pharmaceutical science and formulation science and research methodology
• encourage students to become technically competent to use analytical instrumentation, conduct experimental procedures and methodologies
• provide the opportunity for students to undertake data manipulation and analysis and understand the interpretation of data
• provide a forum for students to communicate the outcomes of the research project orally and in writing.

The honours degree consists of 20 per cent coursework and 80 per cent supervised research undertaken in one of the faculty's departments.

Students enrol in one of the following units (each unit contains a combination of research and coursework activities, based on one specific formulation science research area):

• VCF4131 Chemistry
• VCF4141 Pharmacology
• VCF4121 Pharmaceutics

With permission of the faculty's research training committee, it may be possible to undertake a portion of the research at an external location (eg a hospital, industrial laboratory etc). If a substantial portion of the research work is to be carried out in an external institution, a suitably qualified person within that institution must act as an associate supervisor. The faculty supervisor is responsible for the overall research program at an academic level.

Honours degree of Bachelor of Formulation Science