Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Course

This honours year program is designed to prepare students for entry to a higher degree by research. Honours research projects are offered in the principal areas of:

• drug delivery, dispostion and dynamics
• medicinal chemistry and drug action
• drug discovery biology
• drug candidate optimization
• medicine use and safety

Available honours projects depend upon the availability of resources for supervision, laboratory space and materials.

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 pharmaceutical science industries
• provide future higher degree candidates with advanced knowledge in pharmaceutical 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 prerequisite for entry to the honours year is a bachelors degree in pharmacy, science, pharmaceutical science, medicinal chemistry, formulation science or a 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 honours degree consists of 25 per cent coursework and 75 per cent supervised research undertaken in any of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharamceutical Sciences research areas, or within the medicinal chemistry research areas at the School of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Monash University (Clayton Campus).

Students enrol in one of the following pairs of units*. Each unit contains activities based on one specific pharmaceutical science research area.

* NOTE: The Clayton part-time option contains four units.

Parkville candidates

• PSC6111 Advanced medicinal chemistry and drug action (12 points) and PSC6112 Research in medicinal chemistry and drug action (36 points)
• PSC6211 Advanced drug delivery and lead optimization (12 points) and PSC6212 Research in drug delivery and lead optimization (36 points)
• PSC6311 Advanced medicine use and safety (12 points) and PSC6312 Research in medicine use and safety (36 points)

Clayton candidates

• BMC4100 Medicinal chemistry honours research project (36 points) and BMC4200 Medicinal chemistry honours coursework (12 points)
• BMC4110 Medicinal chemistry honours research project 1(part time) (18 points) and BMC4111 Medicinal chemistry honours research project 2 (part time) (18 points) and BMC4210 Medicinal chemistry honours coursework 1 (part time) (6 points) and BMC4220 Medicinal chemistry honours coursework 2 (part time) (6 points).

The course consists of:

(a.) compulsory advanced coursework including an induction program and topics applicable to the research interests of the student

(b.) supervised research.

The latter component can be based in any area that falls within the general research themes of:

• medicinal chemistry and drug action
• drug discovery biology
• drug candidate optimization
• medicine use and safety.

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

The Honours Degree of Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science