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Name of the Masters programme
Drug Discovery and Safety: Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology
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Drug Discovery and Safety: Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Challenging and relevant for society
Sixty per cent of all diseases are still incurable. So there are plenty of opportunities to tackle complex challenges. If you are fascinated by the idea of developing new pharmacological therapies and medicines, then this is the Master’s programme for you.
If you study Drug Discovery and Safety at VU Amsterdam, you will gain insight into drug discovery research from a unique chemical perspective. From the characterisation of molecular causes of pathology to the generation of new therapeutics to treat diseases, and from small molecules and proteins to complex diseases and medicines.
More information on this programme? Visit the website!
Drug Discovery and Safety: Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology
In the Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology specialisation, you will utilise state-of-the-art computational approaches to study new molecules and to predict their properties and interactions with biological molecules. You will explore the fascinating structures of proteins and other drug targets, using methods such as molecular docking, molecular dynamics, ab initio studies and free-energy calculations. Even before a molecule has been created and tested, you will be able to predict whether it is likely to have medicinal applications.
The Master’s in Drug Discovery and Safety is a two-year programme. This specialisation will be part of your first year of study.
The Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology specialisation contains compulsory (core) and track-specific courses (30-36 EC), a major research project (42-60 EC), a literature thesis and colloquium (12 EC), ethics and academic skills portfolio (6 EC) and there is an elective space for a minor research project, a traineeship abroad or at a local company, and optional courses (6-30 EC).
The Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology specialisation offers several research topics to choose from. You can conduct research in the field of molecular and computational toxicology or medicinal chemistry, e.g. the docking of ligands in GPCR or cytochrome P450 enzymes, or develop new tools to calculate free binding energies.
More information on this programme? Visit the website!
Drug Discovery and Safety: Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology
This Master’s programme opens up a whole range of career opportunities
The most obvious ones are in medicinal research, the pharmaceuticals industry and hospital laboratories, but there are also plenty of opportunities within research institutes and governmental agencies. Graduates in Drug Discovery and Safety have excellent employment prospects and can generally expect to earn a good salary.
About 50% of VU Amsterdam graduates pursue a career in research. Within the university or a research institute, you can be employed as a PhD student, but with your Master's degree, you can also work as a researcher at a pharmaceutical company.
You can also obtain a job as a consultant or a manager. These jobs can mainly be found in the pharmaceutical industry, in government agencies and in drugs inspectorates. Entering a carreer in science journalism is also possible. You can combine your knowledge of the pharmaceutical sciences with insights into communication processes.
If you choose the Science Education specialisation in your second year, you can become involved in improving science education, both as a teacher and in other positions in the academic world.
More information on this programme? Visit the website!
Drug Discovery and Safety: Computational Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology
I have an international degree
In order to gain admission to the Drug Discovery and Safety Master’s programme, you will need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or equivalent. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score. A Bachelor degree obtained at an applied university or higher vocational education (HBO in Dutch) in most cases does not grant direct access to the programme (only exceptionally high ranking students stand a chance of admission).
Specific requirements for the Drug Discovery and Safety Master’s programme
You can gain direct admission to the Master's programme Drug Discovery and Safety with a Bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences or Chemistry. If you hold a Bachelor's degree in a related subject like Biomedical Sciences*, it is possible that you will first be required to first bring your knowledge up to standard in a number of areas, depending on both the specialization in your Bachelor's and the Drug Discovery and Satefy specialization you apply for. The decision on how you should compensate for any gaps in your knowledge will be taken in consultation with the Master's coordinator of your specialisation.
Mastering of the material highlighted in the matrix is judged by grade(s) obtained for key courses in the respective field. The Master’s coordinator will determine if you meet these requirements.
- Biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology and pharmacology, including techniques such as protein expression, purification, mutagenesis. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbooks Essential Cell Biology (Alberts et al.), chapters 1-16, and Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry (Patrick), chapters 1-18.
- Pharmacokinetics, enzyme kinetics and pharmaceutical toxicology. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbook Pharmacology (Rang & Dale), chapters 1-10 & 21-26.
- Analytical chemistry, including techniques such as HPLC, spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, NMR, mass spectrometry. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbook Quantitative Chemical Analysis (Harris), chapters 1-10, 17-25.
- Organic chemistry, including practical laboratory experience with organic chemical techniques. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbook Organic Chemistry (Clayden et al.), chapters 1-30.
- Physical chemistry. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbook Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences. Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula, chapters 1-4.
General English language proficiency requirements
VU Amsterdam requires all applicants to take an English test. You can, however, begin your application without having the test results. Exceptions are made for students who have completed a Bachelor's or Master's in Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia.
The minimum English language proficiency requirements for admission to this Master's programme are:
- IELTS: 6.5 overall
- TOEFL Internet-based test: 92 overall
- Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): A, B, C
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): A, B, C
I have a Dutch university level (WO) Bachelor’s degree (VU Bachelor's degree, VU pre-Master's programme or Bachelor's degree at another university)
In order to gain admission to the Drug Discovery and Safety Master’s programme, you will need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or equivalent. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score.
The Master’s programme in Drug Discovery and Safety is open to students:
- with a Bachelor's degree in VU Pharmaceutical Sciences / Pharmacochemistry;
- with a Bachelor's degree in VU Chemistry;
- with a Bachelor's degree in VU Medical Natural Sciences;
- who have followed a similar programme at another university*;
- with sufficient knowledge of the English language (level of Dutch VWO-examination).
Mastering of the material highlighted in the matrix is judged by grade(s) obtained for key courses in the respective field. The Master’s coordinator will determine if you meet these requirements.
- Biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology and pharmacology, including techniques such as protein expression, purification, mutagenesis. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbooks Essential Cell Biology (Alberts et al.), chapters 1-16, and Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry (Patrick), chapters 1-18.
- Pharmacokinetics, enzyme kinetics and pharmaceutical toxicology. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbook Pharmacology (Rang & Dale), chapters 1-10 & 21-26.
- Analytical chemistry, including techniques such as HPLC, spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, NMR, mass spectrometry. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbook Quantitative Chemical Analysis (Harris), chapters 1-10, 17-25.
- Organic chemistry, including practical laboratory experience with organic chemical techniques. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbook Organic Chemistry (Clayden et al.), chapters 1-30.
- Physical chemistry. An indication of the expected knowledge is given by textbook Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences. Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula, chapters 1-4.
More information on this programme? Visit the website!
Overview of Masters programmes - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
More information on this programme? Visit the website!
Institution
Location: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1105
1081 HV Amsterdam
Niederlande
Nord Holland
| T | +31 20 59 89898 | |
| E | international@vu.nl |
Facts about the Masters programme
Location
Amsterdam
Field of study
Medicine & Health Sciences
Degree
Master of Science
Language
English
Start
winter semester - September
Application deadline
Type of study
Full-time
Duration of study: 2 years
Tuition fees EU: 2168 EUR / year
Tuition fees Non EU: 15320 EUR / year
Facts about the Masters programme
Location
Amsterdam
Field of study
Medicine & Health Sciences
Degree
Master of Science
Language
English
Start
winter semester - September
Application deadline
Type of study
Full-time
Duration of study: 2 years
Tuition fees EU: 2168 EUR / year
Tuition fees Non EU: 15320 EUR / year