Health care education
THE three-year Bachelor of Science (Hons) Pharmaceutical Chemistry at International Medical University (IMU) was recently accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the world’s leading chemistry community and professional body, advancing excellence in the chemical sciences. The certificate was presented to IMU on Feb 26.
IMU is Malaysia’s first and most established private medical and health care university with over 22 years of dedicated focus in health care education.
It is the first university in Malaysia that offers conventional and complementary medicine, all under one roof.
Accreditation Manager of RSC, Toby Underwood, said the society hopes accreditation at all universities helps with development of curricula and global student mobility. As part of this accreditation, the university has arranged for all final year students in the course to be given free membership to the RSC.
Membership with this society will improve the visibility and recognition of graduates of the IMU pharmaceutical chemistry degree and enhance their chances to obtain places for higher education and employment globally.
The accreditation also gives IMU academic staff free membership to RSC for a year.
They will be eligible to apply for international research funds, discounts in the registration fee for certain international conferences and receive educational information from RSC which can be used in teaching and learning activities.
School of Pharmacy’s acting dean Prof Yeoh Peng Nam said the certification is a testament to the high teaching standards that the university follows.
“It will offer vast benefits to staff and students in the course,” he added.
The certificate presentation will be followed by a talk on membership benefits by Katie Dryden-Holt, Membership Recruitment Supervisor from RSC.
IMU is the first university in Malaysia to provide an undergraduate course in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. The course is completed in three years and is undertaken entirely at IMU.
Upon completion of the degree, graduates can enter the workforce and begin their career as a pharmaceutical chemist.
Those whose academic qualifications meet the criteria can continue to pursue the Master of Pharmacy programme at the University of Sydney or Curtin University.
They are given certain credit exemptions in the Master of Pharmacy programme.
The graduates from Master of Pharmacy degrees from these universities can register to practise as pharmacists in Australia and Singapore, but not in Malaysia at the moment.
Pharmaceutical chemists with additional training can contribute directly to the discovery and development of new medicines.
They can work in the pharmaceutical industry in the areas of research and development, production, quality control/quality assurance, sales and marketing.
They can also work as coordinators of clinical trial studies in local and multinational drug companies or in chemical industries, government laboratories and environmental protection unit.
The pharmaceutical chemistry programme commences in July and September.
If you are a student who has pre-university results, with a passion for chemistry and a particular interest working in the pharmaceutical industries, you can make an online application towards a rewarding career in pharmaceutical chemistry.
If you have just completed the SPM and do not have preuniversity qualification, consider enrolling in the one-year IMU Foundation in Science, the preferred foundation and direct route for entry into any of the university’s local degree programmes.
The next intake is in May.
For more information, log on to www.imu.edu.my, e-mail start@imu.edu.my or call 032731 7272.