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Clinical Drug Development PGDip

Part of: Medicine

The Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Drug Development provides students with a multidisciplinary perspective to facilitate their skills. The programme is designed for individuals who need an understanding of drug development process and provides a detailed picture of the complex and highly interrelated activities required for the development cycle for drugs and biologics, from the process of discovery to successful commercialisation. 

  • This programme provides students with the edge that the pharmaceutical industry requires.

  • It empowers the professionals working within the field with the skills and understanding required for fast progression within the industry and contract research organisations (CROs).

  • Designed as a modular programme with study blocks to fit around your work

Study options

Starting in
September 2025
Location
Charterhouse Square
Fees
Home: £8,600
Overseas: £20,000
EU/EEA/Swiss students

What you'll study

We have developed a modular postgraduate programme in clinical drug development. It is designed to give you the academic background and specialist skills you need to carry out clinical drug development in a contract research organisation, pharmaceutical industry or health service environment.

The modular nature of the programme is designed to fit in with your needs if you are in full-time employment. You will receive the taught element of the modules in three-day blocks every four to six weeks (approximately).

Your initial modules will concentrate on early drug development. You will learn how to design a clinical study and gain insights into the practical aspects of early drug development. You will cover ethics and regulation and understand how to manage the data of a study. You will also gain a wider picture of drug discovery and pre-clinical research and development as well as toxicology.

Clinical Drug Development programme is designed  for individuals seeking deeper understanding and insight into the area of Clinical Drug Development, Clinical Trial design and Clinical Trial Management in the following key areas:

  • Drug Design
  • Pharmaceutical Analysis
  • Drug safety and pharmacovigilance
  • Clinical trial management e.g. (clinical research associates)
  • Pharmaco-economics
  • Marketing
  • Regulatory Affairs
  • Quality Assurance
  • Medical Sales

Structure

  • Eight compulsory modules
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Compulsory/Core modules

Drug Discovery and Pre-Clinical Research and Development

No module detail available

Toxicology: from Molecules to Man

No module detail available

Clinical Study Design

No module detail available

Practical Aspects of Clinical Research and Early Drug Development

No module detail available

Ethics and Regulation in Clinical Research

No module detail available

Data Management: the Interpretation of Statistics and Pharmacokinetics

No module detail available

Health and Pharmaco-Economics

No module detail available

Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing

No module detail available

Assessment

  • You will receive continuous assessment in your taught modules through essay-style answers, a series of shorter answers or a mixture of both 
  • There is no final written examination

Teaching

Your learning will include:

  • seminars
  • self-directed learning
  • reading lists of books and journal papers. 

You will have an Academic Adviser who will guide you in both academic and pastoral matters throughout your studies. 

This programme is also available to study part-time which means that you would take fewer modules per academic year. Classes generally take place during the day, so if you intend to study part-time, contact the course convenor to get an idea of when these teaching hours are likely to take place.

Where you'll learn

Facilities

  • Medical libraries located at the Royal London and St Bart's hospitals and at the main university campus at Mile End
  • Access to the Postgraduate Reading Room

About the Institute

William Harvey Research Institute

The William Harvey Research Institute (WHRI) places a high value upon training the next generation of researchers. We are part of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, which is ranked joint seventh in the UK for the quality of our research (REF 2021).

Our primary research focus and excellence lies in our cardiovascular, inflammation and endocrine research themes. In addition, we achieve international excellence in critical care and perioperative medicine research. We aim to combine talents from different disciplines such as genomics, cell biology, and pharmacology, with translational bench-to-patient studies and large-scale clinical trials.

We are currently the largest pharmacological research institute in the UK University sector, and one of the largest in Europe. The Centre employs 530 clinicians and scientists from 45 countries.

Career paths

This course is designed to give you the academic background and specialist skills you need to carry out clinical drug development in a contract research organisation, pharmaceutical industry or health service environment.

Graduates from our Clinical Drug Development programmes have gone onto work for companies including Astra Zeneca, IQVIA, Labcorp, Medpace, Research Organization KC, Syneos; NHS organisations including NHS Lothian, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and other health organisations such as Infectious Diseases Data Observatory. Some also choose to continue their studies.

Our recent graduates are working in roles such as clinical trials data manager, laboratory manager, data manager, research assistant, clinical trials associate and senior clinical trials associate.

Source: Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021/22

  • 93% of WHRI graduates are in employment or further study (2021/22)
  • 89% of WHRI graduates in employment or study are in highly skilled work or graduate study (2021/22)

Fees and funding

Full-time study

September 2025 | 9 months

Unconditional deposit

Home: Not applicable

Overseas: £2000
Information about deposits

Part-time study

September 2025 | 21 months

The course fee is charged per annum for 2 years. Note that fees may be subject to an increase on an annual basis - see details on our tuition fees page.

Unconditional deposit

Home: Not applicable

Overseas: £2000
Information about deposits

Part-time study

September 2025 | 2 - 4 years


The course fee is charged per annum for the first 2 years. Note that fees may be subject to an increase on an annual basis - see details on our tuition fees page.

Unconditional deposit

Home: Not applicable

Overseas: £2000
Information about deposits

Funding

There are a number of ways you can fund your postgraduate degree.

Our Advice and Counselling service offers specialist support on financial issues, which you can access as soon as you apply for a place at Queen Mary. Before you apply, you can access our funding guides and advice on managing your money:

Entry requirements

UK

Degree requirements

A 2:2 or above at undergraduate level in a related subject from a recognised academic institution.

Find out more about how to apply for our postgraduate taught courses.

International

English language requirements

The English language requirements for our programmes are indicated by English bands, and therefore the specific test and score acceptable is based on the band assigned to the academic department within which your chosen course of study is administered. Note that for some academic departments there are programmes with non-standard English language requirements.

The English Language requirements for entry to postgraduate taught and research programmes in the William Harvey Research Institute falls within the following English band:

Band 4: IELTS (Academic) minimum score 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each of Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking

Please note, there are some postgraduate programmes with non-standard English language requirements in this Institute.

We accept a range of English tests and qualifications categorised in our English bands for you to demonstrate your level of English Language proficiency. See all accepted English tests that we deem equivalent to these IELTS scores.

Visas and immigration

Find out how to apply for a student visa.

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