Interested in Chemistry? Some of the most popular (and lucrative!) career paths involve utilizing chemistry for medical applications: From drug discovery and development through clinical trials to determine dosage levels, bioavailability, toxicology, and chemistry is key. Universities, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies all offer high-paying research positions to graduates of chemistry and pharmacology programs.
Chemistry is key to other careers as well. Pharmacists at drug stores, for instance, must have a deep understand of chemistry to calculate drug side effects, dosage, and interactions: chemistry is indispensable. For prospective medical students, chemistry and its medical applications can make-or-break their dreams. Did you know that one in three students at a number of top universities start on a pre-med track, but only a fraction are admitted to medical school? College chemistry is a notorious weed-out course, with many students literally not making the grade. The MCAT is packed with chemistry questions that likewise pose a barrier to those without a firm foundation in chemistry. Let this program jump start your career! Students may begin with an overview of the drug discovery process and dive right into a synthesis of a common over-the-counter medication. They may examine how yield rate is affected by differing reagents and varying temperature. They may perform tests to detect concentrations of a drug agent in natural products. They may perform a multi-step synthesis to examine the lead optimization process for themselves. Students may learn to read NMR print-outs to check for impurities. They may perform studies with crystals and learn about how crystallography determines the structure and active site of chemical entities.
