Masters Degrees in Pharmacy, Ireland

P.Grad.Dip. - 21 months, part-time, M.Sc. - 24 months, part-time. (It is also possible to complete the P.Grad.Dip. in 24 months and the M.Sc. in 36 months.)

These courses are intended to help community pharmacists to develop their clinical, managerial and research skills, meet duties imposed by the HSE contract, undertake the role of a supervising pharmacist or superintendent pharmacist with confidence, extend their professional role and contribute to patient care as part of the primary health care team. Because of their distance learning format, participants can continue in full-time employment throughout the courses.

Participants initially enter at M.Sc. level, and in Year 2 they may choose either to graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma in Community Pharmacy or to undertake a research component with a view to gaining a M.Sc. in Community Pharmacy.

Course Content:

Core material comprises a series of modules covering clinical, social and business aspects of pharmacy practice, with opportunities for specialisation in particular fields. Pharmacists undertaking the M.Sc. complete an additional module on research methods and perform a research project relevant to community pharmacy practice.

Read less

The M.Sc. in Hospital Pharmacy consists of a practice-based teaching programme complemented by lectures, tutorials and workshops. The course provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake all aspects of hospital pharmacy. Subjects covered include medical and surgical therapeutics, medicines information, pharmacoeconomics, purchasing skills, good manufacturing practice and aseptics, immunology and biotechnology. Management issues as they relate to hospital pharmacy and the broader context of healthcare systems are also addressed. Coursework is underpinned by a comprehensive practice-based element where students rotate through a variety of specialist areas to ensure that broad, practical experience is obtained in such areas as medicines information, dispensary, aseptic compounding and clinical specialities. Assessment is on a continual basis through formal examinations, written assignments, oral presentations and competency-based assessments. Students are required to undertake a research project and must demonstrate research competency. Research and methodological skills are addressed in a dedicated module that also covers an introduction to statistical evaluation. This is a two-year, part-time course with lectures and tutorials taking place on one half day per week in central locations. Courses are conducted on a biennial basis.

Read less

The course involves a comprehensive treatment of the science and technology of pharmaceutical analysis with particular emphasis on the regulatory environment in which the pharmaceutical industry operates. It is intended for suitably qualified graduates currently working in or aspiring to work in the pharmaceutical industry - in particular non-pharmacy graduates employed in quality control or quality assurance roles requiring specialised training, retraining or upgrading of skills. The course may also be attractive to technical managers in regulatory affairs, product development and other related areas. The objective is to equip graduates with the appropriate analysis skills required by the pharmaceutical and veterinary manufacturing industries.

The course is available for full-time study over one calendar year or part-time over two years and consists of lectures, workshop and laboratory work. Part-time teaching is normally scheduled for Fridays during academic terms. The course comprises lectures, workshops, seminars, laboratory work, written assignments and factory visits. In addition each student must write a major essay on a designated topic in the area of pharmaceutical analysis. Students proceeding to a M.Sc. degree will be required to undertake a research project and present a detailed scientific report at the end of the course.

The course consists of eight basic modules: regulatory aspects of pharmaceutical analysis, statistics, GLP chromatographic analysis, spectroscopic and physical methods of analysis, pharmacopoeial methods of drug analysis, analysis of low level drug analysis, specialized pharmaceutical methods of analysis, biological and pharmacological methods and pharmaceutical formulation.

The taught modules are supported by lectures and workshops on presentation and research skills and visits to industrial laboratories. The course is taught mainly by College staff, although there is a contribution from specialist visiting lecturers. The research project may be conducted either in the School of Pharmacy or at the student's place of employment but in either case supervision is exercised by a member of the School of Pharmacy academic staff.

Overall assessment of candidates is based on tutor marked assignments (TMAs) during the course work and written examinations in May/June each year. Credits are available for all assignments including laboratory reports. The M.Sc. project report should be of 20,000 words and is examined in September. Candidates must successfully complete the taught component of the course at the Trinity term examinations, before proceeding to the M.Sc. project. Provision is available for a supplemental examination in September each year if required. A reasonable attempt is required in all aspects of the examination process. A pass mark of 40% is normally required but compensation is applied where appropriate.

Read less

The Masters course is presented in a distance learning form and extends over two years. Applicants are expected to be employed in the pharmaceutical industry or with a pharmaceutical regulatory authority at the time of their application or to have previously worked in the industry.

Course content is specified in Human and Veterinary Directives 2001/83/EC and 2001/82/EC. Participants receive nine module books in each year of the course. The general areas covered are: pharmaceutical, medicinal and analytical chemistry; pharmaceutical processing and drug action, uses and assessment. Participants must also undertake a number of manufacturing facility visits. The taught component (Postgraduate Diploma) is recognised by the Irish Medicines Board as fulfilling the educational requirements related to registration as a Qualified Person (Note: applicants with a three-year primary degree must qualify with a M.Sc. to fulfil the educational requirements related to registration as a Qualified Person). Please note this course commences in January.

Read less

The main aim of the course is to give students currently working or intending to work in the human and veterinary pharmaceutical industries an understanding of the fundamentals of pharmaceutical technology relevant to product formulation, development and production. In addition to theoretical knowledge, graduates are equipped with practical experience and research methodology that enables them to become involved in research and development in these areas.

Read less

This M.Sc. course is administered by the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, in the Trinity Centre of Health Sciences, St James's Hospital, Dublin. It has been developed to provide medical and science graduates with specialist knowledge and skills in the area of clinical pharmacology and pharmaceutical medicine. In-take is on an annual basis. Components of the course include principles of:

Pharmacology and biostatistics
New drug development and the regulatory environment
Pharmacoeconomics and rational use of drugs
Pharmacovigilance and drug information

The course involves completion of taught modules and the additional undertaking of a research project. The modules consist of formal teaching and personal assignments and are run over five terms on a part-time basis (approximately two modules per term). Some of the modules are undertaken by way of distance learning. In addition, the students are assigned a research project (including field work), to be submitted as a dissertation for the degree of M.Sc. only.

The syllabus is compliant with PharmaTrain, an EU funded Innovative Medicines Initiative (http://www.pharmatrain.eu).

Students are assessed by way of continuous assessment and are required to pass written and oral examinations at the end of their course. In addition, they are required to submit a written dissertation on their research project (with the possibility of an oral examination) by the end of the second year of the course.

Prospective students for this course must hold a primary degree in either medicine or another relevant health or science subject. Candidates should have a minimum of two years' practical experience in their area of qualification/pharmaceutical industry. The course is run in the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8.

Read less

The MEngSc/PG Dip in Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Engineering are part-time modular degrees which can be taken over 24 months (for award of a Postgraduate Diploma) to 60 months. You will have the opportunity to gain a formal qualification in areas of particular concern to the bio/pharmaceutical industry that you may not have benefited from before, including issues such as product containment, powder/particle technology, design of API and secondary production facilities, current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), design of classified facilities, aseptic processing facility design and validation.

Visit the website: http://www.ucc.ie/en/ckr35/

Course Details

The aim of this course is to fill a need for the continuing professional development (CPD) and postgraduate education of engineers working in the pharmaceutical industry. This course covers issues of particular concern to the pharmaceutical industry such as product containment, powder/particle technology, design of API and secondary production facilities, current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), design of classified facilities, aseptic processing facility design, validation, etc.

Format

The MEngSc course is in two parts. Part I (which constitutes the PG Diploma) involves taking 12 modules to the value of ECTS 60 credits. Taught modules are offered on a cyclical basis. Six modules are taken per annum over a two year period if you opt for full registration, although the course can be taken over a maximum of five years. Part II consists of a research thesis to the value of 30 credits. The choice of modules is subject to the approval of the course coordinator.

Part I

Students take 60 credits from the following:

Offered in 2015/16
PE6010 Pharmaceutical Engineering (5 credits)
PE6011 Biopharmaceutical Engineering (5 credits)
PE6012 Pharmaceutical Process Equipment; Materials and Mechanical Design (5 credits)
PE6013 Powder and Particle Technology and Unit Operations (5 credits)
PE6014 Chemical Kinetics, Reactor Design and Bioreactor Engineering (5 credits)
PE6015Environmental Engineering in the Pharmaceutical Sector (5 credits)
PE6023 Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Utilities (5 credits)
PE6025 Advanced Health & Safety Management (5 credits)

Offered in 2016/17
PE6016 Pharmaceutical Industry; Manufacturing and Optimisation (5 credits)
PE6017 Pharmaceutical Plant Design and Project Management (5 credits)
PE6018 Pharmaceutical Process Validation and Quality (5 credits)
PE6019 Process Analytical Technology (5 credits)
PE6022Aseptic Manufacturing Design (5 credits)
PF6302 Introduction to Pharmaceutics: Formulation Science (5 credits)
PE6024 Advanced Process Design & Safety Engineering (5 credits)
PE6025 Advanced Health & Safety Management (5 credits)

Part II (MEngSc only):

PE6021 Dissertation in Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Engineering (30 credits)

These are subject to change. For full course information see programme website - http://www.ucc.ie/en/processeng/postgrads/taughtmasters/mengsc//

Further details on the content and modules are available on the Postgraduate College Calendar - http://www.ucc.ie/calendar/postgraduate/Masters/engineering/page08.html

Assessment

Assessment is by continuous assessment and end of period exams.

Careers

The course offers graduates working in the pharmaceutical industry the opportunity to further develop your skills set and employability across a wider range of roles in the industry through enhanced continuing professional development.

Through the opportunities provided by participation on the programme, you are provided with opportunities to enable greater cohesion and understanding among inter-and multi-disciplinary teams while earning a formal qualification in engineering.

How to apply: http://www.ucc.ie/en/study/postgrad/how/

Funding and Scholarships

Information regarding funding and available scholarships can be found here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/cblgradschool/current/fundingandfinance/fundingscholarships/

Read less