How to design more effective and needle-free corona vaccines? How can we use nanoscience to better predict drug toxicity for humans? How can we personalise drug treatment and make it more sustainable?
How can we use Big Data to improve preventive drug programmes? How can we optimize chronic drug use in ageing populations? How can we develop a business case for a new drug and determine cost-efficiency of pharmaceutical programmes?
If you have a pharmaceutical bachelor degree or a bachelor degree in pharmacy, chemistry or a related field such as biomedical sciences or biology with pharmaceutical elements, this two-year Master's degree programme will enhance your career in the exciting world of the drug development life cycle! We cover all drug-related elements, from basic target discovery to molecular drug design, from analysis of drugs and biomarkers to pharmacological design of applications, from toxicology and biopharmacy to clinical pharmacoepidemiology, post marketing surveillance, policy and business.
An unique asset of the master of Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences is that the lectures and research take place in an interdisciplinary Life Sciences environment from chemistry to statistics, from biology to medicine, from epidemiology to economics, management and business, with all activities situated within walking distance. Learning research by actually doing it is a second unique asset, and students will have the opportunity to design two large research projects according to their needs and talent. Teaching professors from the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy (see http://www.rug.nl/research/grip/) as well as from the University Medical Center Groningen all work closely together, which is considered unique worldwide.
Lecturers will supervise you while you are independently performing experiments and go through the whole process of conducting a scientific drug-related study. The programme therefore is an excellent preparation for a succeeding PhD programme in the biological, medical or pharmaceutical sciences or for a career in industry, as a consultant or policy maker. You will be in the lead to design your own research programme or may choose a clear track which will prepare you or specialist positions.
The programme also has an active student association called Pharmaciae Sacrum, where you will quickly feel at home and join social activities as well (please also see the MPS Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/medpharmgroningen/)
Read moreI still benefit from the interdisciplinary and hands-on character
What I truly like about the MPS programme is that you can tailor your programme to match your own interests and skills. I still benefit from the interdisciplinary and hands-on character of the Master at my current job as mathematical modeller and health economist at Public Health England in London.
I am still working on several questions that are being addressed during the Master, including how we can fight antibiotic resistance, how to make optimal use of Big data to improve healthcare and how to assess the potential economic value of new drugs. The opportunity to design and perform two large research projects in areas of your choice allows you to make a better informed decision about your future career path. These research projects learned me what I like to do most and inspired my further career choices. By providing the opportunity to work with and learn from various experts from pharmacy and medical sciences, the programme offers an excellent preparation for a future career in academia, government or industry.
Read moreDevelopment stages of drugs
When choosing your degree it is important to know which ground of the development stages of drugs you will cover within your future programme.
Our education and research covers a great deal of the last development stages, as you can see in the following diagram: http://www.rug.nl/fse/beta-studie/testimonials/development-stages-groot.jpg
