Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences

• Interactive and personal study program by mentoring, courses in small groups and individual or group assignments.
• Extensive hands-on training in research projects and internships.
• Focus on modern themes such as: green chemistry, nanomedicine, vaccines and big data.
• Supported by strong international research groups from the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) and the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG)
• Annual career event with a network moment to meet potential employers.

• Research and education cover all drug/vaccine-related aspects that are relevant to the drug development life cycle

2-year programme. Credits per year: 60 ECTS, most courses are 5 ECTS.

Exchange: All our science and engineering programmes offer study abroad possibilities at a number of partner institutions, often as a second research project. Our partners include top-100 universities in Europe (for example in Germany, UK, and Sweden) and in the USA, China, South-East Asia, and South America.

The programme is an excellent preparation for a succeeding PhD programme in pharmaceutical, biological, or medical sciences (approx. 60%), for a career in industry (approx. 30%), as a consultant (5%) or as a policy maker (5%). More than 80% of the students find a job within 6 months after their studies.

During the degree programme you will learn and practice academic skills such as retrieving and systematic reviewing relevant literature on your topic, formulating hypotheses, design and perform experiments, and interpret, present and scientifically report your results.

Our students enter the local, national or global labour market based on their own preferences. We have a strong LinkedIn alumni network of more than 100 ex-MPS students that can help you to find a job. The local labour market is organized into the “Life Cooperative consortium”, which combines the efforts of tens of small and larger companies with more than 2,100 fte personnel working in the area of medical-pharmaceutical research and business. Due to favourable local dynamics and good international connections, this sector is growing fast. Also, the national and global job market is readily accessible to our students. The global atmosphere in our master's program with a concise international community prepares you well for the opportunities in the global labour market.

Finishing the Master's programme in Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences provides multiple career options. You are optimally prepared for careers in pharmaceutical research, business and policy.

You can find a position as researcher in organizations such as:

- Universities
- Academic and general hospitals
- Pharmaceutical, biomedical and food industries

You can also find a position in the pharmaceutical business or policy in organizations such as:

- Governmental and semi-governmental institutions such as the Medicines Evaluation Board, EMA or the Ministry of Health and Welfare
- Societal and patient organizations

- Pharmaceutical companies

Research focuses in the Master's degree programme in Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences:

Research mainly concentrates on drug design, synthesis, production and analysis, drug targeting and delivery, pharmacology, engineering of drug applications, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, bio pharmacy, pharmaco-economics and –epidemiology, and clinical pharmacy.

And much more. Please have a look at the websites of the research institute related to the programme, the Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy.

If you prefer a less research oriented programme, you may choose the 'Science, Business and Policy' profile. This profile prepares you for professions in a commercial, policy making and/or societal organization.