Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
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* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €23,300: International students
Scholarships
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Introduction
The College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPS) is a three-year Bachelor's program in Drug Development, in which you will be trained on how new drugs for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s can be discovered and developed.
There is a great medical need for new drugs. Is it your dream to contribute to the development of these new medicines that could improve the health of many people? Do you like having the freedom to choose your own approach when presented with an assignment? Do you thrive whilst studying in small groups together with other motivated students from different nationalities? If so, studying CPS might be just perfect for you!
Drug Development
The College of Pharmaceutical Sciences is an international bachelor's program in drug development. At the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, you’ll learn what’s needed to develop new drugs. You’ll need to consider the possible target for the drug in the body, the active ingredient structure, as well as the best route of administration of the medicine, and how the effectiveness and safety of the new drug should be tested on the patient. To develop a new drug many disciplines come together, such as biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, and biology.
As a drug designer, you need more than theoretical knowledge. You must also be skilled in the lab, as well as have the ability to define a research question and design a plan to respond to it. In addition, you’ll need to collaborate with a variety of professionals and present your results in a scientific journal, or sometimes at an international conference. For this reason, each course also involves a group project, in which you’ll work with fellow students on real-life biomedical problems. As such, you’ll learn to apply the theory of pharmaceutical science to creatively solve these problems. CPS is fully taught in English and therefore open to international students.
Support
At the start of your study, you’ll be assigned a personal tutor to guide you throughout the program, helping you to make choices for your studies. For possible personal matters, you can also visit your tutor or study advisor. Furthermore, due to the small scale of the program and tight community with a maximum of 50 students, you’re also likely to receive additional support and motivation from other CPS students and peers.
Curriculum
- Drug innovation – from unraveling the disease mechanisms and designing drug molecules to testing new medicines in patients, and everything in between
- Multidisciplinary – a combination of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, biology, and medicine
Educational Approach
- Projects on real-life biomedical or pharmaceutical problems
- Freedom to pursue your personal interests
- Research environment– many lab sessions, education by top scientists, and visits to research institutes and companies
- Small-scale education
- Taught fully in English – open to international students
Career Opportunities
CPS graduates have many career prospects, either in the Netherlands or abroad.
Examples of Future Employers
- Universities and academic hospitals
- Pharmaceutical or biomedical research institutes, such as Lygature and the Netherlands Cancer Institute
- Pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry
- Big companies such as Hoffmann-La Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, Pfizer, etc,
- Smaller companies such as BioMarin, Genmab and PamGene
- Companies linked to the pharmaceutical industry (pre-clinical/clinical research of drugs, such as NOTOX)
- Registration authorities (CBG, EMA, FDA)
- (Scientific) journals
- Government agencies (RIVM)
To Obtain a Doctorate
Once you have finished your Master’s and would like to continue as a researcher, it is a logical step to become a Ph.D. student. Ph.D. students make an important contribution to the research of Utrecht University. A Ph.D. project lasts four years and during these four years, you will receive a salary.
Possible Careers
Possible career opportunities after finishing CPS followed by a Master’s degree (and possibly combined with a doctorate) are:
- Biomedical or pharmaceutical researcher
- Medicinal chemist
- (Pharmaco)-epidemiologist
- Clinical research associate
- Medicines regulator
- Science-related professions: teacher, journalist, manager, administrator
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