Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

Introduction

Pharmacy as a profession is continually evolving to expand its scope of services and responsibilities to meet the needs of patients in a rapidly changing healthcare system. To face the challenges in the practice of pharmacy in Singapore and abroad, pharmacists must be equipped with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to deliver high quality, consistent and safe treatments to patients in collaboration with other health care professionals.

In tandem with the transformation of the health services in Singapore, postgraduate training of the pharmacist is needed to meet the demand for advanced generalist and specialist pharmacists to raise the quality of care in the healthcare system so as to manage the increased complexity and burden of both acute and chronic diseases.

The primary objective of the NUS Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Programme is to train pharmacy practitioners to possess leadership qualities, advanced expertise and clinical experience that enable them to be at the forefront of the Pharmacy profession and health care in a variety of settings – institutional, community practice, government, academia, industry, translational research and practice development.

The Pharm.D. curriculum emphasizes patient-focused care to develop reflective practitioners with knowledge, skills and attitudes to critically evaluate personalised pharmaceutical care and modify therapy in a timely and effective manner.

Enrolment:

Application

Full-Time and Part-Time Programmes

For Semester 1 (August) intake, the application period will commence on 1 October of the preceding year and close on 15 March of the same year.

All applicants should apply online via the Graduate Admission System.
Applicants should browse the User Guide before applying.
Shortlisted candidate will be required to attend an admission interview, which is typically held between 1^st to 15^th April in NUS of the same year.

Additional Supporting Documents

Please take note that Pharm.D. applicants must also include the following as supporting documents for application:

their CV,
A personal statement
After completing the online application, the completed online application form must be printed. The printed application form, with all the supporting documents should be mailed to the following address:

Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
National University of Singapore
Block S4A, Level 3
18 Science Drive 4
Singapore 117560
Republic of Singapore
Attn: Doctor of Pharmacy, Graduate Coursework Programme

Please email Singapore Pharmacy Council to send the Certificate of Good Standing (CGS) to Ms Brenda (t.brenda@nus.edu.sg).
Important Notice:

Please be informed that a non-refundable fee payable to SPC is required for the CGS application.

While straightforward applications are typically processed within 10 working days, SPC may take longer to review complex applications.

For further enquiries, please contact Pharmacy Programme Admin at askPharmacy@nus.edu.sg.

Admission Requirements

Criteria for Admission

Candidates must be holders of the following degree, or its equivalent: Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (Honours)
Candidates must have fulfilled the pre-registration pharmacist training requirements and registered to practise Pharmacy in Singapore
Preference for those with relevant work experience as a pharmacist (hospital, community etc.)
Candidates will also be evaluated based on an interview, their written statement of career goals and at least three letters of recommendation

Programme Structure

1) Length of study

Full-Time Programme may be completed over 2 academic years. The didactic component may be completed during the first 10-months followed by the clerkship rotations over the following 40-50 weeks.

Part-Time Programme may be completed over 3-6 academic years. The didactic component may be completed over a period of 2 to 3 academic years, followed by the clerkship rotations, spread over the following 1 to 3 academic years.

2) Curriculum

The didactic component of the programme consists of 16 courses, comprising 10 essential Level 5000 courses and 7 elective Level 5000 courses as described below. Students must read the 10 essential Level 5000 courses and choose 3 elective Level 5000 courses.

Didactic Coursework

Essential Courses (38 unit)

PR5135 Foundations in Advanced Pharmacy Practice (4 unit)
- Statistics, research methodology, clinical research, drug information, literature evaluation, quality improvement, drug use evaluation
PR5134 Advanced Skills in Pharmacy Practice (4 unit)
- History taking, clinical documentations, communication skills, basic physical assessment skills, simulation-based training
PR5136 Pharm.D. Seminar & Teaching (4 unit)
- Presentation skills, peer evaluation, teaching of undergraduate students
PR5113 Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (4 unit)
- Basic pharmacokinetics, pharmacokinetics and dynamics in renal impairment, hepatic impairment, oncology, vancomycin, aminoglycosides, antiepileptics, immunosuppressants, antifungals
PR5130 Advanced Pharmacotherapy I (2 unit)
- Infectious diseases, hepatology
PR5131 Advanced Pharmacotherapy II (2 unit)
- Acute cardio, stroke, fluid and electrolytes
PR5132 Advanced Pharmacotherapy III (2 unit)
- Oncology & supportive care
PR5133 Advanced Pharmacotherapy in Special Populations (2 unit)
- Pediatrics, women’s health
PR5137 Advanced Pharmacotherapy in Geriatrics (2 unit)
PR5239 Clinical Pharmacy Research Project (12 unit)
- Study design, IRB application, data collection and analysis, research report, presentations.

Elective Courses (6 unit) – undertake 3 elective courses to make up 6 unit

PR5230A Pharmacoeconomics (2 unit)
PR5230B Outcomes Research (2 unit)
PR5237 Management of Older Patients (2 unit)
PR5131A Advanced Pharmacotherapy IIA (2 unit)
- Emergency medicine and critical care
PR5132A Advanced Pharmacotherapy IIIA (2 unit)
- Haematology and immunology
PR5134A Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Tests for Advanced Pharmacy Practice (2 unit)
PR5234A Concepts in Pharmacogenomics (2 unit)

Clerkships

All PharmD candidates must complete 40 weeks of clerkship consisting eight 5-week attachments at various practice settings. The clerkship component of the programme aims to provide hands-on application of the knowledge gained in the didactic courses, and to develop the clinical skills necessary to provide advanced pharmaceutical care.

Compulsory Clerkships (20 unit) (5 weeks each, total of 20 weeks)

This will consist of clerkships in the following areas:

PR5150 Ambulatory Care (5 unit)
PR5151 Adult Acute Care Medicine (5 unit)
PR5152 Adult General Medicine (5 unit)
PR5154 Drug Information (5 unit)

Elective Clerkships (20 unit) (5 weeks each, total of 20 weeks)

This will consist of four 5-week attachments to allow students to gain exposure to a broad range of pharmacy practice settings, as well as to allow them to pursue areas of personal interest. Options for elective clerkships will depend on available resources and clerkship sites.

PR5250 Elective Clerkship I (5 unit)
PR5251 Elective Clerkship II (5 unit)
PR5252 Elective Clerkship III (5 unit)
PR5253 Elective Clerkship IV (5 unit)

3) Graduation Requirements
Candidates will need to complete 44 unit worth of courses plus clerkships (40 unit) as indicated in the curriculum. To graduate with the PharmD degree, the candidate must have achieved a GPA of at least 3.5 for all essential and elective courses, in addition to passes for all eight clinical clerkships.

Fees

Students may apply to their sponsor-employers to provide financial support.

For students admitted in AY2024/2025 onwards:

The full programme fee (for the 84 unit programme) is S$100,367.20.

Besides the full programme fee, students are liable to pay Miscellaneous Student Fees (MSF)¹ for each semester as well.

If the student were to opt to go overseas for one or more clerkship(s), additional cost will include travel, visa, living and other costs.

For students admitted in AY2023/2024 and before:

The full programme fee (for the 84 unit programme) is S$90,000.

Besides the full programme fee, students are liable to pay Miscellaneous Student Fees (MSF)¹ for each semester as well.

If the student were to opt to go overseas for one or more clerkship(s), additional cost will include travel, visa, living and other costs.

¹MSF is payable for every regular semester, subject to prevailing rates. For updates on MSF for matriculated students, please refer to Registrar’s Office website at http://nus.edu.sg/registrar/docs/info/administrative-policies-procedures/gd-msf.pdf.

All fees shown here are in Singapore dollars.

All fees shown here are inclusive of prevailing GST, unless otherwise stated.

The University reserves all rights to review and adjust fees and make changes to the programme structure and requirements as necessary and accordingly without prior notice.

FAQs

How much is the tuition fees?
Ans: The entire 84 unit programme cost S$92,080 (before GST).

For full-time programme, tuition fee will be charged at the start of the first semester.
For part-time programme, tuition fee will be charged by per unit based on the number of unit a student register per academic semester.

Note: On top of the tuition fee, there is a miscellaneous student fees payable for each semester. Refer to this page http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/administrative-policies-procedures/graduate/graduate-fees for details.

Do I need to be a registered pharmacist in Singapore to be eligible for admission to the NUS PharmD programme?
Ans: Students must be registered pharmacists in Singapore. For eligibility and licensure requirements, please refer to the Singapore Pharmacy Council website.

Are scholarships available?
Ans: Students may approach their sponsor-employers for financial support or scholarship.

Where are the practice settings for clerkship rotations?
Ans: There are 4 compulsory and 4 elective rotations. The compulsory rotations are Ambulatory Care, Adult Acute Care Medicine, Adult General Medicine and Drug Information. Various options are available for elective rotations for example, critical care, paediatric, nephrology and infectious diseases. These may be undertaken at approved local and/or overseas sites.

Can I request for clerkship at overseas location?
Ans: Students may opt for clerkships at an approved overseas site, depending on its availability.

Must I complete a research project?
Ans: Yes, all students must complete a research project as part of the graduation requirement. PR5239 Clinical Pharmacy Research Project is a compulsory 12 unit course in our PharmD curriculum.

Is part-time programme available?
Ans: Yes, our PharmD programme will be offered on both the part-time and full-time basis from August 2016.

Are the programme fees payable by CPF?
Ans: No. Use of CPF for tuition fee is governed by the CPF Education Scheme. The Scheme only covers undergraduate and diploma programmes approved by the CPF Board. Please refer to the CPF Board for more information at https://www.cpf.gov.sg/member/tnc/t-c-for-use-of-cpf-under-education-loan-scheme

When would we be notified on the outcome of our application?
Ans: Only shortlisted applicants will be invited for interview. Shortlisted applicants will be notified by 15th May.

Will licensure bodies of other countries recognise the NUS PharmD degree?
Ans: Pharmacists with NUS BSc (Pharmacy) (with and without honours) degree and registered to practise in Singapore have successfully applied and sat for the relevant national (and if needed, state) level exams in USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand and became practising pharmacists. Application by the individual for overseas pharmacist licensure is determined by the criteria set by the respective licensure bodies and these may change from time to time, depending on immigration policies and economic climate besides the degree held by and other training or work experience of the applicant. Therefore we anticipate that the pharmacists who obtained the NUS Pharm. D. degree will be similarly regarded by overseas pharmacist licensure authorities.

Testimonials

Reflections from:

Overseas Rotations Experiences