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 prepare advanced generalist and specialist pharmacists to provide collaborative seamless and holistic care for patients across different stages of their healthcare journeys – from diagnosis and treatment to post-discharge follow-up. This programme is also strategic to Singapore as it meets the national health manpower training needs by supporting the specialisation of pharmacists as the Pharm.D. qualification is the benchmark for entry into the Specialist Pharmacist Register of the Ministry of Health, Singapore.

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 closing date for both full-time and part-time programmes is 15 March of every year, for the August intake.

More information on application is available here: http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/graduate-studies/coursework-overview/application-information.

Online application submission is through: https://inetapps.nus.edu.sg/GDA2/Home.aspx.

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

• their CV,
• A personal statement, and
• the original letter of good standing from the Singapore Pharmacy Council

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
National University of Singapore
Block S4A, Level 3
18 Science Drive 4
Singapore 117543
Republic of Singapore
Attn: Graduate Research Programme

For further enquiries, please contact Pharmacy Programme Admin at PHABOX7@nus.edu.sg.

Criteria for Admission:

1. Candidates must be holders of the NUS Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (Honours) or its equivalent (2nd Class Upper Honours or above will be preferred).
2. Candidates must have fulfilled the pre-registration pharmacist training requirements and are registered with the Singapore Pharmacy Council to practice Pharmacy.
3. Preference for those with relevant work experience as a pharmacist (hospital, community etc.)
4. Candidates will also be evaluated based on an interview, their written statement of career goals and at least three letters of recommendation.

Special Criteria for Admission:

1. Candidates who do not meet the above Honours degree pre-requisites may apply for admission with GRE results.
2. Candidates, who hold equivalent degrees from overseas universities, may apply for admission with GRE and TOEFL results and if shortlisted, approval by the NUS Board of Graduate Studies on a case-by-case basis will be sought.
3. Candidates who have not read and passed the following 6 essential Pharmacy modules or their equivalent, will have to read and obtain good passes for them prior to admission.

• PR1103 Pharmacy Practice I
• PR3105 Pharmacotherapy I
• PR3107 Pharmacy Practice II
• PR4101 Pharmacotherapy II
• PR4102 Pharmacotherapy III
• PR4104 Pharmacy Practice III

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 4-6 academic years. The didactic component may be completed over a period of 22 to 34 months followed by the clerkship rotations during the following 2 to 3 academic years, by completing 2-3 rotations per academic year. Specific arrangements will be made with the programme director/coordinator prior to the start of the programme.

2) Curriculum

Didactic Coursework
The didactic component of the programme comprises 44 modular credits as follows:

Essential Modules (28 MC)

• PR5113 Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (4 MC)
• PR5130 Advanced Pharmacotherapy I (Infectious Diseases, Neuropsychiatric Disorders) (4 MC)
• PR5131 Advanced Pharmacotherapy II (Thyroid Disorders, Fluid and Electrolyte Disorders, Cardiovascular Therapeutics, Toxicology, Emergency Medicine) (4 MC)
• PR5132 Advanced Pharmacotherapy III (Haematologic, Oncologic and Immunologic disorders) (4 MC)
• PR5133 Advanced Pharmacotherapy in Special Populations (Paediatric and Geriatric Diseases/Conditions) (2 MC)
• PR5134 Physical Assessment in Pharmacy Practice (Medication History, Communication Skills, Physical Assessment Skills) (4 MC)
• PR5135 Foundations in Advanced Pharmacy Practice (Literature Evaluation & Drug Information, Biostatistics, Research Methodology & Clinical Research) (4 MC)
• PR5136 Pharm.D. Seminar (2 MC)

Elective Modules (16 MC) – Either Clinical Pharmacy Research Project (12 MC) + module/s (4 MC) OR modules (16 MC)

• PR5230 Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (4 MC)
• PR5231 Complementary and Alternative Medicine (4 MC)
• PR5232 Nutrition, Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2 MC)
• PR5233 Pharmacy Practice Management (4 MC)
• PR5234 Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics (4 MC)
• PR5235 Ethics in Pharmacy Practice (2 MC)
• PR5239 Clinical Pharmacy Research Project (12 MC)

Clerkships

This comprises eight 5-week attachments at designated practice settings to provide students with hands-on application of their clinical knowledge and opportunities to develop clinical skills for advanced pharmaceutical care.

Five Compulsory Clerkships (25 MC)

• PR5150 Ambulatory Care (5 MC)
• PR5151 Adult Acute Care Medicine (5 MC)
• PR5152 Adult General Medicine (5 MC)
• PR5153 Critical Care Medicine (5MC)
• PR5154 Drug Information (5 MC)

Three Elective Clerkships (15 MC)

Options will depend on available resources – preceptors and sites.

• PR5250 Elective Clerkship I (5 MC)
• PR5251 Elective Clerkship II (5 MC)
• PR5252 Elective Clerkship III (5 MC)

3) Graduation Requirements
To graduate with the Pharm.D. degree, the student must achieve an average CAP of at least 3.5 for the 44-MC didactic component as well as pass five compulsory and three elective clerkships.

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

TUITION FEES
SGD 90,000 for one-time payment for the entire 84-modular-credit programme payable at the start of the programme, w.e.f. AY2017/2018 onwards.

MISCELLANEOUS STUDENT FEES
Miscellaneous Student Fees payable for each semester. Refer to this page http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/edu/gd-fees.html for details.

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

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 5 compulsory and 3 elective rotations. The compulsory rotations are Ambulatory Care, Adult Acute Care Medicine, Adult General Medicine, Critical Care Medicine and Drug Information. 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: Our students are strongly encouraged to take the research project. However, they may choose to take elective modules in place of the research project.

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 course 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 courses approved by the CPF Board. Please refer to the CPF Board for more information at https://www.cpf.gov.sg/Members/FAQ/schemes/other-matters/cpf-education-scheme#faq16831.

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.

Reflections from:

Class of 2014

Class of 2013

Class of 2012

Class of 2011

Overseas Rotations Experiences