The pharmaceutical industry in Singapore is undergoing a phase of expansion, as more pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies set up new manufacturing and research facilities here. Along with this expansion plans, manpower with relevant knowledge and skills will be sought after by the industry. In addition to the requisite domain knowledge which may be science, engineering, law or business; the employers are also seeking to hire graduates with supplementary knowledge relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. The relevant adjunct knowledge is based on foundation in pharmaceutical sciences. Having an understanding of pharmaceutical sciences will enable these graduates to quickly immerse in the environment of the industry and may ease the initial learning phase.
With this Minor in Pharmaceutical Sciences, graduates may also choose to pursue further studies either in the coursework MSc (Pharmaceutical Science and Technology) or pursue other PhD or MSc research programmes in their own majors at NUS or elsewhere. Together with a science or engineering based major, graduates will have a broader spectrum of technical knowledge and skills which will become useful in the research activities undertaken during their graduate study.
- To build a fundamental technical language, knowledge and skill set relevant to the pharmaceutical industry.
- To help raise the awareness among undergraduates from different majors the potential applications of their domain knowledge in the pharmaceutical industry.
There are many career opportunities in the pharmaceutical and allied industries for graduates who have a background in pharmaceutical sciences. Graduates, who major in biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, food science, material science, computing and engineering, are needed to fill positions in research laboratories, manufacturing plants, quality assurance laboratory of a pharmaceutical company. In addition, those with degrees in law, economics, marketing or business may also develop rewarding careers as finance, human resource, intellectual property and legal, as well as business and market development professionals in the industry. It definitely takes multi-disciplinary teams with a variety of skills to develop and produce effective and safe health products.
Prospective undergraduates are preferred to have the following qualifications and subject pre-requisites (in brackets).
- Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ Level (H2 Biology or H2 Chemistry) or
- Diploma from local polytechnics (Biology-related or Chemistry-related modules) or
- NUS High School Diploma (Biology or Chemistry) or
- IB Diploma (Biology or Chemistry) or
- A bridging module in either Biology or Chemistry taken at the NUS.
| Table 1: Module Requirements to fulfil the Minor Programme for Student Cohort AY2014/15 and before | |
| 1 | PR1101 Physicochemical Principles of Drug Action OR PR1110 Foundations for Medicinal Chemistry |
| 2 | PR1102 Physical Pharmacy OR PR2114 Formulation and Technology I |
| 3 | PR3101 Principles of Medicinal Chemistry OR PR2115 Medicinal Chemistry for Drug Design |
| 4 | PR3301 Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms |
| 5 | GEK2506 Drug and Society OR PR1301 Complementary Medicine and Health |
| Choose 1 from the following Electives: | |
| CN4241R Engineering Principles of Drug Delivery | |
| PR4205 Bioorganic Principles of Medicinal Chemistry | |
| PR4206 Industrial Pharmacy | |
| Table 2: Module Requirements to fulfil the Minor Programme for Student Cohort AY2015/16 and after | |
| 1 | PR1101 Physicochemical Principles of Drug Action OR PR1110 Foundations for Medicinal Chemistry |
| 2 | PR1102 Physical Pharmacy OR PR2114 Formulation and Technology I |
| 3 | PR3101 Principles of Medicinal Chemistry OR PR2115 Medicinal Chemistry for Drug Design |
| 4 | PR3301 Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms |
| Choose 2 from the following Electives: | |
| PR1301 Complementary Medicine and Health | |
| CN4241R Engineering Principles of Drug Delivery | |
| PR4205 Bioorganic Principles of Medicinal Chemistry | |
| PR4206 Industrial Pharmacy | |
Candidates from Student Cohort AY2014/15 and before accepted into the minor programme are required to pass 5 essential modules and 1 elective module. Candidates from Student Cohort AY2015/16 and after accepted into the minor programme are required to pass 4 essential modules and 2 elective modules. Some modules have practical component that will allow students to acquire relevant basic laboratory skills.
The target applicants for this minor programme are students who are pursuing science or engineering-based majors. In addition, students who major in economics, computing, marketing or business may also apply, provided the pre-requisites are met.
Candidates reading the major in Pharmacy are precluded from taking the Minor in Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Students would need to take 4 to 5 semesters to complete the minor programme.
Application Form
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