Master of Pharmacy (Clinical Pharmacy) Programme

Admission Requirements

Prospective students have two routes to gain admission towards this Master of Pharmacy (Clinical Pharmacy) programme:

1. Direct Admission Route
2. ‘Stackable’ Route (including Graduate Certificate)

However, students who have started on a selected pathway are not allowed to switch over to the other route. The following figure summarizes the two routes to admission.

For A) Direct Admission route:

To be admitted directly into this Master programme, candidates must be holders of at least a 2^nd Class Lower Honours (or equivalent) in either one of the following degrees, or their equivalent:

• Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (Honours)
• Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)

Candidates who do not meet the stipulated degree and honours classification as shown above will be considered for “Stackable” Route instead.  Such candidates would be considered by the Department for admission on a case-by-case basis via the possibility of interviews.    

Candidates who hold equivalent degrees from overseas universities not currently practicing in Singapore may apply via Direct Admission Route.  Such candidates will be evaluated based on an interview and are also required to provide their GRE results for the GRE General Test submitted as supporting document.  If English Language is not the candidate’s native language or the medium of instruction for undergraduate degree program, a copy of the official score sheet of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) will have to be provided as evidence of their proficiency in the English language for meeting the minimum expected TOEFL/IELTS score.  Such candidates, if found suitable, would be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.

For B) ‘Stackable’ route (including Graduate Certificate):

The admission to the Master programme via this ‘stackable’ route will be applicable to the following category of candidates who:

1. do not meet the admission requirement under direct admission route and be reviewed individually;
2. have completed some elective courses prior to this Master programme.

• For candidates from category (i)., they will be enrolled to this Master programme and start taking the elective courses for the Graduate Certificate.
• For candidates from category (ii), they will apply for credit transfer of the courses taken prior to the Master in their first semester of study, in accordance with NUS credit transfer policy. And, continue taking the relevant elective courses for Graduate Certificate if they have yet to do so.

If students meet the continuation requirement and wishes to continue, students are to proceed taking the core courses and other elective courses to fulfil the Master of Pharmacy (Clinical Pharmacy) requirement with a minimum GPA of 3.00 within their part-time candidature.

If the students are unable to continue with the Master programme or decided not to continue with the Master programme, students will exit with the Graduate Certificate if the elective courses taken meeting the Graduate Certificate requirement with a minimum GPA of 2.50.

Updated as of March 2023

Application

Full-time Programme [admission for Semester 1 (August) intake only]:

The application period will commence on 1 October of the preceding year and close on 15 Mar of the same year.

Applicants with a degree from an overseas university not currently practicing in Singapore will require an interview as part of the admission process.

Part-time Programme:

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

For the Semester 2 (January) intake, the application period will commence on 1 June and close on 15 September of the preceding year.

Applicants with a degree from an overseas university not currently practicing in Singapore should apply for the full-time programme. In addition, an interview will be required as part of the admission process.

Instructions for Application

• All applicants should apply online via the Graduate Admission System.
• Applicants should browse the User Guide before applying.
• All supporting documents must be uploaded (in pdf format) in the online application in the Graduate Admission System by the application closing date. English translations should accompany supporting documents that are not in English. There is no need to print and post the hardcopy application to the Department.
• No changes are allowed once the application is submitted.
• Inaccurate/incomplete applications will not be processed.
• No candidate may concurrently be a student for more than one degree or register as an NUS candidate and of another university/ institute.

Application Fee

• S$100 (inclusive of GST)
• Application fee is non-refundable

Acceptance Fee

• An acceptance fee of $5,000 (before GST) is applicable upon acceptance of admission offer, and will be applied to offset tuition fees. The acceptance fee is non-refundable.
• All fees quoted here are exclusive of prevailing GST, unless otherwise stated. The University reserves all rights to review fees as necessary and adjust accordingly without prior notice.

Supporting Documents

• Proof(s) of identity
  • Applicants who are Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents are required to upload a copy of their Singapore NRIC.
  • Applicants with Employment/Dependant’s Pass are required to upload a copy of their Employment/Dependant’s Pass card and their passport information page.
• University transcript
  • Applicants should upload the official transcript from each university they have attended.
  • Applicants who have not yet graduated from their undergraduate studies at the point of application are required to submit their most updated unofficial transcript.
  • The transcript must clearly state the applicant’s particulars and the undergraduate degree programme that the applicant has completed or is completing.
• Degree scroll or Student Status Letter
  • Applicants who have graduated from their undergraduate studies at the point of application are required to upload a copy of their official degree scroll.
  • Applicants who have not yet graduated from their undergraduate studies at the point of application are required to upload a copy of the Student Status Letter (i.e. an official university letter with letterhead) stating their particulars, enrolment status and candidature period (i.e. start and expected degree completion date).
• Valid GRE score for GRE General Test (Mandatory for candidates who do not meet the stipulated degree/honours classification and for those with equivalent degrees from overseas universities not currently practicing in Singapore.)
  • Expected score for GRE is 320 (Verbal + Quantitative) and 3.5 (Analytical Writing). To note, meeting the expected score may not guarantee offer of admission.
  • GRE scores are only valid for 2.5 years from the test date and should not have expired at point of application. Expired scores will not be considered for the application.
• Valid TOEFL/IELTS score (if applicable)
  • If medium of instruction for applicant’s undergraduate degree programme is not in English, applicants will have to upload the official score sheet of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as evidence of their proficiency in the English language in the Graduate Admission System.
  • The minimum TOEFL score required is 85 for internet-based test.
  • The minimum IELTS score required is 6 (overall).
  • TOEFL/ IELTS scores are valid for 2 years from the test date and should not have expired at point of application. Expired scores will not be considered for the application.
• Referee Reports
  • Recommendations from 2 referees are to be submitted via the Graduate Admission System. It is not mandatory for applicants to get an academic referee. The referee can also be someone (e.g. supervisor/superior) from the applicant’s past/current workplace who knows the applicant well and able to comment on his/her abilities.
  • Once applicant’s online application is submitted, an automated email (with the referee report URL) will be sent to their referees at their email address indicated in the Graduate Admission System.
• Financial document e.g. bank statement / original sponsor’s letter
  • Applicants who are sponsored by an organisation may upload a letter from the sponsor with details as documentary proof of the sponsorship.
  • Applicants who are sponsored by an individual (e.g. applicant’s parent(s)) may upload a letter from the sponsor (i.e. declaration about the sponsorship) and a copy of the sponsor’s bank statement (i.e. indicating the availability of funding of at least S$45,000) as documentary proof of the sponsorship.
  • Applicants are required to provide documentary evidence of their ability to support their study (e.g. a bank statement) indicating the availability of funding of at least S$45,000.

Application Outcome

Completed applications (with all the required documents submitted online before the respective application closing date) will be processed and applicants will be informed officially of the outcome of their application via email by the following date (may be subject to changes):

• January intake: late-October
• August intake: late-April

Correspondence from the University

The Department may correspond with applicants primarily via email to convey messages such as requesting for outstanding documents etc. Therefore, it is very important that applicants provide a valid and correct email address and maintain their email account regularly. The University will not be responsible for undeliverable emails and their consequences.

Important note:

The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake graduate student recruitment on its behalf. Candidates interested in our graduate programmes are advised to apply directly to the University and not through any agents. Candidates who apply through agents will not have any added advantage in gaining admission.

Updated as of October 2023

Programme Structure

Candidature period for MCP: 

1.     Full-time programme 

• Minimum candidature: 2 semesters (1 year) 
• Maximum candidature: 4 semesters (2 years) 

2.     Part-time programme 

• Minimum candidature: 4 semesters (2 years) 
• Maximum candidature period: 8 semesters (4 years) 

For AY2023/2024 cohort and onwards

Candidates admitted into the MCP programme must read and pass a total of 40 units, comprising 20 units of core courses and 20 units of elective courses, a subset of existing Pharm.D. courses:

Updated as of March 2023

Fees

A summary of the tuition fees payable for the MCP part-time programme (via Direct Admission Route and ‘Stackable’ Route) is shown below, for Academic Year 2023/2024 cohort and onwards. Besides tuition fees, students are liable to pay Student Services Fees (SSF)¹ as well.

Pathway⁴: For students on Direct Admission Route admitted in AY2024/2025 Semester 1 onwards:

The full programme fee (for the 40 unit programme) is S$50,521.50. An acceptance fee² of S$5,450 is applicable upon acceptance of admission offer, and will be applied to offset the programme fee. The remaining programme fee (less acceptance fee) is payable in 4 equal instalments over 4 regular semesters for Part-time Students and 2 equal instalments over 2 regular semesters for Full-time Students.

Pathway⁴: For students on Direct Admission Route admitted in AY2023/2024 Semester 1: 

The full programme fee (for the 40 unit programme) is S$50,405.64. An acceptance fee² of S$5,400 is applicable upon acceptance of admission offer, and will be applied to offset the programme fee. The remaining programme fee (less acceptance fee) is payable in 4 equal instalments over 4 regular semesters for Part-time Students.

Pathway⁴: For students on ‘Stackable’ Route (including Graduate Certificate): 

Singapore Citizen (SC)/Permanent Resident (PR) students may be eligible to receive course fee subsidies for SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) funded modular courses. Eligible SC/PR students with interest to read SSG-funded modular courses are strongly encouraged to do so prior to conversion into the MCP programme. After candidature conversion and admission into MCP programme, SC/PR students will pay the full modular course fee³.

*GST rate will be increased from: (i) 7% to 8% with effect from 1 Jan 2023; and (ii) 8% to 9% with effect from 1 Jan 2024.

* Terms and conditions apply

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

² The acceptance fee is non-refundable.

³ Modular course fees can be found in the NUS Online Application Portal or course catalogue. 

⁴ Students who have started on a selected pathway are not allowed to switch over to the other route.

All fees shown here are in Singapore dollars.

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

All fees are payable every regular semester, unless specified otherwise.

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.

Updated as of November 2023

FAQs

How many intakes are there for MCP?

Ans: For full-time studies, there is one intake per year for students to commence in August. There are two intakes per academic year for part-time students, one in August and one in January.  Our first intake of MCP students is in August 2023, and the expected number is 20 – 25 students.  The intake will be increased subsequently in the next few years to a steady state of 40 – 50 students. 

What study options are available?

Ans: Full-time, part-time, and stackable options are available. Please note that working while studying full-time is not allowed for foreign students on a student visa, and discouraged for others due to the rigorous nature of studies at NUS (see the Registrar’s website for further information).

What is the ‘Stackable’ Route to enter the MCP programme?

Ans: The ‘Stackable Route’ is for students who have completed individual modular courses leading to the Advanced Pharmacy Practice and the Community-Based Geriatric Pharmaceutical Care graduate certificates and who subsequently decide to pursue the MCP degree by crediting the relevant courses taken.

Upon completion of both of these graduate certificates, a student could apply for MCP candidature by transferring credit units and grades obtained from the graduate certificates, in accordance with NUS credit transfer policy. The student must fulfil a minimum GPA of 3.00 to be eligible for MCP candidature. The validity period of the transfer is not more than 10 years for each modular course taken, or for each graduate certificate conferred.

I intend to pursue the MCP degree via the ‘Stackable’ Route and would like to start by taking modular courses. What is the minimum entry requirement for taking modular courses?

Ans: The minimum degree requirement for reading a modular course is a Bachelor’s without Honours classification in one of the following degrees, or their equivalent:
• Bachelor of Pharmacy, OR;
• Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy

Please see NUS Continuing Education and Training (CET) course catalogue at NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE) for further entry requirements (course titles can be found on the Department of Pharmacy website under Modular Course Offering).

Where can I find more information about the modular courses offered by the Department?

Ans: More information can be found on the Department of Pharmacy website. The modular courses are made available under the NUS Continuing Education and Training (CET) course catalogue at NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE). Please note that the list of courses offered in an academic year/semester is subject to changes.

How do I apply for the modular courses offered by the Department?

Ans: Interested candidates may apply for modular courses via the NUS Online Application Portal during the application period.

Generally, application for modular courses opens in May (for Semester 1) and October (for Semester 2) each year, i.e. as follows:
• August intake (Semester 1): May of the same year
• January intake (Semester 2): October of the previous year

For enquiries regarding application, fees, subsidies and payment for modular courses, please contact SCALE at lifelonglearning@nus.edu.sg or 6601 8888.

How does the MCP stack to the PharmD?

Ans: The MCP degree covers all didactic coursework required for the PharmD. Thus, the student only needs to complete the clinical research project and the clerkship requirements for the PharmD.  Students must ensure that the date of admission to Pharm.D. must be within 5 years from the semester when the first course was taken in their MCP’s degree.  The credit transfer validity for the courses taken is 5 years before the date of admission to new programme. 

Upon completion of the MCP, the student can apply for admission to the PharmD. All admission requirements must be met to be accepted, including a GPA of 3.5 on MCP coursework and a PharmD admission interview.

The PharmD is offered both as a full-time and part-time programme, see our PharmD website for more information.

When will classes be conducted?

Ans: Typically, classes will be conducted on weekday late afternoons (i.e. 4-6 pm) or weekday evenings (i.e. 6-8 pm).

What is the timeframe to complete the MCP?

Ans: For the full-time programme, the typical time to completion is one year (2 semesters), with maximum candidature of 2 years (4 semesters).

For the part-time programme, the typical time to completion is 2 years (4 semesters), with maximum candidature of 4 years (8 semesters).

The stackable programme will vary based on how long the student takes to complete the graduate certificates, the certificates and courses are valid for 10 years.

What is the required Grade Point Average (GPA) for continuation in and graduation from the MCP programme?

Ans: To continue in a Master’s programme, a student may not have:
• GPA below 3.00 (but ≥ 2.50) for three consecutive semesters; or
• GPA below 2.50 for two consecutive semesters.

A student pursuing a Master’s degree by coursework must achieve a minimum GPA of 3.00 to be eligible for graduation. For more details, see the Registrar’s website.

Upon graduating from the MCP programme, can I be a registered pharmacist with the Singapore Pharmacy Council (SPC)?

Ans: The MCP is considered an advanced degree and is not a recognized degree for registration as a pharmacist in Singapore. SPC recognizes entry level degrees such as a Bachelor of Pharmacy or Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) for licensure. For more information, see the SPC information for foreign-trained pharmacists.

Is the MCP recognized by (Pharmacy) Specializations Accreditation Board (PSAB) as a qualification for specialization?

Ans: The MCP is not recognized for further qualifications at this time.

Is there any tuition assistance available?

Ans: As this is a self-funded degree, all students are subject to the application fee and acceptance fee (both non-refundable), and the tuition fee. Fee rebates are available for Singaporeans, Singapore permanent residents, and NUS alumni. Please see the fees section of our website for more information.

Is the GRE required as part of the application?

Ans: Candidates who hold equivalent degrees from overseas universities may apply via Direct Admission Route.  Such candidates are required to provide their GRE results for the GRE General Test submitted as supporting document.  If English Language is not the candidate’s native language or the medium of instruction for undergraduate degree programme, a copy of the official score sheet of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) will have to be provided as evidence of their proficiency in the English language for meeting the minimum expected TOEFL/IELTS score.  Such candidates, if found suitable, would be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.