MSc (Pharmaceutical Science & Technology) Programme – Full-time

Application

Application period for August 2026 intake (early admission cycle): 16 May 2025 – 15 July 2025

Application period for August 2026 intake (regular admission cycle): 01 October 2025 – 15 March 2026

Note: The January 2025 intake will be the final full-time intake via direct admission. Moving forward, there will be only one intake per academic year, beginning in August.

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 a 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.
  • International applicants are required to upload a copy of 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 (Not mandatory. Recommended for candidates who do not meet the stipulated degree/honours classification or hold equivalent degrees from overseas universities to provide.)
  • 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$48,000) 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$48,000.

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):

• August 2026 intake (for early admission cycle): 31 August 2025
• January 2026 intake (for regular admission cycle): 30 November 2025
• August 2026 intake (for regular admission cycle): 30 June 2026

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 Apr 2024

Early Admission Cycle

The early admission cycle empowers applicants to make a choice and secure a position in the graduate programme early. On the other hand, the regular admission cycle has its important practical advantages, such as the later deadline for preparation and application. We invite candidates with consistently strong academic record and accomplishments to apply in the Early Admission Exercise.

Application period for August 2026 intake (early admission cycle): 16 May 2025 – 15 July 2025

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 a NUS candidate and of another university/ institute.

Application Fee and Acceptance Fee

• There is an application fee of S$100 (inclusive of GST) which is non-refundable
• An acceptance fees 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 of identity
• 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).
• Transcript of undergraduate degree or at least five semesters’ record for current Year 3 undergraduate student
• GPA ranking certificate (if applicable)
• 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.
• Two referee reports
  • Once applicant’s online application is submitted, an automated email (with the referee report URL) will be sent to their referee(s) at their email address indicated in the Graduate Admission System.

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted separately to supplement other required supporting documents (e.g. documentary evidence of financial support).

Updated as of Apr 2024

Programme Structure

Candidature period for MPST full-time programme

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

For AY2023/2024 and AY2024/25 cohorts, please refer to the respective programme structure published via the NUS Bulletin. 

For AY2025/2026 cohort and onwards

Candidates admitted into the MPST full-time programme must read and pass a total of 40 units¹, comprising 16 units of core courses and 24 units of elective courses:

¹ Candidates enrolled in the MPST programme must meet the programme requirements as listed in the above table, or any other PR5XXX courses as approved by the Department, with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.00 for successful completion of the MPST.
² For the elective requirements (i.e. to complete 24 units of level 5000 elective courses taken from the list of courses in the above table), a maximum of 8 units (2 elective courses) may be counted from GMS5XXX and/or MT5XXX, subject to approval from the Department.
³ GMS5003/GMS5011 and GMS5004/GMS5012 are offered by Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE), Duke-NUS Medical School.
⁴ MT5912, MT5913 and MT5920 are offered by Institute for Engineering Leadership (IEL), College of Design and Engineering.
⁵ For PR5299, it is an 8-unit elective course over two regular semesters with students actively engaged in daily activities in research labs and facilities during the day, working under the supervision of selected faculty members.
⁶ PR5399 is a 4-unit elective course which will be offered in the Special Term (spanning Special Term 1 and 2) w.e.f AY2022/2023. This elective course offers MPST full-time students the opportunity to engage in experiential learning beyond the classroom and to gain transferable skills to be career-ready in the workplace.
⁷ PR5221 elective course is added to the curriculum w.e.f. AY2023/2024 Semester 1.
 PR5203, PR5210, PR5212, PR5215, PR5222 and PR5227 are elective courses newly added to the curriculum w.e.f. AY2024/2025 Semester 1. 
 MT5920 elective course is added to the curriculum w.e.f. AY2025/2026 Semester 1.
⁸ Students who have taken PR5213, PR5220 and PR5225 before AY2024-25 Semester 2 are precluded from taking PR5203, PR5210 and PR5215, respectively. 

Click here for the course descriptions.

As the programme progresses, the Department will introduce new courses to suit the changing needs of the pharmaceutical industry.

Updated as of May 2025

Fees

A summary of the tuition fee payable for the MPST full-time programme is shown below, for Academic Year 2025/2026 cohort and onwards. An acceptance fee¹ is applicable upon acceptance of admission offer and will be applied to offset the programme fee. Besides the full programme fee, students are liable to pay Miscellaneous Student Fees (MSF)² as well.

The full programme fee is payable in 2 instalments over 2 regular semesters. The acceptance fee will be applied to offset Semester 1 fee.

For students admitted in AY2026/2027:

For students admitted in AY2025/2026:

NUS Master’s by Coursework Enhanced Tuition Fee Rebate

Full-time Singaporean and Singapore Permanent Resident students may enjoy a 40% tuition fee rebate upon successful enrollment in the AY2026-27, AY2025-26 and AY2024-25 intakes for the MPST programme. 

Terms and conditions apply and are subject to change. 

For more information, please refer to the details here. 

Additional Course Fees (if applicable) 

For students who need to repeat or take additional course(s) to meet graduation requirements, they will be charged additional fees for each repeat or additional course taken, subject to prevailing GST. For example:

• Students will be charged 10% of the full 40 unit programme fee (of their respective cohort) for repeating or taking an additional 4 unit course.
• Students will be charged 20% of the full 40 unit programme fee (of their respective cohort) for repeating or taking an additional 8 unit course.

¹ The acceptance fee is non-refundable.

² MSF 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 and may be subject to minor rounding variances.

All fees shown here are inclusive of prevailing 9% 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 Apr 2025

Scholarship

NUS GRTII Master’s Scholarship (NUS Guangzhou Research Translation and Innovation Institute)

This merit scholarship, sponsored by the Huangpu District Government of Guangzhou, China, aims to develop talent for the Greater Bay Area of China. Scholarship recipients are required to sign a Service Bond Agreement, with an obligation to work for at least two years in the Huangpu District of Guangzhou after graduation. One award of S$45,000 toward tuition will be granted to each scholarship recipient. Students interested in being considered for this scholarship for AY2025-26 August intake should write to uprbox34@nus.edu.sg.

FAQs

May I know when classes are conducted?

Ans: Typically, classes are conducted on weekday evenings and/or Saturdays. The classes for most of the PR5XXX courses under MPST curriculum are generally held once a week, which are conducted either on weekday evenings (e.g. 6-8pm, 6.30-8.30pm) or on Saturday mornings and/or afternoons. 

May I know what is the required Grade Point Average (GPA) for continuation and graduation?

Ans: A student pursuing a Master’s degree by coursework must achieve a minimum GPA of 3.00 to be eligible for graduation. 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.

For more details, click here.

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

Ans: This is a Master’s degree programme in Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and is not a recognized degree for registration as a pharmacist in Singapore.

Updated as of Jun 2023