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

Application (for Direct Admission Route)

Application period for August 2025 intake (early admission cycle): 16 May 2024 – 15 July 2024

Application period for January 2025 intake (regular admission cycle): 01 June 2024 – 15 September 2024

Application period for August 2025 intake (regular admission cycle): 01 October 2024 – 15 March 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 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 (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$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):

• August 2025 intake (for early admission cycle): 31 August 2024
• January 2025 intake (for regular admission cycle): 30 November 2024
• August 2025 intake (for regular admission cycle): 30 June 2025

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 - Application (for Direct Admission Route)

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 2025 intake (early admission cycle): 16 May 2024 – 15 July 2024

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 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

Candidature Conversion (for 'Stackable' Route)

To apply for candidature conversion and admission into MPST programme, candidates need to fulfil the stipulated conversion requirements, i.e. completed at least 5 prescribed MPST courses and met a minimum GPA of 3.00.

There are two steps for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) students to apply for candidature conversion and admission into MPST programme:-

Application Step 1 (Apply for candidature conversion):

1. Click here to download the candidature conversion application form.
2. The candidate is required to email scanned copy of the completed candidature conversion application form together with soft copy of the transcript for the completed MPST courses to askMPST@nus.edu.sg.
3. Department will review and verify if the application fulfils the conversion requirements.
4. Once the conversion application is approved by Department, the candidate will be notified by email to proceed with the next step of application for admission into MPST programme (i.e. submit online application via Graduate Admission System). Refer to Application Step 2.

Application Step 2 (Apply for admission into MPST programme):

1. The candidate is required to submit the online application via Graduate Admission System and there is a non-refundable application fee of $100 (inclusive of GST).
   Note: Referee reports are not required. 
2. After Department has endorsed the application, it will be routed to Faculty of Science Dean’s Office for onward processing and approval.

Refer to the table below for the application periods that CPE students can apply for candidature conversion and admission into MPST programme.
To view the current and future NUS Academic Calendars, click here.

Note: If the candidate has not yet fulfilled the candidature conversion requirements at the point where he/she decides to apply for candidature conversion (i.e. only completed 3 (or 4) prescribed courses and is currently taking the 4^th and 5^th courses (or 5^th course), he/she can still apply for the candidature conversion, subject to Department’s approval on a case by case basis.

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

Programme Structure

Candidature period for MPST part-time programme

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

For AY2022/2023 cohort and onwards

Candidates admitted into the MPST part-time programme must read and pass a total of 40 units¹, comprising 20 units of core courses and 20 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 20 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 replaced by 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 and MT5913 are offered by Institute for Engineering Leadership (IEL), College of Design and Engineering.
⁵ For PR5299, it is a 2-semester long 8-unit elective course with students actively engaged in daily activities in research labs and facilities during the day, working under the supervision of selected faculty members.
⁶ For PR5212, PR5218, PR5221, PR5222, PR5227, PR5299, MT5912 and MT5913, these courses will be available to ‘Stackable’ Route students after they have converted their candidature and matriculated in the MPST programme. 
⁷ PR5299, MT5912 and MT5913 are elective courses newly added to the curriculum w.e.f. AY2022/2023 Semester 1.
  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. 
⁸ These are elective courses which ‘Stackable’ Route students may take as standalone courses to stack towards the Graduate Certificate in Pharmaceutical Process & Technology. For more information on this graduate certificate, click here. 
⁹ SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) funded modular courses. Learners must pass all assessment components to be eligible for SSG funding. Please note that SSG funding is limited in duration and subject to availability. 
¹⁰ 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 Sep 2024

Fees

A summary of the tuition fees payable for the MPST 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.

For students admitted in AY2024/2025:

The full programme fee is payable in 4 instalments over 4 regular semesters. The acceptance fee will be applied to offset Semester 1 fee.

For students admitted in AY2023/2024:

The acceptance fee will be applied to offset the full programme fee. The remaining programme fee (less the acceptance fee) is payable in 4 instalments over 4 regular semesters.

*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.

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

³ For Direct Admission part-time 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.

⁴ The acceptance fee is non-refundable.

⁵ Modular course fees can be found in the NUS Online Application Portal or L³ course catalogue.

Terms and conditions apply.

All fees shown here are in Singapore dollars and may be subject to minor rounding variances.

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 Apr 2024

FAQs

What is the ‘Stackable’ Route towards the MPST programme?

Ans: The ‘Stackable Route’ is for students who had completed individual modular courses and who subsequently decide to pursue the MPST degree by crediting the relevant courses taken.

To be eligible for the ‘Stackable’ Route, candidates will require a relevant degree as listed under direct admission requirements. Students who do not fulfil the degree requirement outright can appeal with justification, and the case will be reviewed individually.

At any point in time between completing 5-9 modular courses of the MPST requirement, a student could apply for MPST candidature by transferring credits and grades obtained from relevant individual modular courses or graduate certificate(s), in accordance with NUS credit transfer policy. The student must fulfil a minimum GPA of 3.00 to be eligible for MPST 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 MPST 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 requirement for reading a modular course is a Bachelor’s without Honours classification in one of the following degrees, or their equivalent:
• Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, OR;
• Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences, OR;
• Bachelor of Applied Science in Food Science & Technology, OR;
• Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Chemistry (Drug Option), OR;
• Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, OR;
• Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical Engineering)

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

Ans: 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) http://scale.nus.edu.sg/.

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.

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 Arp 2024