PhD and MSc Programmes

Programme Overview

Coursework Requirements

M.Sc.

Programme Requirement

• Complete a minimum of twelve (12) units consisting of
  • PR5198 Graduate Seminar Module in Pharmacy
  • One (1) other PR-coded graduate course in addition to PR5198
  • For the remaining one (1) graduate course , the students may read additional PR-coded graduate course or one non PR-coded graduate course subjected to the justification and approval by the supervisor.

Ph.D.

Programme Requirement

• Complete a minimum of twenty-four (24) units consisting of
  • PR5198 Graduate Seminar Module in Pharmacy
  • One (1) other PR-coded graduate course in addition to PR5198
  • For the remaining graduate courses, the students may read additional PR-coded graduate courses or non PR-coded graduate courses subjected to the justification and approval by the supervisor.

These courses are to be selected in consultation with student’s thesis supervisor(s) and/or department.

University Requirement

1. For all PhD students admitting from AY2022/23 Sem 1 and onwards and previous cohorts who have not taken ES5002/ES5101/ES5610/GS6889C, it is compulsory for students to take NG5001 Academic Communication for Graduate Researchers (4 units) on top of the minimum requirement of 24 units . Students will have to register the course NG5001 via “Select Courses” function in Coursereg. For more info, please visit NUS Graduate School website: https://nusgs.nus.edu.sg/ pertaining to NG5001.
2. For all PhD students admitting from AY2024/25 Sem 1 and onwards, it is compulsory for students to take NG5001 Academic Communication for Graduate Researchers (4 units) and NG5002 Research Ethics for Graduate Researchers (2 units) on top of the minimum requirement of 24 units . Students will have to register the course NG5001 and NG5002 via “Select Courses” function in Coursereg. For more info, please visit NUS Graduate School website: https://nusgs.nus.edu.sg/ pertaining to NG5001 and NG5002.

All courses taken by the student will be included in the GPA computation. Failure to fulfil both Programme requirement and University Requirement under coursework requirement will delay your thesis submission.

English Language Requirement

All international students are required to take an English Language proficiency test (Diagnostic English Test) unless exemption has been granted. This test will determine whether candidates would need to take the Graduate English course.

• M.Sc. – Achieve an intermediate level of proficiency in the Graduate English course
• Ph.D. – Achieve an advanced level of proficiency in the Graduate English course

To fulfil the English Language requirement, students must obtain a Grade C and above. Starting from AY2012 Semester 2 intake, students will be charged a course fee of S$2,000 if they are required to repeat the English module.

Continuation Requirements

M.Sc.

• A student will be issued warning for any semester in which his/her GPA falls below 3.00. If, in the following semester, the student’s GPA again falls below 3.00 but above 2.50, he/she will be placed on probation.
• For continuation in the M.Sc. programme, a student’s GPA should not fall below 2.5 or equivalent for two consecutive semesters, or 3.0 for three consecutive semesters.
• Termination of candidature will result if a student fails to maintain the minimum GPA.

Ph.D.

• A student will be issued a warning for any semester in which his/her GPA falls below 3.50. If, in the following semester, the student’s GPA again falls below 3.5 but above 3.0, he/she will be placed on probation.
• For continuation in the PhD programme, a student’s GPA should not fall below 3.0 or equivalent for two consecutive semesters, or 3.5 for three consecutive semesters.
• Termination of candidature will result if a student fails to maintain the minimum GPA.

Research scholars who do not meet the continuation requirements may have their monthly stipend or scholarship/fee waiver terminated without notice. Reinstatement will be reviewed after the scholar meets the continuation requirement, at the recommendation of the department.

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (QE)

Students are required to pass the PhD qualifying examination (QE) to ensure that they are making headway in the right direction.

For more information on QE, go to http://blog.nus.edu.sg/phapostgrad/phd-qualifying-examinations.

Graduation Requirements

M.Sc.

• Achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 for all modules
• Obtain at least a grade C in the graduate English courses conducted by the Centre for English Language Communication at intermediate level (if applicable)
• Pass the Master’s Thesis

Ph.D.

• Achieve a minimum GPA of 3.5 for all modules
• Obtain at least a grade C in the graduate English courses conducted by the Centre for English Language Communication at advanced level (if applicable)
• Pass the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination
• Pass the Ph.D. Thesis
• Pass the Ph.D. Oral Examination

Duration of Candidature

Research students may be admitted on a full-time or part-time basis. However, international students on student’s pass must pursue their studies on a full-time basis.

The maximum period of candidature for Graduate Programme students (leading to):

• M.Sc. (3 years)
• Ph.D. (5 years)

The maximum periods of candidature for full-time or part-time students are the same.

Residency Requirement

Applicants who are not residing in Singapore or would like to do their research in overseas institutions, must spend a period of residence in Singapore for a minimum of 6 months for Master’s degree or 18 months for Doctoral degree during his/her candidature.

Applicants who are awarded Research Scholarship must reside in Singapore during the duration of the scholarship award.

Admission Requirements

Interested applicants should possess the following:

• A good relevant Bachelor and/or Master degree
• NUS graduates should have at least a 2nd Upper Honours
• The ability to pursue research in the candidate’s proposed field of advanced study

International applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their GRE/GATE test scores to support their application.
A candidate whose medium of undergraduate instruction is not in English are required to submit TOEFL or IELTS.

Scholarships & Programme Fees

Scholarships

Click here for a list of available research scholarships

Programme Fees

Click here for information on programme fees

Application Information

Closing Date

There are two intakes per academic year: Semester 1 (August) and Semester 2 (January).

• For the Semester 1 (August) intake, the closing date is 15 November of the previous year.
• For the Semester 2 (January) intake, the closing date is 15 May of the previous year.

Application is open all year round. Applications received after the closing date will be considered for the next relevant intake.

Instructions on Application

Application for admission to graduate research programmes is available online, through the Graduate Admission System.

Application is now fully online and hardcopy printouts are no longer required.  Therefore, you do not need to print or send us anything by post. Instead, please upload all the required document online.

Applicants who wish to apply to more than one department must submit separate sets of applications. Each set of application  should be accompanied by all supporting documents.

All supporting documents, if not in English, must be accompanied by copies of the English translation of the documents. Any omission of information required in the application or supporting documents will render the application void.

Completed applications (with all the required documents) submitted before the respective application closing date will be processed.

Completed/Incomplete applications received after the respective application deadline will be considered for the next intake.

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

Supporting Documents

Transcript & Degree Scroll

An official transcript of academic records and degree scroll are required from each university the applicant has attended. Applicants are responsible for requesting the transcript(s) and degree scroll from the relevant universities. 

Copies of transcripts and degree scrolls  must bear the seal of the university and certified as true copies by the Registrar or representative.

Other Academic Certificates

In addition to university transcripts, applicants may attach any other academic certificates to support their application.

TOEFL/IELTS

Applicants whose native tongue AND medium of university instruction is not completely in English should submit 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.

Candidates are required to submit TOEFL (with the minimum score of 85 for the internet-based test) or IELTS (with the minimum score of 6.0) scores.

TOEFL/ IELTS scores are valid for two (2) years from the test date. If the test has been taken more than two years ago, applicants should retake the test to have the scores reported.

GRE

Candidates are strongly encouraged to submit GRE (minimum score of 320 [Verbal+ Quantitative] and 3.5 [Analytical Writing]).

GRE scores are valid for five (5) years from the test date. If the test was taken more than five years since, applicants should retake the test to have the scores reported.

Applicants from India may submit GATE scores in lieu of GRE.

Referee Reports

Recommendations from two (2) academic referees are to be submitted via the online admission system. Applicants should check with their referees and obtain their institutional email address. Email addresses from domains other than “.edu” may be subjected to additional screening and filtering. Once the online application is submitted by the applicant, an automated email will be generated and sent to the referees.

Alternatively, recommendations from referees may be submitted via hardcopy. Applicants should request that their referees return the recommendation form in a SEALED envelope, with its opening bearing their signatures across it.

Publications

Applicants are to submit a copy of each of their publication(s), if any. The journal’s “Impact Factor” field (which allows input of up to one decimal point) is essentially a measure of scientific impact that is based on citation rates for an article or other citable item. It also takes into account the significance of the journals in which results has been published. Applicants are to leave this portion blank if they are unsure.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Applicants are required to submit a copy of their CV.

Research Proposal

Applicants are encouraged to submit a brief preliminary research proposal of not more than 1,000 words.

Documentary Proof of Financial Support

International applicants who are not applying for the Research Scholarship or have indicated their wish to be considered for admission in the event that their Research Scholarship application is unsuccessful, must submit documentary evidence of their ability to support their study (e.g. a bank statement) indicating the availability of funding of at least S$40,000 or its equivalent.

Applicants who are sponsored by an individual or organization will need to submit a letter from the sponsor with details/ documentary proof of the sponsorship.

Those who are working in Singapore and applying for admission to our part-time programme may submit a copy of their recent pay slip.

Citizenship Certificate/NRIC/Passport

International applicants should submit a copy of their passport page, showing their nationality.

Application Outcome

Applicants will be informed officially on the outcome of their application via email latest as follows:

• Semester 1 (August) intake: 31 May
• Semester 2 (January) intake: 31 October of the previous year

Lab Openings

The research interests and motivations significantly influence the success of students enrolled in the Pharmacy graduate program. To inquire about potential lab openings, it is advisable to proactively establish communication with potential supervisors affiliated with the Department of Pharmacy before submitting your application. The following table lists all NUS Pharmacy Principal Investigators with vacancies in their laboratories to recruit graduate research students in Acad Year 2024/2025.

Please note that candidates will be shortlisted purely based on academic and research credentials. While the Department will try to match supervisor to the preference of the student, final assignment of MSc/PhD supervisor will be subjected to a set of guidelines established in the Department.

Pharmacy Graduate Committee

The Pharmacy Graduate Committee (PGC) is the departmental representative body for graduate students at the Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore. It aims to provide important information about PGC services and graduate studies in our department.

Learn more