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Pharmaceutical Technology: Discovery, Development and Production - Master's Programme

Master's programme · 2 years · 120 credits

Someone working in a pharma lab

Description

Are you interested in medicines for human health and generating powerful drugs? Would you like to become an expert in the entire process from discovery to development, formulations, production, and of course safety aspects? Apply to this programme – no matter if you like small molecule chemistry or biological pharmaceuticals!

The Master’s programme in Pharmaceutical Technology will prepare you for an exciting career in pharmaceuticals, no matter if you aim for working in the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory authorities or for future PhD studies. The programme is one of few with a broad approach that includes the entire pharmaceutical process; from discovery and identification of the active substance, to the development and production of the final drug, covering both biomolecules and small organic pharmaceutical molecules. The programme aims to expose students to as authentic industrial development scenarios as possible, with strong emphasis on laboratory practice and project-based learning.

Programme focus areas

  • Small organic molecule drug discovery including pharmacology
  • Biological drug discovery including pharmacology
  • Product development, production and quality assurance

The programme engages teachers from several strong interdisciplinary research departments at Lund University. It builds on well-established collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry as well as with other national and international, highly ranked, universities. For the final Master’s thesis project, these collaborations will provide excellent opportunities for research at Lund University and beyond, within a wide range of pharmacy-related research areas, in either academia or industry. Students in this programme will become part of a strong international research environment with access to excellent lab facilities and key equipment utilised within the pharma industry.

Programme structure

Compulsory courses will secure that all students, independent of specialisation later on, gain general and sufficient in-depth knowledge for the discovery and product development of both small organic molecules and biologic pharmaceuticals as well as in formulation and production. During project courses, the students will choose to focus on either biologic pharmaceuticals or small organic molecules therapeutics and obtain more detailed, in-depth knowledge and skills in the respective area. Skills related to team work, project planning and management, practical lab work and documentation will be trained. Furthermore, the project courses will cover other aspects of the drug development chain, such as patents, preclinical and clinical trials as well as regulatory questions. GMP basics are included in the programme and students also have the possibility to gain deeper insights into quality assurance. 
The programme is concluded with a Master degree project.

Full list of courses in this programme: https://www.lth.se/english/study/talak

Career prospects

The pharmaceutical industry experiences a continuing and growing demand for the recruitment of highly skilled employees with insight and knowledge covering the entire development process leading to a drug. Graduates of the programme will be well-prepared to meet future challenges in an international, multidisciplinary pharmaceutic environment.

The programme is closely connected to one of northern Europe’s strongest biotech regions, the Medicon Valley, hosting at least 200 international pharmaceutical companies and affiliates. Globally, the trend of small companies delivering lead compounds, analytical methods, and advanced formulation solutions to large pharmaceutical companies is widely spreading. This is a rapidly growing industry in need of qualified employees.

A likely first position for a student from this programme would be as organic or analytical chemist, as biochemist developing new biological pharmaceutical substances, as formulator of new drug products, at a position in the quality assurance field or within a regulatory authority. Alternatively, graduates could aim for further specialised studies as a PhD student.

Closed for applications

Application opportunities

Contact

Programme Director

Jenny Schelin

Email: msc [dot] pharma [at] lth [dot] lu [dot] se

International Coordinator

Cecilia Nilsson

Email: msc [dot] pharma [at] lth [dot] lu [dot] se

Requirements and selection

Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, biotechnology, chemistry, medicinal chemistry or equivalent At least 10 credits/ECTS in completed, dedicated mathematics/statistic courses, of which at least 5 credits mathematics. Completed courses of at least 60 credits/ECTS in chemistry, chemical engineering and/or biotechnology, of which at least 5 credits/ECTS in organic chemistry and 5 credits/ECTS in biochemistry/cell biology. English 6.

Selection criteria

The selection is based on academic qualifications.

English language requirements

Most of Lund University’s programmes require English Level 6 (unless otherwise stated under 'Entry requirements'). This is the equivalent of an overall IELTS score of 6.5 or a TOEFL score of 90. There are several ways to prove your English language proficiency – check which proof is accepted at the University Admissions in Sweden website. All students must prove they meet English language requirements by the deadline, in order to be considered for admission.

How to prove your English proficiency – universityadmissions.se

Country-specific requirements

Check if there are any country-specific eligibility rules for you to study Bachelor's or Master's studies in Sweden:

Country-specific requirements for Bachelor's studies – universityadmissions.se

Country-specific requirements for Master's studies – universityadmissions.se

Apply

Start Autumn Semester 2024

Day-time Lund, full time 100%

In English

Study period

2 September 2024 - 7 June 2026

Application

Closed for applications

How to apply

Lund University uses a national application system run by University Admissions in Sweden. It is only possible to apply during the application periods.

When to apply for studies

Step 1: Apply online

  • Check that you meet the entry requirements of the programme or course you are interested in (refer to the section above on this webpage).
  • Start your application – go to the University Admissions in Sweden website where you create an account and select programmes/courses during the application period.
    Visit the University Admissions in Sweden website
  • Rank your programme/course choices in order of preference and submit them before the application deadline.

Step 2: Submit documents

  • Read about how to document your eligibility and how to submit your documents at the University Admissions in Sweden website. Follow any country-specific document rules for Master's studies or Bachelor's studies
    Country-specific requirements for Bachelor's studies – universityadmissions.se
    Country-specific requirements for Master's studies – universityadmissions.se
     
  • Get all your documents ready:
    - official transcripts and high school diploma (Bachelor's applicants)
    - official transcripts and degree certificate or proof that you are in the final year of your Bachelor's (Master's applicants)
    - passport/ID (all applicants) and
    - proof of English proficiency (all applicants).
     
  • Prepare programme-specific documents if stated in the next paragraph on this webpage.
  • Upload or send all required documents to University Admissions before the document deadline.
  • Pay the application fee (if applicable – refer to the section below on this webpage) before the document deadline.

* Note that the process is different if you are applying as an exchange student or as a part of a cooperation programme (such as Erasmus+).
* If you have studied your entire Bachelor's programme in Sweden and all of your academic credits are in Ladok, you do not have to submit transcripts or your diploma when applying for a Master's programme. However, there may still be other documents you need to submit! See the link below. 

Svensk student? 
Läs instruktionerna om att söka till ett internationellt masterprogram på lu.se

Programme-specific documents

In addition to the documents mentioned under Step 2, you must also submit the document 'Summary sheet’ when you apply to this programme. To do this you need to:

  1. Fill in our template.
  2. Save the template as a PDF.
  3. Upload the PDF to your account at universityadmissons.se.

Template for the summary sheet – Pharmaceutical Technology (PDF, 331 kB, new tab)

No additional programme-specific documents (such as a CV or letters of recommendation) are required when you apply for this programme.

Watch on YouTube: How to apply for a Master's programme 

Tuition fees

Non-EU/EEA citizens

Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 340 000

First payment: SEK 85 000

Convert currency – xe.com

Citizens of a country outside of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are required to pay tuition fees. You pay one instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each semester.

Tuition fees, payments and exemptions

EU/EEA citizens and Switzerland

There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.

Application fee

If you are required to pay tuition fees, you are generally also required to pay an application fee of SEK 900 when you apply at the University Admissions in Sweden website. You pay one application fee regardless of how many programmes or courses you apply to.


*Note that there are no tuition or application fees for exchange students or doctoral/PhD students, regardless of their nationality.

Scholarships & funding

Lund University Global Scholarship programme

The Lund University Global Scholarship programme is a merit-based and selective scholarship targeted at top academic students from countries outside the EU/EEA.

Lund University Global Scholarship

Swedish Institute Scholarships

The Swedish Institute offers scholarships to international students applying for studies in Sweden at Master's level.

Scholarship information on the Swedish Institute website

Country-specific scholarships and funding options

Lund University has agreements with scholarship organisations and funding bodies in different countries, which may allow applicants to apply for funding or scholarships in their home countries for their studies at Lund University.

External scholarships

Information about scholarships from external organisations

Testimonials about this Master's