Prospectus

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Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences: Industrial Pharmacy

Disclaimer: The programme of the specialisation Industrial Pharmacy is under development and may be subject to change.

Industrial Pharmacy is a specialisation of the Master’s programme Bio-Pharmaceutocal Sciences. The specialisation Industrial Pharmacy trains students in safety and quality control in the production of medicinal products, and prepares students for a career in Quality Assurance and Quality Control in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry. For this specialisation only a limited number of positions are available. Admission of max. 2 participants (2018-2019) occurs after selection only. The Board of Admissions will judge the candidate’s personal skills (e.g. awareness of responsibility, accuracy, communication skills, methodological approach when analysing complex problems, and motivation) for qualification to the specialisation. A final decision on admission to the specialisation Industrial Pharmacy will be made after completion of at least half of (≥ 22 EC) of the research project at one of the research Divisions of the LACDR (Research Project 1). Please contact the study advisers for more information.

The specialisation Industrial Pharmacy (IP) consists of 60 EC in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences and 60 EC in Industrial Pharmacy.

The BPS research component of the Industrial Pharmacy (IP) specialisation consists of:

  • the Introduction Course Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences in the specialisation corresponding to the cluster at which Research Project 1 is performed (4 EC)

  • a research project of 49 EC in one of the research groups of the LACDR, including 5 EC for a thesis and 2 EC for an oral presentation

  • one of the lecture series listed below (4 EC)

  • the course Advanced Academic Skills and Career Orientation (3 EC)

The Industrial Pharmacy component of the Industrial Pharmacy (IP) specialisation consists of:

  • Internship Quality Control/Quality Assurance, in a Pharmaceutical Company under supervision of a Qualified Person (QP) and an examiner of the LACDR, including Practical Work, Thesis and Oral Presentation (37 EC)

  • an essay Quality Control/Quailty Assurance (7EC)

  • IP specific courses (16 EC)

First and Second Year

Course EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Mandatory courses:

Introduction Course 4
Advanced Academic Skills and Career Orientation 3

Research project 1 at one of the Divisions of the LACDR

Research Project 1 - Practical Work (SCS, SBB, EDU and IP specialisations of BPS) 42
Research Project 1 - Thesis 5
Research Project 1 - Oral Presentation 2

Industrial Pharmacy

Internship Quality Control/Quality Assurance in a Pharmaceutical Company, including Practical Work, Thesis and Oral Presentation 37
Essay Quality Control/Quality Assurance 7
Basic Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) 1
Ethics in Quality Control Practices 1
Legislation of Production of Medicinal Products 1
Microbial Control in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing 4
Quality Management in Pharma and Biotech. Module 1 - The Role of the Qualified Person 2
Quality Management in Pharma and Biotech. Module 2 - Drug development: from ‘Quality by Design’ to Clinical Studies 2
Quality Management in Pharma and Biotech. Module 3 - Sterile Manufacturing 2
Quality Management in Pharma and Biotech. Module 4 - Quality and Safety for the Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals 2

The MSc programme of Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences offers the following Lecture Series in the academic year 2020-2021 (one of these is mandatory):

Atherosclerosis 4
Regulation of Drug Safety 4
Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry 4
A Clinical Pharmacologist Approach to Combat a Viral Pandemic 4
Signal Transduction and Hallmarks of Cancer 4
Quantitative Pharmacology 4
Model organisms in cancer drug discovery and development 4
Drug Delivery 4
Blood-Brain Barrier: Drug Transport to the Brain 4
Biophysics and Bioengineering for Pharmaceutical Sciences 4
Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry for Metabolomics 4
Miniaturized Analytical Systems 4
Novel Concepts in Molecular Pharmacology 4
Pharmaceutical Outcome Research – Scientific key in the Life Cycle of Pharmaceutical Interventions 4

Optional courses in the academic year 2020-2021 (list is not restrictive):

Student assistantship bachelor research assignment 5
Computational Techniques for Chemical Biology (CTCB) 6
IP Law in Science 5

Please Note

As of September 2018, the Course 'Advanced Academic Skills and Career Orientation' replaced the courses 'Attended Lectures and Colloquia', 'Scientific Conduct' and 1 EC of the 'Introduction Course Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences'.

If you started before September 2018 you need to pass the courses 'Introduction Course Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences' (5EC), 'Attended Lectures and Colloquia' (1EC) and 'Scientific Conduct' (1EC).

If you started in or after September 2018 (or you have made a individual program with the study advisor), you need to pass 'Introduction Course Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences' (4EC) and 'Advanced Academic Skills and Career Orientation' (3EC).

If you started in September 2021, you need to pass 'Introduction Course' (4EC) and 'Advanced Academic Skills and Career Orientation' (3EC).

Introduction Course Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences 4
Attended Lectures and Colloquia 1

Career Orientation

During the Master Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences (BPS) we want to provide you with the best possible preparation for the job market. In addition to knowledge, it is important that you develop skills, gain practical experience, orientate on positions & careers, and reflect on your own profile and development. In addition to substantive knowledge, it is also important to be aware of the so-called transferable skills that you develop outside and during your education. These are, for example, your cognitive skills such as critical thinking and communication. Altogether, this contributes to your development as a professional and offers good preparation for the labour market.

Students in the Master’s program are trained for a scientific career in drug research and development. Depending on your interests, you can choose from seven specializations to further extend your scientific training and theoretical background in innovative drug research or supplement it with training in Business Studies, Science Communication and Society, or Education.

From the start of the master, you are challenged to work on your academic skills and prepare yourselves for the labour market. As part of the Introduction course a career symposium is organized with presentations from alumni. Moreover, during the mandatory course Advanced Academic Skills and Career Orientation, you are expected to join career events, workshops and symposia, and to visit multiple colloquia given by peers. Writing assignments about your experiences during the master, reflection on what you have learned, and what you still want to learn and ideas about your career are also part of the course.

In summary, you will receive a complete and challenging program with a focus on scientific development as well as on the academic skills for a broad array of careers in the pharmaceutical field.

Nevertheless, questions about this subject may arise during your studies, such as: How can you use the knowledge and skills you gain within and outside your study program in the labor market? Which direction do you choose within your study and why? What are you already able to do, and what skills do you still want to learn? How do you translate the courses you choose into something you would like to do later?

You may have already discussed this with the study advisor, mentor, tutor, the Science Career Service, fellow students or made use of the Leiden University Career Zone. All kinds of activities are organized where you get the chance to orientate yourself on the job market and gives opportunities to reflect on your own development, possibilities and (study) career profile as well. Central to this are the questions: "What are my capabilities?", "What do I want?" and "How do I achieve my goals?".

In the prospectus, learning objectives have been formulated for each subject, the purpose of which is to inform you which components are covered in the development of your (study) career profile and preparation for the labour market. Various activities are also organized that help you in making all kinds of career choices and to develop skills. An overview of activities is shown below.

Activities

In the Brightspace module “Master Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences” information is compiled for you about career prospects of graduates of our programme and alumni career paths.

First year

  • Introductory meeting with the study advisor

  • Mentorship

  • Workshops and Career Colleges Science Career Service

  • Career Symposium with presentations by alumni

  • Career Orientation reflection assignment 1 – You are here!, to reflect on current profile, expectations and need for orientation

  • Career Orientation reflection assignment 2 – On Track!?, to reflect on to reflect on your academic and personal development

  • Career Orientation reflection assignment 3 – Choosing direction, to evaluate how the career orientation activities helped you to develop a view on the career perspectives of a Bio-Pharmaceutical scientist.

  • Career Events (e.g. Science Career Event, L.P.S.V. „Aesculapius” Career Day, K.N.P.S.V. Profession Day, BCF Career Event)

  • Colloquia by peers

  • LACDR Symposia

  • Bio Science Parc Excursion

Second year

  • Workshops and Career Colleges Science Career Service

  • Career Events (e.g. Science Career Event, L.P.S.V. „Aesculapius” Career Day, K.N.P.S.V. Profession Day, BCF Career Event)

  • Colloquia peers

  • LACDR Symposia

  • Bio Science Parc Excursion

  • Voluntary Career Orientation reflection assignment 4 – Dream Job Ahead!, to learn how to write an application letter and Curriculum Vitae for the dream job that you aspire after your graduation.

Science Career Service

Science Career Service, one of the utilities of the Science faculty, offers information and advice on study (re)orientation, career planning and personal professional profile as well as preparation for the job market, such as job applications. Facilities provided to students include online information, walk-in consultations, workshops and individual counselling sessions. In addition, Science Career Service offers expertise and support to programmes that want to strengthen the connection between their curriculum and the job market. This can vary from providing specific guest lectures/workshops to advising on integrating career orientation programmes into the curriculum.

LU Career Zone

The Leiden University Career Zone is the website for students and alumni of Leiden University to support their (study) career planning. You will find advice, information, video recordings of webinars and tools such as professional tests to get an idea of your personal profile. You can also explore positions and sectors, you will find tips about CV, job application, LinkedIn and there is a vacancy platform that you can make use of.

Mentornetwerk

Leiden University likes to prepare students and young alumni well for the job market. For this we use the knowledge and experience of Leiden alumni. To bring students and young alumni with questions about their careers into contact with experienced alumni, Leiden University has established the Mentor Network. Students and young alumni can register for free.

Contact

Do you have questions about your (study) career choices and has the above information not been able to help you further? Please contact the study advisor at studyadvisorBPS@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl.