Alumni 2008
ARTICLE
Profile and Career
The pharmaceutical industry is financially strong and developing rapidly. The industry continuously needs to recruit a sufficient number of graduates with a focused background in the pharmaceutical sciences.
The MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences gives you the opportunity to tailor a two-year master’s programme focused on drug-oriented courses. As a graduate you will be in heavy demand in the pharmaceutical industry internationally and in the Danish biotech, medico-tech and pharmaceutical industries that hold a key position in the international arena.
If you are considering a career in the pharmaceutical industry, the MSc in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Copenhagen is an excellent springboard. The programme includes pharmacy courses not found at other Danish universities.
The development of new drugs is a long and complicated process, and graduates hold a key roll as bridge builders between the many experts involved. The programme offers three different study tracks, which allow students to focus on a certain area of the drug development process.
Each track offers great flexibility regarding elective courses and projects, which enables students to create a specialised academic profile.
The development of new drugs and medicinal products is a long and complex process that starts with the glimmer of a new idea and ends with the effective marketing of a finished product.
Bridge-builders in complex processes
An MSc in pharmaceutical sciences gives you an educational ballast that supplements other experts in the field. Approximately every fourth person who works in drug development trained as a pharmacist, doctor, engineer, chemist, biochemist, or similar. The majority work in research, development, production, quality assurance and information.
In the pharmaceutical industry project-oriented teamwork in a combination of fields is typical. Someone with an MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences is ideal for this type of team effort and has the skills to build bridges between people with various specialist backgrounds.
Please note
The MSc degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences does not qualify graduates to practice as pharmacists at community or hospital pharmacies in Denmark and other EU countries.
The pharmaceutical industry considers people with an MSc in pharmaceutical sciences to be highly relevant. Pharmaceuticals companies as well as biotech companies have shown great interest in hiring graduates with the skills provided through the programme.
The University of Copenhagen is located in the midst of one of the world’s leading biotech areas – Medicon Valley – home to almost 300 ‘life science’ companies. The School of Pharmaceutical Sciences is known for its extensive cooperation with industry.
One of these collaborative endeavours is the school’s own Drug Research Academy (DRA), where a number of Danish biotech and pharmaceutical companies co-finance PhD scholarships. DRA covers all key research areas in drug development from research, development and production to clinical testing.
This close concentration of biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the region coupled with the school’s collaboration with industry provides good opportunities for students to build contacts to future employers during their studies.
There are excellent opportunities to find student jobs related to the field and to initiate thesis projects at one of the many companies in the area.
