Study programme

The graduate has knowledge of and insight into:

• the most important processes and mechanisms involved in the disease processes;
• the different levels of organization (molecules, cells, tissues and organisms) and their interactions, in humans and animals;
• the major clinical pharmacological, epidemiological and (bio)-analytical research methods and techniques used in pharmaceutical research.;
• methodology and statistical methods, relevant for pharmaceutical research;
• the main groups of pharmaceuticals, their chemical and physical properties and their mechanism of action at the molecular and cellular level;
• the processes and theories that play a role in the metabolism, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of pharmaceuticals and other xenobiotics;
• routes of administration of medicines, and the influence of chemical and physical properties of pharmaceuticals on their storage condition and expiration date;
• social and ethical issues of pharmaceutical research, such as medical ethics (medical ethical committee, animal ethical committee);
• the safety issues of pharmaceutical research, such as legislation and regulation, relevant quality standards and quality models and the careful use of biological and chemical materials.

The graduate is able to:

• form an opinion and develop a viewpoint on pharmaceutical questions, thereby taking into account relevant scientific, social or ethical issues;
• find and analyse relevant data (literature, research data) in the pharmaceutical and (bio)medical field, critically judge these data and use them for research, to formulate a theory, and for the preparation and quality control of medicines;
• translate a clinical or fundamental pharmaceutical problem into a research question and  subsequently, under supervision, design a (simple) experimental or compounding  protocol, execute this and report about the results in a manner that fulfils scientifically accepted criteria;
• apply pharmaceutical laboratory techniques and skills under supervision, including pharmaceutical calculations and maintaining a laboratory notebook;
• report orally and in writing, present to, and communicate with a diversity of target groups (other academics, healthcare professionals and laypeople);
• discuss, reason, collaborate, and to give and receive feedback;
• reflect on his/her own development and (study)career, make conscious choices and  commit to a further (study)career;
• perform pharmaceutical research both independently as well as in a team.

The graduate demonstrates:

• an respectful and constructive-critical attitude towards own and other people’s plans, quality care systems, visions and research results;
• a social and ethical attitude towards science, society and social problems that affect the profession of researchers or pharmacists;
• a respectful and responsible attitude towards fellow students and other professional contacts;
• the ability to independently obtain relevant knowledge and skills and to maintain them lifelong.