Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering

MSc graduates in Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering gain solid knowledge of all phases of drug development—with special emphasis on biopharma.

The pharmaceutical industry is in great need of graduates with extensive knowledge of drug development, especially when it comes to drugs based on biological molecules, which is a global growth area in the pharmaceutical industry—e.g. in connection with age-related diseases, cancer, complex lifestyle diseases, autoimmune diseases, and certain infectious diseases.

Study programme focus

On the MSc in Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering, you will learn how to design, develop, and test drugs in line with the methods applied by the pharmaceutical industry. You will acquire a broad range of competencies in all areas of pharma—e.g. diagnostics and nanotechnological treatment methods. Of course, the legal aspects relating to documentation, approval, and distribution of drugs also form part of the study programme.

The pharma technology core of the MSc programme consists of a number of mandatory courses covering the pharmaceutical drug discovery process, as well as high-level biology courses supplemented with in-depth methodology and technology courses.

‘Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering’ is offered on the basis of a new and original programme concept where project work in close collaboration with relevant pharmaceutical companies plays an important role. The companies propose specific issues for the project courses, allowing you to use your technical and scientific knowledge to solve research and development problems currently challenging the pharmaceutical industry. In this way, you will learn to solve ‘real-life cases’, while also expanding and specializing your knowledge and competencies at a theoretical level.

A clear MSc profile

‘Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering’ has a clear MSc profile. There are no predefined programmes or specializations—instead you can choose from a pool of technological specialization courses and the extensive range of elective courses offered by DTU. Therefore, you can design your own study programme and career, graduating with the pharmaceutical engineering profile that best matches your interests and background. 

You can choose to focus on chemistry, biology, or the various aspects of the pharma process, including drug discovery and methods development, drug lead optimization and drug production. You can also choose to concentrate on product characterization, clinical testing, intellectual property rights (IPR), or post-marketing surveillance.

You will not find pre-defined sub programmes or specializations on the DTU Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering MSc programme.

You can choose from a range of technological specialization courses and combine with elective courses to create precisely the individual Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering profile to match your interests and background. That said, there is still a number of core mandatory courses clearly defining the Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering candidate.

These courses cover the pharmaceutical drug discovery proces as well as a number of advanced life science courses supplemented by in dephts courses on methodology and technology. For example, your profile may be chemical or it may be biological; it may be focused on discovery/methods development or on product development or production, or you may choose to concentrate on product characterization, clinical trials, handling intellectual property rights, or post-marketing surveillance—just to mention a few possibilities.

At the same time we are keen to ensure that a master in Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering has a clearly recognizable profile; a broad knowledge of industrial pharma processes, and of the demands and interrelations between its different phases—with a particular focus on biopharma.

Only applicants holding either a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, a Bachelor in Engineering or a Bachelor of Natural Science degree can be admitted to a Master of Science in Engineering programme. From September 2017 the bachelor degree must be less than 10 years old.

The individual MSc Eng programme states in detail which bachelor programmes qualify and whether applicants have to complete supplementary educational activities.

Requirements for supplementary educational activities can equate to up to 30 ECTS credits and are specified in the form of a list of courses under the individual MSc Eng programmes.

The specific requirements must be met before graduating from the bachelor programme or in connection with conditional admission to a particular MSc Eng programme. The courses must be passed prior to the commencement of studies within one year from the conditional admission.

Supplementary educational activities in connection with conditional admission to an MSc Eng programme do not form part of the MSc Eng programme, and partial tuition fees are charged. If the supplementary courses have not been passed within the deadlines specified, the conditional admission to the programme is withdrawn.

The Master of Science in Engineering programmes are offered in English. Therefore applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English (B-level, IELTS, TOEFL- or Pearson test).

Academic requirements for this programme

Students from DTU

The following Bachelor of Science in Engineering programmes at DTU entitle students to admission to the MSc Eng programme in Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering

• Biotechnology
• Human Life Science Engineering

The following Bachelor of Engineering programmes at DTU have admission to be admitted to the MSc Eng programme in Pharmaceutical Design and Engineering

• Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
• Chemistry and Business Economy

subject to having passed the following course:

Students from other universities

BSc Eng and BSc (Natural Science) students with relevant background such as 

• Biotechnology
• Biochemistry

may have access to admission subject to an individual assesment. The applicants should have a strong working knowledge of natural sciences.

The MSc Eng programme builds on a bachelor curriculum comprising the following DTU courses or other university natural sciences courses corresponding to these:

The required level will be evaluated by comparison with the contents of the corresponding DTU courses and the courses must be passed with good marks.

Prospective applicants with other backgrounds than the above should contact the Head of Study (Peter Heegaard) before applying.

For applicants with a non-Danish bachelor or other relevant international academic background, all steps in the admission procedure are handled through DTU’s office of International Affairs where to inquiries about formalities should be directed. Questions about academic qualifications and program content should be directed to the study leader.

Admission will be decided on basis of relevance and quality of the applicant’s educational background.