Program Overview

MSc/PgDip/PgCert Pharmaceutical Quality & Good Manufacturing Practice

The postgraduate qualifications in Pharmaceutical Quality & Good Manufacturing Practice are only available to individuals who are already enrolled in the NSF-Health Sciences Qualified Person Training Programme. They provide a route to an academic qualification for individuals who are already seeking Qualified Person status.

Key Facts

• Start date: September
• Study mode and duration: 21 months part-time
• Modular & distance learning course

Study with Us

The postgraduate qualifications in Pharmaceutical Quality & Good Manufacturing Practice are provided in a unique collaboration between the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS) and NSF International (formerly known as NSF-DBA and David Begg Associates (DBA)). NSF-Health Sciences are leading experts in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries offering training, consultancy, and auditing services.

Teaching Staff

Lecturers include NSF staff, personnel from the regulatory authorities and the pharmaceutical industry, and University of Strathclyde staff with expertise in pharmaceutical quality.

What You'll Study

You're required to complete six of the NSF modules for the Postgraduate Certificate. For the Postgraduate Diploma, you need to complete all 12 modules. Each of the 12 modules is delivered annually as a three to five-day residential or online course. Participants usually complete the 12 modules within a two-year period.

The Diploma can be converted to the MSc by completion of a research project which is normally undertaken at your workplace.

Learning & Teaching

Each module consists of:

• lectures
• tutorials
• discussion groups
• relevant visits

The cohesion of the student group rapidly develops as all participants are generally working in some aspect of quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry. As such, the informal aspects of each module can become an important part of the knowledge-gathering process.

Assessment

Modules are assessed individually. Each module is assessed via a short examination or a short dissertation/essay.

In addition, you're required to build a reflective portfolio demonstrating the value of their module-by-module learning to becoming a Qualified Person.

MSc students write and submit a thesis for examination based on their research project.

Course Content

The course is based on the syllabus in the European-approved 'Qualified Person' (QP) study guide as used in the pharmaceutical industry.

The course content includes all the diverse elements required to ensure that each batch of a medicinal product meets the quality requirements of the relevant product and manufacturer's licences. This includes:

• an understanding of the pharmacology and chemistry of the product's active and other ingredients
• a knowledge of how the product was manufactured
• how the product delivers the drug in the patient's body
• how the patient's body is expected to handle the drug by way of excretion and metabolism

You’re also made aware of the statutory framework which is applied in the control of the manufacture and distribution of medicinal products.

Each NSF module within the Qualified Person Training Programme maps onto one of twelve 10-credit modules within the University’s postgraduate qualifications as follows:

• Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
• Analysis & Testing
• Formulation & Processing
• Investigational Medicinal Products
• Mathematics & Statistics
• Medicinal Chemistry & Therapeutics
• Pharmaceutical Law & Administration
• Pharmaceutical Microbiology
• Pharmaceutical Packaging
• Pharmaceutical Quality Systems
• Practical Skills for PQGMP
• Role & Professional Duties of the QP

Entry Requirements

• Academic requirements: You should hold a relevant degree in a pharmaceutical, biological, or chemical discipline, or equivalent. You’re required to have attended and completed the required number of Qualified Person (QP) or QLP modules with NSF Health Sciences Ltd.

Fees & Funding

All fees quoted are for full-time courses and per academic year unless stated otherwise.

Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.

All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.

Annual Revision of Fees

Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually. The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs, and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study, and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.

Fees by Region

• Scotland:
  • MSc: £8,000
  • PgDip: £3,200
  • PgCert: £1,600
• England, Wales & Northern Ireland:
  • MSc: £8,000
  • PgDip: £3,200
  • PgCert: £1,600
• Republic of Ireland: If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status.
• International:
  • MSc: £13,800
  • PgDip: £5,520
  • PgCert: £2,760

Available Scholarships

Take a look at our scholarships search for funding opportunities.

International Students

If you are an international student, you may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information.

Please note: The fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.