Master's Degree Programme in Drug Discovery and Development
Turku, Finland
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
22 Jan 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 12,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* free for citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland, for citizens of non-EU/EEA countries €12,000/academic year
Introduction
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The Master's Degree Programme in Drug Discovery and Development trains experts for the entire drug development chain.
The studies in Drug Discovery and Development give you a deep understanding of up-to-date methods applied to identify and validate new drug targets and to generate lead drug molecules. They also provide knowledge of technological innovations as well as methods of clinical drug research and development phases, clinical trial design, study planning, and biostatistics. You will learn about drug regulatory science and pharmacovigilance.
After graduation, you will master drug discovery and development processes as well as procedures applied in drug regulatory science. You will also be familiar with the role of drug regulatory authorities during the life span of a drug. The University of Turku also offers Drug Research Doctoral Programme for post-graduate studies.
You will get comprehensive skills to work in the field of biomedicine and drug discovery in companies, universities, research institutes, or drug regulatory authorities. The programme also gives a good foundation for those interested in entrepreneurship.
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Academic Excellence & Experience
Turku is a great place to study drug discovery and development! Of the Finnish drug innovations, 90 percent have been made in Turku. To support future discoveries, the University of Turku has chosen drug development as one of its strategic profiling areas.
Research in biosciences and medicine is internationally ranked among the top in the world. The keys to success lie in long biomedical research traditions and a compact campus area where two universities and a university hospital operate to create an interdisciplinary and innovative study and research environment.
The research focus is on translational medicine, disease modelling, and biomedical imaging. Available infrastructure includes the world-famous Turku PET Centre and Turku Centre for Disease Modelling, both of which offer services for drug development research.
Turku also has the largest cluster of the pharma industry in Finland. Nearby companies not only provide experts for visiting lectures but also create internship and job opportunities for the graduates.
Biomedical Sciences At Turku Universities
Turku has longstanding research traditions in the field of biomedicine. Especially the fields of drug discovery, diagnostics, and biological and medical imaging represent the top-level expertise of the University of Turku. The close cooperation with Åbo Akademi University forms a unique educational combination of biomedical sciences in Finland and worldwide.
You will make a personal study plan, which helps you select the courses that best suit your personal interests and background.
The Drug Discovery and Development programme is part of the NordBioMedNet network. The universities of Bergen, Copenhagen, Eastern Finland, Turku, and Karolinska Institutet have established a network to develop biomedical education in Nordic countries. Students in Drug Discovery and Development have possibilities for course, internship, and research project exchange in the partner universities. The network also offers virtual intensive courses and an online learning portal on www.nordbiomed.org.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
The University of Turku supports merited and motivated students with generous scholarships. The university offers these scholarships to students pursuing Master's level studies who are subject to tuition fees.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence, and you can apply for a scholarship by simply answering “yes” to the corresponding question in the online application form when you apply for the programme.
One type of scholarship covers whole tuition fees for two years for Master’s degree programmes. In addition to that, there is a scholarship for the best applicants that covers tuition fees and includes an additional grant of €5,000.
Approximately 30 % of the admitted students are awarded a scholarship by the University of Turku.
Curriculum
Programme Structure
Master's Thesis & Topics
The master’s thesis project is based on independent, experimental research work.
You will agree on your thesis topic with your thesis examiner who also accepts the topic. You will write a research plan, conduct a research project in a laboratory, analyze obtained results, and demonstrate your ability to interpret results and write a report in a form of a scientific article. The project work is always performed under the guidance of a supervisor.
In order to also practice scientific communication, you will present your results in seminars and write a press release to stimulate collaboration between academia and the media. Additionally, you will act as a peer reviewer for your fellow student to practice feedback discussions.
Examples of some thesis topics:
- Drug development for receptor antagonists and their potential in treating cognitive disorders
- Pharmacological characterization of ion channels
- Optimization of Microfluidics Encapsulation with Nanoprecipitation for Controlled Drug Delivery
- Diagnostics tools for coronary artery diseases – characterization of antibodies
- Modeling of schizophrenic disorders in rats
- The Effects of Melanocortin Signaling on Hypertrophic Responses in Cultured Cardiomyocytes
- RNA interference in HSV-virus treatment
- The use of positron emission tomography (PET) to measure the effect of disease-modifying therapies in MS disease
- PET-imaging of molecules targeted in inflammation – preclinical studies with arthritis model
Program Outcome
Competence Description
The studies in Drug Discovery and Development provide you with a deep understanding of:
- up-to-date methods applied to identify and validate new drug targets and to generate lead drug molecules that modulate the biological activity of the target;
- technological innovations made in the lead optimisation process;
- how new drug candidates are investigated during the non-clinical drug development phase;
- methods of clinical drug research, clinical drug development phases, clinical trial design, and biostatistical study planning;
- various aspects of drug regulatory science and pharmacovigilance.
Career Opportunities
Job Options
After graduation, you will be an expert in drug discovery and development processes. You will know the procedures applied in drug regulatory science and the role of drug regulatory authorities during the life span of a drug.
Possible job titles are:
- medical liaison,
- medical writer,
- regulatory consulting expert,
- scientific/technical advisor,
- research director,
- project manager,
- drug development pharmacologist,
- university lecturer/researcher.
Career in Research
The Master of Science degree completed in this programme also qualifies you for PhD studies in Turku, elsewhere in Finland, or universities worldwide. In Turku, you will be able to apply for a position in the University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS). The Graduate School consists of doctoral programmes that cover all disciplines and doctoral candidates of the University.
Together with the doctoral programmes, the Graduate School provides systematic and high-quality doctoral training. UTUGS aims to train highly qualified experts with the skills required for both professional careers in research and other positions of expertise.
Several doctoral programmes at the University of Turku are available for graduates: