Are you a Pharmaceutical Business Administration, Health Care, Chemistry or Life Sciences student? And are you keen on a future in the pharmaceutical industry? Our Minor International Pharmaceutical Studies (IPS) enhances your knowledge by focusing on both the business and drug development side of new drugs. You will work in small groups (teams of 4), allowing for an intensive, international learning environment. Excursions are part of the program.
Admission
To enter the IPS minor programme, you must have the propaedeutic diploma.
As this Minor is a full-time in-house program, it is not suitable for part-time and/or flexstudents (exceptions may be possible after consultation with the Minor coordinator).
The Examination Board determines which minors do not have a higher professional education level and/or have an unacceptable overlap with the compulsory curriculum of your own study programme. Check at the page Not allowed minor courses under your institute which minors are not allowed. This page will be updated from 29 February for the 2024-2025 minor offer.
Content
The International Pharmaceutical Studies (IPS) minor program is aimed at understanding business aspects as well as drug development processes within the pharmaceutical industry and affiliated businesses. It covers all phases and aspects of the drug development process, both pre-clinical and clinical.
You will work in project teams to discover, develop, and bring to the market a (fictive) new medicine. There will be English classes to improve your professional English. You will also attend guest lectures from experts from the pharmaceutical industry and other affiliated businesses. In addition, there are several excursions, including a 3-day international excursion. Guest lectures and excursions are mandatory parts of the Minor.
Learning objectives
After completing this minor, you will be able to describe all aspects of drug development process:
- Pre-clinical: target identification, compound screening, pharmacological and toxicological testing.
- Clinical: phase I, II and III, registration and (post) marketing.
Next to this, you will work on and improve your professional communication skills in English (speaking as well as writing), as well as your professional attitude and collaboration skills which you have displayed by your work within a team.
Courses
The programme consists of the following courses:
| Unit | Course code | Titel | ECTS |
| Term A | GKO-IPS.1-13 | Pharmaceutical Industry & Pre-clinical Drug Development | 15 |
| Term B | GKO-IPS.2-13 | Clinical Drug Development, Registration & Marketing | 15 |
Term A provides an overview of pharmaceutical businesses across the world, defining recent movements and trends. You will also study the pre-clinical drug development process and start your Minor project: the design and development of a new drug.
Term B covers clinical drug development, international clinical studies, and trial management. You will also learn about registering and marketing pharmaceutics. All will be done within the Minor project: the development of a new drug.
Assessment
Your grades will be based on individual assignments and project group (n=4) assignments. The final grade per term will be based on 4 (term A) or 5 (term B) different grades:
- individual grade for presentations;
- group grades for presentations (only term B);
- individual grade for part of written portfolio;
- group grade for part of a written portfolio;
- a grade for professional conduct/collaboration will also be part of the final grade.
Literature
The following literature will be used during the minor.
- Hill, R.G. and Richards, D.B. (2021). Drug Discovery and Development (3rd edition). Elsevier. (mandatory to have)
Schedule
This is a full-time program. Contact hours at HU are Wednesdays and Fridays. On other days, project teams will work on weekly assignments. Excursions may be on other weekdays. Classes will not be after 7 p.m.
Due to the nature of the Minor (group work, mandatory guest lectures/excursions, full-time program) following the minor in an adapted form needs to be discussed with the Minor coordinator (programma op maat).
With the exception of the first teaching period of the academic year (starting September), the lesson and test schedules are always posted on Mijn Rooster four weeks before the start of each teaching period. The schedule for the first teaching period of the academic year can be found on the site three weeks before the start. The most up-to-date schedule is always visible on Mijn Rooster.
Additional costs
Approximately €100,- (for overnight stay and meals during international excursion).