Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy

Program Introduction

Duration of Study

The normal duration of this program is 3 years,and the maximum duration is 6 years.
Teaching Approach

Face-to-face Teaching
Teaching Language

English
Academic Field

Pharmacy
Course Introduction

The Doctor of Pharmacy Program at Macau University of Science and Technology is the first pharmacy doctoral program in Macau. And the use of English teaching, academic research and international standards, to provide expertise for the internationalization and modernization of the pharmaceutical industry in Macau. This course covers a wide range of topics in the pharmaceutical field, including pharmacy, pharmacology, pharmacology, pharmacy and the frontier interdisciplinary。Aims to broaden the pharmaceutical knowledge and skills of doctoral students and adapt to the continuous progress of pharmaceutical science and technology。This course relies on the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, which has many of the world’s most advanced instruments. Such as ultra-high-phase liquid chromatography tandem-solid phase extraction system and online ultra-low temperature probe nuclear magnetic resonance, multi-function living cells imaging systems, third-generation gene sequencers and secondary ion mass spectrometry. All these contribute to the completion of high-quality scientific research.

Academic Field: Pharmacy

Employment

Graduates who complete a doctor may work in drug development, pharmaceutical preparation and dosage form design, synthetic drug production, inspection in various pharmaceutical enterprises, pharmacological experiments and safety evaluation, drug management, pharmaceutical trade. Besides, students may also choose to work in clinical rational and safe drug guidance, drug clinical monitoring and management. Moreover, students can also work in the pharmaceutical related government departments, research institutes, laboratories or universities to do pharmacy-related teaching and research.

Course duration

The normal study duration of the program is 3 years. The maximum duration is 6 years.

Study Plan

I. Aims

This curriculum aims to educate high-quality scientific researcher with wide professional knowledge and independent ability to conduct research in pharmaceutical research.

II. Admission Requirements

Master degree in Pharmacy of Chinese Medicines, Pharmacy, or related disciplines are required for application of this program. English grades (IELTS, or TOEFL, or College English CET-4 and CET-6) are required for admission.

III. Academic Field

Pharmacy.

IV. Research Directions

There are different research directions in this program, including pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical analytics, pharmacy, new drug research and development, drug administration and regulation.

V. Program Duration

The normal study period of Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy program is 3 years. The maximum study period is 6 years.

VI. Medium of Instruction

This program is delivered in English

VII. Course Structure

Table 1： Core Courses（6 Credits）

Course Code	Couse Title	Credis
DPPZ01	Advances in Medicine Pharmaceutic	3
DPPZ02	Guided Reading Course	3

Table 2：Elective courses（6 Credits）

Couse Code	Couse Title	Credits
DPPE01	Medical Statistics	3
DPPE02	Scientific Literature Search and Medical Writing	3
DPPE03	Methodology in Pharmacology	3
DPPE04	Instrumental Analysis	3
DPPE05	Modern Biotechnology	3

Table 3： Dissertation

Course Code	Course Title	Details
DPPZ10	Dissertation	Please refer to VII. Teaching Requirements

VIII. Teaching Requirements

Students are required to complete two core courses from Table 1 and two elective courses from Table 2 during their study period to gain 12 credits.
Upon the completion of the aforementioned 12 credits under Table 1 and 2. Students can start writing the thesis proposal. Students can continue their dissertation research and writing upon completion of thesis proposal defense.
Each student systematically and comprehensively conducts scientific research on pharmacy under the guidance of his or her supervisor. Also they have to develop the ability to conduct research independently, and write a complete and well-thought thesis with both theory and practical value. Based on the need of the research content, student may have to go to the partner laboratory in Mainland China, Hong Kong or other countries or regions to conduct research or collect data.
In order to achieve the minimum requirement for applying oral defense for graduation, each student have to publish at least two SCI-E papers (First author or co-first author in at least one paper).
Dissertation must be written and defended in English. Application for special language needs to be submitted to the instructor and the Faculty.
The dissertation should pass the assessment and be defended successfully.

IX. Study Time

The duration for taking all courses is 12 months and the duration of dissertation composition is 24 months.

X. Graduation Requirements

Upon approval from the Senate of the University, a Doctoral Degree will be conferred on a student when he or she has:

Completed and met the requirements prescribed in the study plan of his or her program within the specific study period, and achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above (excluding dissertation).
Abided by the regulations of the University.
Cleared all fees and charges and returned all University’s property and equipment borrowed.

Note: All curriculums and study plans are based on the newest announcement of the Boletim Oficial da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau.

Note: In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.

Course Description

Core course

DPPZ01 Advances in Medicine Pharmaceutic (3 credits)

This course is designed to cultivate students’ ability to conduct pharmaceutical science research with a broad perspective and innovative thinking. The teaching team consists of faculty from our university as well as distinguished professors from leading domestic and international institutions in the field of pharmacy. Key topics include combinatorial chemistry and lead compound discovery, computer-aided drug design, novel approaches to natural product chemistry, the application of integrative analytical techniques in pharmaceutical research, pharmaceutical informatics, omics technologies, and targeted drug delivery systems. Through these topics, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of cutting-edge technologies and emerging trends in pharmaceutical research. The course aims to empower students to approach pharmaceutical science with a strategic, forward-looking vision and to foster their capacity for innovation in this dynamic field.

DPPZ02 Guided Reading Course (3 credits)

The teaching objective of this course is to enable students to systematically grasp the specific processes and methods for conducting research in pharmacy and related fields based on the research direction and content chosen by doctoral students. Through the professional guidance of the doctoral supervisor, students will be able to adeptly organize and summarize literature, develop a clear understanding of the latest research advancements, research directions, and technical methods in the field of pharmacy, and establish the initial research train of thought in pharmaceutical research. This will lay a solid foundation for subsequent doctoral research topics and thesis writing.

Elective course

DPPE01 Medical Statistics (3 credits)

Medical statistics is an applied discipline that combines statistics and medicine, aiming to improving the statistical thinking and the ability of collecting, organizing, and analyzing medical data for medical students. This course introduces the basic concepts and classical statistical methods in simple and understandable terms, as well as conducts practical exercises using statistical software such as R.

The course content includes an introduction to statistical software, data characteristics and statistical description, analysis of variance, multiple linear regression, logistic regression analysis, machine learning, etc. By the end of the course, students will be able to understand basic statistical concepts such as P-values and confidence intervals; they will also be able to use parametric/non-parametric tests, regression/machine learning methods to conduct basic statistical analyses on continuous/categorical data; and they will have practical experience in using SPSS/R statistical software.

DPPE02 Scientific Literature Search and Medical Writing (3 credits)

This course is designed to equip students in biomedicine and pharmacy with essential skills in research and academic writing. Through a comprehensive exploration of literature research methods, students will learn both traditional and modern approaches to medical information retrieval. The curriculum covers effective strategies for accessing and utilizing key databases, open access resources, and advanced retrieval technologies, ensuring students can efficiently gather and manage scientific literature. Emphasis is placed on understanding and adhering to academic norms and ethical standards in literature use. A core component of the course is scientific writing, with a particular focus on biomedical manuscript preparation. Students will be guided through the entire writing process, from material organization and sentence development to logical sequencing and manuscript structure. Practical exercises and targeted instruction will help students refine their writing techniques and gain confidence in communicating complex scientific ideas.

DPPE03 Methodology in Pharmacology (3 credits)

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles and methodologies of modern scientific technologies used to investigate drug–body interactions. Students will explore major advancements, future developments, and cutting-edge technologies in pharmacological research. The curriculum covers fundamental theories and methods of commonly used pharmacological experiments, as well as the preparation techniques for widely utilized animal disease models. Through a combination of classroom instruction and guided reading, students will develop a solid understanding of core pharmacological concepts and theories. The course emphasizes mastery of essential experimental methods and techniques, effective use of standard laboratory instruments, and familiarity with contemporary systems of pharmacological experimentation. Students will also learn to formulate research strategies and build competencies in experimental design, data analysis, and problem-solving within the context of pharmacological research.

DPPE04 Instrumental Analysis (3 credits)

This doctoral program aims to equip students with the innovative research capabilities to apply analytical instrumentation to address cutting-edge challenges in pharmacy and biomedicine. The core curriculum covers the theoretical foundations, method development, and complex applications of liquid chromatography (LC), ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), and their combined techniques (such as LC-MS). The course integrates case studies, literature review, and practical applications (such as nanoparticle analysis, therapeutic drug monitoring, and biological sample quantification), focusing on strengthening research capabilities across the entire research chain, from sample preparation and method optimization to data analysis and interpretation. Through this course, students will master the skills to design and execute analytical and data processing, supporting their original research in areas such as drug discovery and metabolomics.

DPPE05 Biotechnology (3 credits)

This subject will mainly introduce the principles of modern biotechnology as well as its applications in drug R&D and disease treatment. The subject will be divided into fundamental and advanced units. The fundamental unit focuses on the principles and methodologies of modern biotechnology, including common methods to study protein, production and purification of recombinant protein, biotransformation and its main types, nano drug carriers. The advanced unit further introduces the application frontiers of modern biotechnology in drug research and disease treatment, such as cell therapy and application, frontiers of tissue engineering materials, the application of biotransformation in natural product research, therapeutic antibodies and cancer immunotherapy. Through classroom teaching and learning as well as literature reading and discussion, this subject aims to enable students to master the basic theories and methods of modern biotechnology, understand the frontiers and future development of modern biotechnology in drug R&D and disease treatment, therefore renew conception and open new thoughts to their research projects.

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