The degree program

Pharmaceutical Engineering (master's degree, full-time, cooperative)

  • What is Pharmaceutical Engineering?

    Pharmaceutical engineering is a specialization at the intersection of process engineering and life sciences. These engineers mostly work in the industrial healthcare industry, especially the pharmaceutical industry. Why? Pharmaceuticals are very special products. Their ingredients, called active ingredients, interact selectively with parts of the human body. Therefore, these active ingredients must have special quality characteristics in terms of content, purity and overall application. This starts with the raw material and its first processing stage and continues with special dosage forms to the packaged product, which reaches patients and consumers via pharmacies.

  • What does the degree program entail?

    The master's program in pharmaceutical engineering deepens the mathematical, scientific and technical knowledge gained in the bachelor's program. A manageable number of compulsory and elective modules are offered for this purpose. As in the bachelor's program, the content is very much oriented towards the current requirements of the modern pharmaceutical industry. In addition to the university's lecturers, guest lecturers give lectures on topics from their fields of work and invite students to take excursions to their companies. In the context of projects and internships, students are increasingly required to independently research literature, plan projects, conduct research, evaluate and present research in the form of written reports and oral presentations. The project work can be carried out either at the university or in industry during the current semester or during the lecture-free period, thus establishing industrial contact at an early stage. For the master thesis, topics are offered in the research groups at the university as well as internships in industry.

  • What are my career opportunities?

    Graduates of the master's program in pharmaceutical engineering are qualified for all departments in a pharmaceutical company: Manufacturing and packaging, galenic development, project management, control department, quality management (validation and qualification) and engineering. Larger pharmaceutical companies have independent research departments. The professional activity often starts with a trainee program to familiarize the newcomers with the operational processes. After the familiarization period, they are assigned increasingly independent tasks and projects. Typical responsible positions include project manager, group leader, manufacturing assistant, and research & development scientist. In all cases, the fundamental mathematical, scientific and technical training provided in the degree program offers the ideal prerequisite for mastering the wide range of tasks in the pharmaceutical industry.

The right preparation

  • Recognition from a first degree program

    Previous academic achievements from a first degree program and/or after a change of degree program or university or following studies abroad, and thus achievements which were completed at another university, may be credited on application post enrollment.

    The Examinations Committee of the Department is responsible for this in coordination with the respective degree program advisor / lecturers.

    Frequently Asked Questions.

  • Information about the NC (enrollment limits)

    Regardless of the subject prerequisites, the following applies to enrollment in the master's program in Pharmaceutical Engineering:

    Bachelor's degree grade < 2.5 Enrollment without requirement

    Bachelor's degree grade = 2.5 to 3.0 Assessment procedure in the form of an aptitude interview

    Final grade > 3.0 - admission not possible

    The criteria are flexible and are redefined annually.  

  • Important knowledge acquired during the bachelor's

    Unrestricted technical eligibility for admission to the master's program in Pharmaceutical Engineering is provided by a bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering or a closely related field of study with at least 210 credits. In addition to the STEM subjects taught at undergraduate level in most relevant majors, pharmaceutical, process, analytical, and pharmaceutical biotechnology modules, as well as quality assurance, are mandatory requirements.

  • Important information for career changers

    For career changers who have a bachelor's degree in another scientific-technical field of study, Department 7 of Anhalt University of Applied Sciences offers adaptation semesters in the bachelor's program in Pharmaceutical Engineering. In consultation with the student's advisor and the department's examination committee, the applicant has the option of taking the required number of semesters and can begin the master's degree program in Pharmaceutical Engineering after successfully completing the examinations in the agreed upon modules.

     

  • Applicant Day

    In September of each year, the Köthen Campus hosts Applicant Day.<br/>All applicants admitted to the program are invited to find out more about their potential new university, the lecturers and the degree program of their choice. Other interested individuals are also welcome to ask their questions of our experts.

    You can find the date for the next Applicant Day (at least one month before the event) in the university's event calendar .

  • University Information Day

    In June of each year, the Köthen Campus hosts University Information Day.<br/>Anyone interested in studying at Anhalt University is invited to get to know the University, our lecturers and students, as well as our degree programs. You can get a personal impression of our facilities and the campus and receive individual advice.

    The date of the next University Information Day in Köthen as well as at Dessau Campus and Bernburg Campus can be found here.

Program sequence & program contents

  • 1st semester

    Modern forms of medicine
    Lectures, practical courses and lab/pool classes

    Bioanalytik
    Lectures and lab/pool classes

    Biopharmaceuticals
    Lectures and lab/pool classes

    Quality management and approval
    Lectures

    Project I
    The project can either be a research paper (theoretical) or a lab project (practical).

    Elective module I

  • 2nd semester

    Special Biochemistry of Plants and Microorganisms
    Lectures and lab/pool classes

    Cellular signal transduction and assay establishment
    Lectures and practical courses

    Dermatocosmetics
    Lectures and practical courses

    Design of bioreactors for the pharmaceutical industry
    Lectures and practical courses

    Project II
    The project can either be a research paper (theoretical) or a lab project (practical).

    Elective module II

  • 3rd semester

    Master’s thesis with colloquium (=defense)
    20 weeks

See the module description handbooks for more information about the compulsory and elective modules.

Impressions from the degree program