Ghent University - Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Engineering
Gent, Belgium
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 1,157 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* 31 March 2026 for students who need a visa for Belgium (almost all non-EEA students) | 31 May 2026 for students who don’t need a visa.
** € 1157 for European (= EEA) students and € 6929 for non-European (= non-EEA) students.
Key Summary
The Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Engineering integrates in one interdisciplinary English taught program the pharmaceutical and engineering knowledge about the development of innovative and science-based pharmaceutical production technologies, production methods and solutions for small and large drug molecules and products (of the future).
The Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Engineering (hereafter abbreviated as MPE) is an English-taught programme. It consists of 120 credits and is unique in Flanders and Belgium. The inflow in the master programme is provided from bachelor programmes in pharmaceutical sciences, bio-science engineering, chemistry, bio-industrial sciences and bioscience engineering technology (module biotechnology) and international students with similar previous education.
The way medicines have been produced during the last decades, is mainly based on inefficient, suboptimal and not very sustainable batch processes for which final product quality is evaluated via off-line laboratory testing conducted on limited randomly collected samples after production. The strict regulations for the production of medicines were also a “bottleneck” for manufacturing innovation. However, the legislative authorities (such as FDA, EMA) in the early 2000s urged to make (bio-)pharmaceutical manufacturing processes more science-based, more efficient, more flexible and based on in-process quality monitoring and control.
The vision of the MPE programme is that pharmaceutical production processes of the future will (need to) undergo a major transition to be able to manufacture the increasingly complex and more tailor-made/personalized drug products. On the one hand the implementation of novel manufacturing concepts (e.g., switching from batch to continuous manufacturing) is needed and on the other hand a high degree of digitalisation and automation (implementation of “industry 4.0” concepts such as soft sensors and digital twins) is essential. It requires a combination of pharmaceutical and engineering knowledge and skills to develop these pharmaceutical production processes of the future for tomorrow’s drug products and supply needs. Hence, these transitions will lead to new job and skill requirements.
A Master in Pharmaceutical Engineering should be able to design and develop innovative, flexible, cost-efficient, automated and sustainable processes for the production of future complex and individualized drug products, enabling targeted delivery of the active molecules into the human body.
Concerning outflow and employability, the pharmaceutical sector in Belgium states that there is an increasing need for people with combined pharmaceutical and engineering competences, as the drugs of the future are becoming more complex, more personalised and require new sustainable production methods and technologies.
The MPE integrates in one interdisciplinary programme the pharmaceutical and engineering knowledge available at UGent in the field of development of (innovative) pharmaceutical production technologies, methods and solutions on a scientific basis for small and large drug molecules and products. This interdisciplinary profile is necessary within the context of the regional, national and international pharmaceutical industry and companies and comes at their request. The industry is slowed down by a lack of personnel with appropriate skills. The necessary competences are too fragmented between the pharmaceutical and engineering programmes. To meet this need, the MPE programme is set up to create a unique profile that is immediately employable on the labour market.
Masters of Science in Pharmaceutical Engineering work in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry and represent the link between drug development and production. They are involved, for example:
- in various stages of pharmaceutical product and process development
- quality assurance in production areas
- plant design
- the introduction of new production approaches & processes
- the introduction of industry 4.0 concepts (including automation and digitalization)
- all aspects of the plant planning and operation, such as economic efficiency and sustainable manufacturing
In R&D, they develop new methods and technologies for the production of new drug substances and drug products.
Structure
The Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Engineering is a two-year English-taught programme of 120 credits.
All holders of a bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical sciences, bio-science engineering, chemistry, bio-industrial sciences and bioscience engineering technology (module biotechnology) and international students with similar previous education can start the programme. Differences in starting competencies, which are obvious and inevitable since students with different bachelor's degrees can start the programme, are wiped out thanks to the wide range of courses. During the first year, the students are required to take up a partially different set of compulsory subjects, depending on the discipline of their preliminary bachelor education (see programme table). The fact that students from different bachelor programs will enter this master's programme in pharmaceutical engineering will only further promote its pharmaceutical-engineering interdisciplinary character.
The programme is built around specific learning paths leading to the profile of "pharmaceutical engineering":
- Pharmaceutical process engineering: This learning path includes the engineering of drug products and their associated processes. The student learns to develop and design drug manufacturing processes. Examples of courses within this learning path are process engineering, pharmaceutical technology, and so on.
- Sustainable and high-quality pharmaceutical products: Students learn through this learning path to realize high-quality pharmaceutical products sustainably. Examples of courses within this learning path are process analytical technology and quality-by-design, process control and automation, Clean Technology, etc....
- Data-to-decision: This learning path includes experimental design for data collection, data analysis, mechanistic and data-driven modeling, optimization and process control, applied to unit processes as well as process trains for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Research and innovation: This learning path includes problem-solving and critical thinking in the context of research tasks and projects to be carried out (e.g. master's dissertation) on topics related to 'pharmaceutical engineering', and this in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry.
The dissertation makes up 30 credits of the master’s programme. The dissertation starts in year 2 and spans it entirely.
Finally, elective courses are foreseen within the programme, giving students the opportunity to further explore their field of interest, encourage them to take responsibility and promoting self-management.
Ranking of Ghent University
Shanghai Ranking: position 91
Times Higher Education ranking: position 115
National Taiwan University ranking: position 78
QS ranking: position 162
QS sustainability ranking: position 33
Competence field 1: Competency in one or more scientific disciplines
- Has the required interdisciplinary insights, skills and application-oriented knowledge for sustainable drug development and associated production processes, with in-depth knowledge of required product quality and current and international developments of drug products and production technologies.
- Works systematically, creatively and meticulously with attention to the quality of pharmaceutical production processes and resulting pharmaceutical products in complex contexts.
- Can analyse, optimise and manage pharmaceutical production processes and technology platforms using digital models and data.
Competence field 2: Scientific competency
- Has the required advanced interdisciplinary insights, skills and application-oriented knowledge to design and develop flexible, intelligent, and efficient production systems, and to analyse and control drug production processes in a model-based (mechanistic and data-driven) way.
- Is able to independently integrate and deepen previously acquired knowledge with a view to innovation of practical implementation possibilities, and knows the limits of his/her own competences.
Competence field 3: Intellectual competency
- Possesses the scientific curiosity and the attitude of lifelong learning to continue to study independently the knowledge of and the evolution in the field of pharmaceutical engineering.
- Based on the acquired interdisciplinary and cross-curricular insight, can select, adapt or, if necessary, develop advanced research, design and solution methods, apply them adequately and process the results scientifically; argue the choices made on the basis of application-oriented insight and the requirements of the pharmaceutical context.
Competence field 4: Competency in collaborating and communicating
- Is able to take (final) responsibility in a multidisciplinary and international environment and shows a critical-constructive attitude towards his/her own functioning and that of others.
- Is able to recognize, analyse and solve complex pharmaceutical production related problems in an independent and scientifically proven way, and can report and present to colleagues and lay people in writing and orally.
Competence field 5: Social competency
- Has in-depth insight into the phases from product and process development to final production and distribution of medicines, as well as insight into the consequences in terms of (environmental) sustainability.