MSc Pharmaceutical Industry Advanced Training (PIAT) / Course details

Developed in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry, the courses is postgraduate-level training designed for scientists and managers working in the pharmaceutical industry in the fields of product development, formulations, manufacturing and quality assurance.

The courses' tutors are carefully selected and over 20 are experts who have forged highly successful careers in the pharmaceutical industry.

Pathways/Awards

• Industrial Pharmacy: This programme covers the industrial pharmacist role from formulation through to product development, QA and QC, and also regulatory affairs and lean processes (including Six Sigma).
• Pharmaceutical Microbiology: We work with the Pharmaceutical Microbiology Interest Group (PharMIG) on the content and curriculum of this programme, ensuring that it is recognised as a leader within the field.

There is a free choice of more than 20 units with none being compulsory. The name of the award you receive will be determined by the relative number of units taken from the two pathways above (either one of them or a combination of the two). 

You can also take individual units as standalone CPD courses. Please contact us for further details of the units that can be taken.

Many of our units have been developed to support those seeking to build their QP portfolio and our team includes QPs who are willing to advise you on your development through this educational programme.

We offer a three-day annual workshop event each year to allow you to meet fellow students and your tutors while attending workshops to support your learning and development in the units. The event is scheduled to take place in October for the 2021-22 academic year. You are strongly encouraged to participate in this annual event as a valuable face-to-face opportunity to engage with our team of expert tutors. It has been observed that those students who do engage with the event do better in their assessments in general.

Example dissertation titles

Below are examples of previous dissertations undertaken on the PIAT course.

• 'Comparison of the Chemical and Physical Stability of Three Different Dry Powder Inhalers containing Salmeterol Xinafoate and Fluticasone Propionate' - Joanne Ridgway
• 'Simulation of Modelling of Clinical and Pre-clinical Trial Supply Units' - Robert Jones
• 'Evaluation of Inspection Efficiency in a Sterile Vial Manufacturing Process' - Julia Deacon
• 'The Use of a Compaction Simulator in Preformulation' - Richard Iain Bell
• 'An Evaluation of the Impact of the Environmental Protection Agency on the Irish Pharmaceutical Industry' - Michael G Bizzell
• 'Physical Characterisation of a Multi-particulate Dosage Form using an Image Analysis System' - David K Brown
• 'Commissioning and Validation of a Small-scale Manufacturing Facility for the Production of Aseptically-prepared Products and the Subsequent Validation for a Specific Product Line' - Sarah Dawson
• 'Formulation of a Bioequivalent Immediate Release Tablet Preparation' - Roland T Green

David Leslie (graduate 2020)

'I enrolled on the PIAT course in the early stages of my career as an Analytical Scientist at Quay Pharma. Senior members of the team at Quay had benefitted from the course and believed it helped advance their careers. The course appealed to me because of the access to study materials and because I'd be taught by experts in their respective fields. PIAT gave me an opportunity to build expertise, allowing me to greater understand the fundamentals of working in the laboratory setting. This allowed me to progress quickly in my role and become more confident in my abilities. Furthermore, PIAT gave me access to study other sides of the industry that I may not have had the opportunity to otherwise. I was able to use the learnings from these units to give myself a wider understanding of the industry. Also the range of units available allowed me to tailor the course to suit my career path.'

Charles Adesuyi (graduate 2019)

'The PIAT programme broadened my scientific knowledge and has been invaluable in my career to date. Prior to commencing the course, I found that there were scientific terms bounced around by my colleagues that were unfamiliar to me. This prompted my search for a postgraduate course to improve my scientific knowledge. Colleagues from my previous employment had also undertaken the PIAT programme and found it beneficial, and so I enrolled. The units were strongly applicable to my role as a formulation manager. My scientific knowledge increased, and the unfamiliar scientific terms became known and understood. I would recommend PIAT to scientists/managers. Though it is challenging and requires dedication, the experience is rewarding and I found it a personal achievement.'

You will be able to access the online library and a range of other facilities throughout the University.