The Postgraduate Diploma in (Bio) Pharma Processing is designed to facilitate science or engineering graduates who hold sufficient educational or professional experience to transition into the BioPharma and PharmaChem sector nationally. Development and delivery of this level 9 course in the Munster area, where comparatively high numbers of BioPharma and PharmaChem companies are situated, will provide participants with experience in the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (both small organic molecule and biopharmaceuticals) and their formulations. The programme has a key focus on upstream/ downstream processing; sterile working environment; practical training; industrial standards and regulation; collection and analysis of data; validation; novel and personalized therapies; formulation and delivery of biological drugs. This combination of modules, which spans both the drug development and drug manufacturing processes, and has been designed to meet the existing and projected needs of the industry, will help produce confident graduates that are technically competent for employment in the BioPharma and PharmaChem sectors. It will improve the skillsets of those already employed in the industry, and provide a much needed increase in the talent pool available for employment.
Why Choose This Course
This NFQ level 9 part-time course has been developed with input from world-leading companies based in Munster, and has been designed to meet the expected shortage of appropriately skilled employees in the sector in the coming years. It combines flexible on-campus and blended on-line teaching methods to deliver workshops, lectures and practicals to students from a range of disciplines and circumstantial backgrounds. The course features significant engagement with local industry through the provision of site visits, off-campus training opportunities and guest speaker lectures. Students will have the opportunity to avail of Career Services at UCC and take a non-credit bearing module that aims to assist them in transitioning to the workplace and facilitating a placement in a local company.