You should have a keen interest in scientific topics and questions and the subject of pharmaceutical science itself. Advanced or basic courses in chemistry are recommended but not a prerequisite.  As laboratory internships are an essential part of your studies, you should also enjoy working in a laboratory setting and be happy to work as part of a team. A prerequisite for working in the laboratory is being able to work responsibly and to be considerate of other ongoing laboratory work.

For this program of study, you must be able to read and understand specialist literature in English. However, you will not be required to provide separate proof of your language skills. Any relevant knowledge of Latin that you will need will be acquired during the first academic semester.

To start into your studies as well-prepared as possible, we recommend first taking the Bridge course B (in German) to refresh your knowledge of mathematics.

Basic studies (1st–4th semester)

Pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry

• Inorganic/organic chemistry
• Instrumental analysis
• Lectures and lab courses on how to carry out qualitative/quantitative identification methods on active pharmaceutical ingredients and organic syntheses

Pharmaceutical biology

• Medicinal plant field trips
• Internships on cytological/histological topics
• Human biology
• Plant biology

Pharmaceutical technology

• Lab course on pharmaceutical technology: fundamentals of preparing dosage forms (such as solutions, creams, suspensions)Supplemented by lectures

Core studies (5th–8th semester)

• Lecture series on pharmaceutical/medical chemistry, biology, pharmaceutical technology, and pharmacology
• Pharmaceutical/medicinal chemistry: lectures/labs on the topics of biochemical methods, pathobiochemistry, and clinical chemistry
• Pharmaceutical biology: focus on medicinal plants, biogenic pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, including lectures/labs
• Pharmaceutical technology: technological procedures and practical methods on the production (e.g., tableting) and testing (e.g., dosage accuracy, release, stability) of the dosage forms of pharmaceuticals; pharmacokinetics/biopharmaceutics (e.g., resorption of active pharmaceutical ingredients)
• Clinical pharmacy: patient-oriented pharmaceutical science encompassing all aspects of patients’ pharmaceutical therapy including special patient groups (e.g., children, elderly people, pregnant women); practical experience in the “training pharmacy”
• Pharmacological-toxicological demonstration course: mode of action of pharmaceuticals and the formation of toxic substances in metabolic processes
• In the 6th semester, you will make use of pharmacopoeial methods that are necessary for assuring the quality of pharmaceuticals
• In the 8th semester, you will gain practical knowledge regarding the analysis and quantification of pharmaceuticals. Through practical application, you will learn about therapeutic drug monitoring, meaning the individual dosing of pharmaceuticals while monitoring the concentration of medication levels in blood or blood plasma
• In the 5th and 8th semester, you will learn computer-assisted methods for creating new active substances in the context of pharmaceutical/medical chemistry

The Pharmaceutical Sciences program is a state examination degree program. To ensure that the content of the training program is the same throughout Germany, the structure of your studies is largely fixed. In the elective lab course, however, you can participate in individual fields of research in work groups that correspond to your interests. A specialization in a pharmaceutical field is only possible as part of a doctorate.

Breakdown of lab hours (lectures not taken into account, based on the study regulations for Pharmaceutical Sciences)

Through your studies in the pharmaceutical sciences and the numerous labs, you will learn to work in a team and receive practical training.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

We recommend completing a stay abroad during the core study phase (5th–8th semester). The compulsory elective internship or the practical year are both optimal times to go abroad.

Labs and internships

As part of your studies, you will complete the following lab courses:

• General and analytical chemistry of inorganic drugs, excipients, and toxins, 12 semester hours per week = 168 hours
• Chemistry of organic drugs, excipients, and toxins, 12 semester hours per week = 168 hours
• Instrumental analytics, 12 semester hours per week = 168 hours
• Pharmaceutical biology III: biological and phytochemical tests, 6 semester hours per week = 84 hours
• Pharmacological-toxicological demonstration course, 8 semester hours per week = 112 hours
• Pharmaceutical technology, 14 semester hours per week = 196 hours

You can find a list of further courses (lectures, seminars, labs) in the study regulations for the subject Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Even voluntary internships are a good way to learn about a career field.

Company-based, non-university internships in a variety of fields can help you determine which careers or industries are of interest to you. This will help you shape your career path, but also mold your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

Once you complete the second state examination, you will be a pharmacist (Pharmazeut*in). In order to become a licensed pharmacist (Apotheker*in), you must then complete the “practical year” and the third state examination in the subjects of pharmaceutical practice and specialized law for pharmacists.

Graduates of this program typically work as pharmacists at licensed pharmacies. As a dispensing pharmacist, you are a pharmaceutical expert familiar with the modes of action, dosage regimens, and the side effects and drug interactions of medications. You will advise patients and doctors and offer pharmaceutical services (e.g., special consulting on poly-medication, oral cancer therapy, organ transplants, inhalants, high blood pressure).

However, you are certainly not restricted to working at a licensed pharmacy. Further potential professional fields:

• Hospital pharmacist (ward care, integration in treatment plans, participation in committees, quality assurance)
• Pharmaceutical industry (in this case, a doctorate is often sought-after, but is not necessarily required): This includes developing new active substances, managing manufacturing according to the German Pharmaceutical Products Act (Arzneimittelgesetz), quality control as a laboratory manager (qualified person), approval of new drugs (drug regulatory affairs), clinical trials, medicinal product information, marketing
• Teaching and research activities at institutions of higher education or other research institutes
• Institutions involved in public health administration (e.g., health authorities), health insurance and social security
• Testing institutions (Central Laboratory of German Pharmacists), in forensics or in clinical chemistry (laboratory medicine)
• Professional organizations for pharmacists (Chamber of Pharmacists)
• Scientific publishing (e.g., medicinal product information, congress reports)

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.

For pharmacists with an education in the natural sciences, consistent and continuous further training is also necessary for your everyday work life.

One further education opportunity is to qualify as a specialist pharmacist in a particular area, such as general pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutical analytics and technology, medical information on toxicology, public health, clinical chemistry, or theoretical and practical training (PTA teacher).