Studying for a master’s degree can be one of the most memorable achievements of your life. Adding this degree to your portfolio could also open doors into a world full of career opportunities. This can also be used as a stepping stone for those who wish to change career directions, leading into a whole new path, regardless of the academic choices you made when you were younger. Furthermore, enhancing knowledge and skills while balancing your work commitments will definitely provide opportunities for career advancement in the ever-evolving workplace.
IMU offers weekend postgraduate programmes, providing opportunities for working adults who wish to enhance their knowledge and work-ready skills in order to advance their careers in the industry or academia. One of such programmes is Master of Science in Analytical and Pharmaceutical Chemistry (MAPC). While postgraduate study can be challenging, taught master’s programmes such as MAPC can make things much more manageable and easier to the learners due to the structured curriculum.
Some of our graduates who have successfully studied the Masters programme are: Jeyashanthini Nalaiya, currently an assistant manager for the formulation division at Chemical Company of Malaysia (CCM), earned her master’s degree in ‘Analytical and Pharmaceutical Chemistry’ with distinction from IMU. As the course is delivered on weekends, she had the flexibility to balance work and education with ease. She was provided with the option to choose the field of research that best suited to the needs of her workplace as well as her area of interest and expertise. Owing to the amount of hard work she put into her MAPC studies, she developed transferable skills that proved to be of significant advantage in her managerial role.
Our first Libyan alumna, Muna A Othman Salem, currently teaching in a pharmacy school at Omar Al-Mukhtar University back in her home country, said, “I am extremely thankful to the faculty who guided me and gave me the opportunity to develop a range of skills including synthesis of small molecules and bioassay techniques”. Much to her satisfaction, Muna was able to successfully complete her masters from IMU with commitment and discipline. She is aspiring to pursue her PhD in the near future.
The programme also attracted students from Libya, namely, Dafer Mohamed Alhaj, Osama Ho Almajdouband and Yousef Abbulsamie Awee. Despite having different backgrounds, they developed a range of skills in pharmaceutical chemistry and complete their masters successfully within the stipulated time frame with a lot of support and encouragement from the faculty. During this programme they had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills in the areas of drug design and synthesis. The well-designed CAL sessions with hands-on training in molecular modelling using Schrodinger, an industry leading software, helped them to carry out independent projects. This achievement by the students has been well noted and appreciated by the Libyan Embassy during their recent dialogue session with the University in 2017.
Wong Hiew Yi, a regulatory affairs executive and alumna of the University of Strathclyde, is currently pursuing MAPC in IMU. Wong said, “The weekend classes, supplemented with an excellent e-learning platform, enabled me to manage my time for both work and learning. I am impressed with the support and guidance of the faculty which helped me to sail through my studies with ease. I am very excited to submit my research dissertation soon.”
“As the classes are delivered on weekends, I was given the opportunity to utilise my time during the weekdays to be a part of an on-going research project. As a research assistant, I was able to apply the knowledge and skills obtained through the programme’s coursework while carrying out the externally funded research project under the close supervision of principal investigator,” said Tai Zhi Sam. After completing his undergraduate course at Strathclyde University, Sam enrolled in MAPC at IMU and recently defended his research dissertation. Yamen Alkhatib, currently pursuing PhD at Institute of Bioscience of UPM, graduated from IMU in 2017 with a MAPC. The research skills he developed at IMU in the area of bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of investigational new drugs, earned him a PhD studentship at UPM.
| Dr Sagineedu Sreenivasa Rao, Programme Director of MAPC |
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| “Since the programme has a unique blend of both analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry disciplines, you will have good opportunities for career progression and job prospects in a range of industries. The Masters programme builds on your undergraduate chemistry experience and provides specialised knowledge and practical experience in a wide range of modern analytical techniques. The programme also develops advanced knowledge and skills in pharmaceutical chemistry focusing on various aspects of drug discovery, design and development.” |
