The Master’s Degree Programme in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, belonging to Class LM-13 – Pharmacy and Industrial Pharmacy, aims to train professionals with solid scientific skills and advanced theoretical and practical preparation, suitable both for practicing as a pharmacist and for holding positions of responsibility in the public and private sectors involved, directly or indirectly, in the design, development, production, control, distribution, and post-marketing monitoring of medicinal products, diagnostic devices, and healthcare products.
Graduates in CTF are pharmaceutical experts, capable of working in the pharmaceutical industry and managing the entire sequence of the complex multidisciplinary process that, from the design of new molecular entities, through the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic optimization phases, leads to the industrial production and quality control of new drugs for therapeutic use, in full compliance with current regulations.
The CTF degree program qualifies students to practice the profession of pharmacist (Law 163/2021, Interministerial Decree 651/2022, Ministerial Decree no. 1147/2022).
The program lasts five academic years and earns a total of 300 University Credits (CFU). Teaching is delivered through conventional methods and generally takes place over six months; attendance is mandatory.
Admission to the CTF Degree Program
Admission to the degree program in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology requires a high school diploma or other qualification obtained abroad, recognized as equivalent by the University's competent bodies.
Starting from the 2025/2026 academic year, the degree program in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology is open to all students.
Students intending to enroll must possess knowledge of basic sciences (mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry), logical reasoning skills, and reading comprehension skills, as provided by the secondary school curriculum. Assessment of initial preparation (art. 6, paragraph 1, Ministerial Decree 270/2004) and any assignment of additional learning requirements (OFA) will be conducted through the TOLC-F test administered by CISIA – Consorzio Interuniversitario Sistemi Integrati per l’Accesso. The test is mandatory but does not affect admission to the course; in fact, it is possible to enroll even before taking the TOLC-F. The subject sections assessed and the minimum passing thresholds for the test are published on the dedicated page of the University website, "TOLCTest on Line CISIA."
Students who fail the assessment will be assigned additional learning requirements (OFA) to be completed in the first year of the program. Details on how to make up for any gaps in initial preparation are published in the dedicated section of the aforementioned University website. OFA requirements can also be fulfilled by passing the General and Inorganic Chemistry exam or the Cellular Biology and Elements of Genetics exam.
Students who fail to complete the OFA within the first year will be enrolled as repeat students in the first year.
Specific Educational Objectives of the Program
The overall educational program aims to provide graduates with: the acquisition of the scientific method of investigation, particularly applied to issues in the pharmaceutical industry; the multidisciplinary knowledge essential for understanding drugs, their structure and activity in relation to their interaction with biomolecules at the cellular and systemic level; the identification and validation of new pharmacological targets; the identification of new drugs based on experimental evidence of efficacy and safety, as well as for the design, preparation, and control of medicinal products; the skills necessary for the preparation and formulation of various pharmaceutical forms, and other aspects of pharmaceutical technology, including innovative drug delivery technologies. It also provides knowledge of the legislative and ethical standards necessary for practicing the profession, as well as the national and EU laws governing the various activities in the sector.
The educational objectives are achieved through: a) basic training activities (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine) that provide students with a solid scientific foundation for understanding the core disciplines; b) core training activities (pharmaceuticals, food, technology, regulations, and business economics, biology, and pharmacology) necessary to acquire knowledge of the chemical and structural characteristics of active ingredients, pharmaceutical forms, and raw materials used in drug formulations, as well as the pharmacological basis of their mechanism of action, including pharmacotherapeutic, toxicological, and pharmacovigilance aspects; and the legislative and ethical standards useful for practicing the various aspects of the professional activity; c) related and integrative activities, which provide students with specific knowledge and skills that complement and enrich their multidisciplinary training, harmonizing with the other subjects of the Degree Program in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology. The educational activities that include individual laboratory exercises also allow students to acquire the practical skills essential to carrying out their profession.
In compliance with European Directives and pursuant to Law No. 163/2021 and Interministerial Decree No. 651 of July 5, 2022, the CTF degree program includes a six-month period of practical-evaluative professional internship (TPV) at a pharmacy open to the public and/or a hospital pharmacy, or at local pharmaceutical services under the supervision of the Pharmaceutical Service. The final exam for the master's degree includes a practical-evaluative test (PPV) of the professional skills acquired with the TPV, and the subsequent defense of the master's thesis, which must be experimental in nature, conducted under the guidance of a supervisor.
Professional profiles
The graduate in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, in accordance with European Directive 2013/55/EU and Law No. 163/2021, is qualified to practice as a pharmacist. The graduate also possesses the scientific foundation and theoretical and practical training necessary to operate as a pharmaceutical expert at an industrial level.
Graduates in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology can pursue professional careers in:
- pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries;
- pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries;
- pharmaceutical manufacturing plants;
- public and private research centres;
- laboratories for quality control of medicinal products and healthcare products;
- bodies responsible for the development of technical regulations and/or quality certification;
- structures dedicated to pharmacovigilance and clinical research;
- cosmetic product industries;
- dietary and food product industries;
- diagnostic product industries;
- private or public pharmacies;
- retail outlets referred to in Article 5 of Law No. 248/2006;
- intermediate distributors (wholesalers and depositaries);
- herbalist shops or companies producing active ingredients of natural origin.
The course prepares students for the following professions (ISTAT codes):
- Chemists and similar professions - (2.1.1.2.1)
- Chemists, information providers and popularizers - (2.1.1.2.2)
- Pharmacologists - (2.3.1.2.1)
- Pharmacists - (2.3.1.5.0)
- Researchers and technicians with degrees in chemical and pharmaceutical sciences - (2.6.2.1.3)