Studies & Degrees in Biopharmacy
Biopharmacy Study Programs
Biopharmacy, usually called biopharmaceutics in English-speaking universities, studies what happens between a medicine and the body. It asks how the form of a medicine (tablet, injection, patch, inhaler) and the route by which it is given decide how much of the active substance reaches the blood and the place where it has to act. It is taught together with pharmacokinetics, which follows the absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of a drug over time.
The same label is also used for the science of biopharmaceuticals, or biological medicines. The US Food and Drug Administration lists vaccines, gene therapy, tissues and recombinant therapeutic proteins among biological products. It notes that, unlike most drugs, which are chemically synthesised and have a known structure, most biologics are complex mixtures that are not easily identified or characterised. Students who choose this field therefore meet both sides: how conventional medicines behave in the body, and how medicines produced by biotechnology are designed, made and controlled.
Qualifications and levels
Biopharmacy is rarely a degree of its own. It is normally a block of courses inside a pharmacy degree, or a specialisation at master's and doctoral level.
- Pharmacy degrees. In Spain a bachelor's degree (grado) normally has 240 ECTS credits, but degrees governed by European rules have 300 or 360. Pharmacy is one of them: the Grado en Farmacia of the Universidad de Navarra is an official degree of 300 credits over five years, taught in Spanish in Pamplona. Its study plan includes 12 ECTS credits of Biofarmacia y Farmacocinética in two courses, as well as a 6-credit course in pharmaceutical biotechnology. The university states that the degree qualifies graduates for the regulated profession of pharmacist.
- Double degrees. Some universities combine pharmacy with biotechnology. The Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, near Madrid, lists a Doble Grado en Biotecnología + Farmacia.
- Research bachelor's and master's degrees. Leiden University offers Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences as a bachelor's programme taught in Dutch and as a two-year Master of Science taught in English, starting in September or February. The master's covers analytical biosciences, biopharmaceutics, drug delivery technology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology. It is built around research: a first project of nine months (47 EC) and, in the research specialisation, a second project of six months (35 EC) at an academic institute or a pharmaceutical company.
- Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.
- Doctorate. Research posts usually require one. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical scientists typically have a PhD, usually in biology or a related life science.
Where to study
SpainExchange lists 6 active schools for biopharmacy: two in Spain and one each in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Russia. The Spanish ones are the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona and the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria in Pozuelo de Alarcón. The others are Leiden University, the University of Sunderland, Bukovinian State Medical University in Chernivtsi, which lists Pharmacy and Industrial Pharmacy among its specialities, and Rostov State Medical University in Rostov-on-Don.
The language of instruction follows the country and the level. The pharmacy degree in Pamplona is taught in Spanish. In Leiden the bachelor's programme is in Dutch and the master's in English, although its Industrial Pharmacy specialisation is taught in Dutch and takes at most two selected participants. Check the language of each programme, and of each specialisation, before applying.
A pharmacy degree is a regulated professional qualification in most countries. Students who plan to work as pharmacists in another country should ask the school and the authority of that country how the degree is recognised there.
Careers
Graduates work in the research, development and manufacture of medicines, in quality assurance and quality control, in clinical and analytical laboratories, in regulatory agencies and in hospitals. Leiden University describes its Industrial Pharmacy specialisation as preparation for a career in quality assurance and quality control in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry. The Universidad de Navarra mentions community pharmacies, specialisation in hospital pharmacy through the Spanish FIR route, and research in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries.
For the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical scientists, a group that includes clinical pharmacologists, to grow 13 percent from 2025 to 2035, and employment of biochemists and biophysicists to grow 12 percent over the same period. Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing employed 17 percent of biochemists and biophysicists in 2025. These figures describe the US labour market only.
Frequently asked questions
Is biopharmacy the same as pharmacy?
No. Pharmacy is the full professional degree; biopharmacy is one of its subject areas, taught with pharmacokinetics. At the Universidad de Navarra it accounts for 12 of the 300 credits of the pharmacy degree.
How long does it take to study biopharmacy?
A pharmacy degree in Spain has 300 ECTS credits and takes five years. A specialised master's adds one or two years; the Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences master's at Leiden University lasts two years.
Can I study biopharmacy in English?
At master's level, yes: the Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences master's in Leiden is taught in English. First degrees are often taught in the national language, for example Spanish in Pamplona and Dutch in Leiden.
Do I need a PhD to work in drug research?
For independent research posts, usually. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that medical scientists typically have a PhD, and that candidates sometimes qualify for positions with a master's degree and experience.