Doctor of Philosophy in Chinese Medicines (Study Plan)

I. Aims

This curriculum aims at nurturing talents who have solid foundation in theory and wide professional knowledge as well as independent ability to conduct advance research in Chinese Medicines. 

II. Admission Requirements

Subjected to the completion of application procedure of Macau University of Science and Technology for doctor degree programs and the qualification from the entrance examination, applicants with master degree in Pharmacy of Chinese Medicines, Pharmacy, or related disciplines can be admitted in the program.

III. Academic Field

Pharmacy in Chinese Medicine.

There are different research directions in this program, including quality research of Chinese medicines, research and development of new product from Chinese medicines, herbal pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, identification of Chinese medicines, pharmaceutics of Chinese medicines, unique processing methods of Chinese medicines, and innovative drug screening etc. Multidisciplinary new technologies and methods, such as UHPLC-MS, UHPLC-SPE-NMR, Nano-LC-MALDI-TOF, proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, network pharmacology, molecular biology, stem cells, biological imaging, cell biology, and nanotechnology will be introduced into the researches of bioactive components of Chinese medicines, mechanism of bioactivity, quality control methods and standards, modern Chinese medicines preparation, and innovative drugs.

IV. Program Duration

The normal study period of Doctor of Philosophy in Chinese Medicines program is 3 years. The maximum study period is 6 years. (For students who were enrolled in the academic year 2018/2019, please refer to the study plan for the year of admission.)

V. Medium of Instruction

This program is delivered mainly in English and also supplemented with Chinese.

VI. Course Structure

Table 1: Core Courses (6 Credits)

Table 2: Elective Courses* (6 Credits)

*The Faculty of Chinese Medicine has the ultimate right to decide which course or whether the course will be opened for all elective subjects

Table 3: Dissertation

VII. Teaching Requirements

1. Students are required to complete two core courses from Table 1 and two elective courses from Table 2 during their study period to gain 12 credits.
2. Students can only submit his/her dissertation proposal for confirmation upon the completion of the aforementioned 12 credits under Table 1 and 2, within the first 18 months after Complete thesis proposal defense. The overall process should follow the dissertation composition flow established by the faculty.
3. Each student has to systematically and comprehensively conduct scientific research on Chinese medicines under the guidance of his or her supervisor. Also they have to develop the ability to conduct research independently, and write a complete and well-thought thesis with both theory and practical value. Based on the need of the research content, student may have to go to the partner laboratory in Mainland China, Hong Kong or other countries or regions to conduct research or collect data.
4. In order to achieve the minimum requirement for applying oral defense for graduation, each student have to publish at least two SCI-E papers (First author or co-first author in at least one paper).
5. The dissertation should pass the assessment and be defended successfully.

VIII. Study Time

The duration for taking all courses is 6 months and the duration of dissertation composition is 30 months.

IX. Graduation Requirements

Upon approval from the Senate of the University, a Doctoral Degree will be conferred on a student when he or she has:

1. Completed and met the requirements prescribed in the study plan of his or her program within the specific study period, and achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above (excluding dissertation)
2. Abided by the regulations of the University
3. Cleared all fees and charges and returned all University’s property and equipment borrowed

Note: All curriculums and study plans are based on the newest announcement of the Boletim Oficial da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau.

Note: In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.