The final stage of the State Assessment process and their studies at Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University is underway for final-year students from the Republic of Bulgaria enrolled in the Pharmacy educational programme at the International Faculty. This third and concluding stage consists of the defense of master’s qualification theses. Prior to this, the students successfully completed the two preceding stages: the KROK 2 licensing examination and the Objective Structured Practical Examination  in Pharmacy.

 

The thesis defense is conducted in the presence of an esteemed  Attestation Commission chaired by Professor Liudmyla Kucherenko, Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical, Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry.

 

The education of international students is carried out under the constant support and supervision of the University Administration and the Dean’s Office of the International Faculty. Prior to the defense, the Educational and Scientific Center with Library, where the thesis defenses are broadcast, was visited by the Rector of ZSMPhU, Professor Yurii Kolesnyk, and the Pro-rector for scientific, pedagogical, and academic work, and for quality of education, Associate Professor Svitlana Morhuntsova.

 

The Rector warmly congratulated the master’s students on this important milestone, highlighting the dedication and perseverance each of them demonstrated on the challenging path to achieving their goals. He expressed gratitude for their decision to choose Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University, an institution with a long-standing tradition of pharmaceutical education whose diplomas are highly valued internationally. The Rector wished the final-year students to make effective use of their acquired knowledge for the benefit of their country.

 

All students from the first of the three groups joined the defense session online. The procedure follows a well-established format. Each candidate submitted their thesis to the Commission on time, allowing for a thorough review and evaluation. Members of the Commission and academic supervisors are deeply invested in their students’ success, having devoted considerable effort to their preparation. All master’s students submitted their theses to the Commission on time, and they were carefully reviewed and analyzed. The members of the Commission, who also serve as research supervisors, are genuinely supportive of their students, as they have invested considerable effort in their training and preparation.

 

Professors from the pharmaceutical departments responsible for final-year training, who supervised the master’s students, emphasize the relevance of the research. Professor Nataliia Tkachenko, Head of the Department of Pharmacy Management and Economics, noted that the topics of the master’s theses are diverse, contemporary, and cover all aspects of a pharmacist’s professional activity in their field. These topics concern pharmaceutical development and its technological aspects, as well as the study of methods for the standardization of medicinal products and preparations. The master’s students worked on themes related to modern approaches to pharmaceutical care in treatment, for example, stress-related conditions, investigated anti-smoking therapy, and explored the optimization of pharmacotherapy for insomnia. These topics are beneficial to society; therefore, working with the students was mutually interesting and engaging.