Thursday August 9th, 2007 saw 27 people from over 11 countries become the first students in the world to graduate with a Masters in Pharmaceutical Medicine through an online college. The event was marked by a graduation ceremony at the Royal College of Physicians on Dublin’s Kildare Street.

The programme is a collaboration between Hibernia College and Pfizer (who funded the initiative) and is run in conjunction with faculty from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Harvard University in Boston.

Dr. Seán Rowland, President of Hibernia College, said, “Innovative programmes such as this are critical in enabling Ireland move towards a knowledge-based economy. Such initiatives promote Ireland as a leading location for scientific research. Today marks the culmination of two years of hard work by both the students and the faculty involved and clearly establishes Hibernia as a global player in e-learning. It also further underlines Ireland’s international reputation as a provider of high-quality, innovative education.”

Pfizer also praised the students for their work. Mr. David Gallagher, Country Manager, Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, commented, “It is my great pleasure to congratulate the students here today on their achievements and for playing their part in pioneering new forms of higher education. At Pfizer we remain committed to working with academia, the public sector and government to sustain inward investment in R&D in Ireland and it is our honour to play a part in developing such a unique capacity for the delivery of education programmes.”