Pharmacy - MPharm (Hons)

The aim of the MPharm course at Ulster is to educate pharmacy students to a high standard in an environment of modern clinical relevance, thereby facilitating their immediate integration into a forward thinking, healthcare-based profession that practises clinical excellence and understands fully the pharmaceutical principles underpinning therapeutic application of drug substances. The MPharm programme is designed to provide academically challenging and vocationally relevant pharmacy education and training underpinned by appropriate science elements (pharmaceutical sciences) and appropriate professional practice skills (pharmacy practice and patient care).

The MPharm programme offers a modern, innovative, and integrated Masters degree level education in Pharmacy that meets the standards of the University and the requirements of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The MPharm programme will provide students with the knowledge, understanding, skills and appropriate training required for them to be responsible for the manufacture, safe, legal and professional control, distribution and use of medicinal products. This programme also incorporates detailed studies of all aspects of drug action, design, formulation and use.

Pharmacy, MPharm (Hons)

Modern Healthcare is delivered by an interdisciplinary team and increasingly Pharmacists are delivering enhanced and new clinical services across healthcare settings. Our Pharmacy Degree recognises these new and advanced roles and integrates sciences and practice to prepare students to meet the challenges of the changing face of Pharmacy.

During your four-year integrated Master’s Degree (MPharm) in Pharmacy, you will follow a curriculum designed to reflect the way Pharmacists approach patients and how patients present to Pharmacists. We combine fundamental and complex scientific principles with how it is applied to give you a clear understanding of the practice of Pharmacy.

Together with a strong focus on clinical and communication skills and digital technology, you will develop the academic, practical, and personal qualities to practice pharmacy competently and with confidence.

Pharmacy MPharm

The Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). An MPharm from an accredited UK school of pharmacy is the first step towards a career as a pharmacist. To qualify as a registered pharmacist in Britain you will need to undertake a year of foundation training after graduation and then pass the qualifying examinations of the GPhC.

The UCL School of Pharmacy has a long tradition of academic and research excellence and is internationally recognised as being one of the leading pharmacy schools worldwide. It is ranked fourth in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology (QS World University Rankings 2023).

The programme includes contact with patients from the start, in the form of pharmacy visits and patient interviews. Experiential learning placements are undertaken in community pharmacies, teaching hospitals and GP practices. Interprofessional learning is undertaken with other healthcare degree students. Students make regular visits to GreenLight Pharmacy, where workshops are taught by community pharmacists and students can interact with patients.

You may have the opportunity to take your Year 4 research project as part of our Study Abroad programme at one of our international partner institutions.

MPharm Pharmacy

On our MPharm Pharmacy degree, you will master the requirements of a modern day pharmacist. You'll be a scientist, professional communicator and health advocate.

On this undergraduate pharmacy course you’ll study alongside other health professionals. You'll gain real-world experience through structured placements in pharmacy and healthcare teams.

Interact with patients and their carers at all levels of our MPharm degree, putting patients at the heart of the programme.

You'll develop your independence and confidence as the course increases in complexity. You'll get introduced to concepts of polypharmacy, co-morbidities and other complex patient needs.

MPharm Pharmacy

The MPharm undergraduate degree is an integrated Masters programme. Students studying the course will normally enter into Year 2 of the MPharm. As the course leads to a masters qualification, the workload is higher than that of a BSc Honours degree.

In year 2 focus is on the normal function of the body and how this is maintained. You'll study how nutrients and medicines are used by the body. Topics such as the sale and supply of over-the-counter medicines are introduced.

In year 3 you'll gain an understanding of the management of patients with common illnesses such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, exploring how these occur and how medicines can be used in their treatment. You'll also learn about how medicines are formulated and compounded for use and how they interact with the body.

In year 4 topics include the management of patients with cancer, mental health issues and inflammatory conditions.  You’ll also explore the importance of new medicines; better medicines and better use of medicines and how this impacts on patient care.  You will study how safety, efficacy, quality and economics are important in how medicines are used to treat people.

In your final year, you’ll focus on recent advances in treatment and the role of the pharmacist as a prescriber. You will study patient groups that have fewer guidelines and where evidence based approaches need to be taken. You'll apply the research skills developed throughout the programme in an independent project.

You will have experiential learning in hospital community and primary care setting across all of Scotland in all years of the programme

Pharmacy (MPHARM) B230

The MPharm degree is designed to enable students become experts in medicines and ensure their safe and effective use. Students will gain the necessary skills to allow them to be capable of working in multi-professional teams across a variety of healthcare settings to enhance patient outcomes and person-centred care.

MPharm Master of Pharmacy

Gain insight into the pharmaceutical advances of the future and learn how to use modern drug technology with this accredited MPharm (Hons) Pharmacy degree.

Practise using the skills and knowledge you learn under supervision from GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) registered pharmacists and out in the field. Achieve valuable on-the-job experience with patients and the public on placements as you prepare for practice and independent prescribing.

Once you graduate, you'll need to complete a foundation training year in a pharmacy setting, and pass the registration assessment, to register as a Pharmacist with the GPhC. You could also go onto a career in areas such as drug development and formulation, and clinical trials.

  • Learn from qualified Pharmacists who have backgrounds in community and hospital pharmacy settings
  • Practise applying your skills and scientific knowledge in a fully-stocked model pharmacy and in simulated consultation rooms, a care home, surgery and hospital wards
  • Check and dispense real prescriptions, counsel patients on medicine use, respond to symptoms and undertake medical histories
  • Study alongside students from other healthcare disciplines to get an understanding of all stages of the patient experience
  • Take opportunities to get further pharmaceutical experience in settings such as GP surgeries and mental health hospitals
  • Get support arranging your foundation training year after the course

Pharmacy MPharm

The Master of Pharmacy degree from Robert Gordon University is designed to produce effective practitioners with the knowledge and skills to deliver the very best pharmaceutical care for patients, underpinned by sound scientific principles. This is achieved through a student-centred approach, helping you to develop as a life-long learner and reflective practitioner.

You’ll have access to top-of-the-range chemistry, formulation, biomedical and microbiological laboratories where you can practice your skills prior to heading out on placement. These will cover a broad range of practice settings preparing you for a wide range of career options within pharmacy. We have close relationships with employers and practitioners so you can be confident that you will learn the necessary skills that are in demand now and in the future.

MPharm Pharmacy

An MPharm is the only degree that will allow you to register as a qualified pharmacist, following a year of foundation year training (see careers section). This degree is accredited by the pharmacy regulator, the General Pharmaceutical Council, and has been designed to reflect the changing roles of pharmacists. Accreditation and recognition reports, and the accreditation/recognition period, can be found on the GPhC website. We will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed for success in this constantly evolving sector.

You will learn how the body works, how medicines affect it, and how these medicines are designed. The course content focuses on the different areas of the body, such as the heart, and you will learn how, for each one, the chemistry, biology and pharmacology, pharmaceutics and pharmacy practice are interrelated. This will enable you to apply information to patient care right from the first year.

We will also provide you with information and techniques essential for work in pharmacy, including law, storage of medicines, processes for reducing errors, assessing prescriptions, and professional behaviour. Our pharmacy practice suite uses professional dispensing software and real medicines, in order to build up your experience of key processes and handling substances

As part of the course, all MPharm students will benefit from business and leadership lectures run by the award-winning Henley Business School. In the National Student Survey 2023, 93% of our students agreed our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things (92.56% of respondents studying in the School of Pharmacy).

Additionally, you will develop your research skills throughout the course, and spend part of your final year working alongside internationally recognised researchers on a project of your choice. Past topics have included molecular pharmacology, medical technology, pharmacy practice, and drug synthesis, analysis and formulation.

New 2021 educational standards from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) will be implemented by all University providers of Pharmacy education by the academic year 2024/25. The changes implemented by the GPhC include an increased focus on clinical decision-making in preparation for becoming independent prescribers at point of registration. The University of Reading has made the decision to make this transition in the 2023/24 academic year. Therefore, the modules currently advertised are likely to change to align with the new curriculum, but the new modules will allow you to achieve the MPharm Pharmacy qualification in exactly the same way and graduate meeting the new educational standards, to prepare you for a career as a prescriber.

Pharmacy MPharm Honours

This degree focuses on developing your scientific, technical and communication skills. You'll leave as a professional, caring, ethical and effective pharmacist, able to contribute to the health of future generations.

Hands-on learning and clinical placements are embedded throughout the degree. You will have access to patients from the start of the course, as well as access to our on-campus skills labs.

You’ll become a confident expert in medicine by learning the fundamentals of the human body and the principles of areas such as:

From the start of the course you'll have online access to patients to help develop these highly important communication skills. You'll also have opportunities to access our on-campus skills lab. In later stages you'll benefit from hands-on learning and clinical placements.