MPharm Pharmacy

Set yourself on the path to a career as a qualified pharmacist, and develop the skills and knowledge needed in this constantly evolving sector with this MPharm Pharmacy course.

 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.

Placement

Throughout the course you will gain an insight into professional practice by carrying out observational visits and placements in hospital and community pharmacies, as well as GP practices. Our annual pharmacy careers fair is attended by numerous employers and is a good source of work experience and job opportunities.

Please note that travel to placements may involve approximate commute times of up to one hour each way.