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Pharmacy MPharm Honours

  • UCAS code: B230
  • Full time
  • 4 years

This accredited Pharmacy degree will prepare you for a career at the forefront of healthcare and medicine.

You are currently viewing course information for entry year: 2024-25


Next start date:

  • September 2024

Fees (per year)

  • Home: £9250
  • International: £25200

Entry requirements and offers

  • A-Level: AAB
  • IB: 34 points

UCAS Institution name and code:

  • NEWC / N21

Important application information

We are no longer accepting applications for this course from home students for 2024 entry.

Course overview

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:

  • pharmaceutical microbiology
  • biomedical science
  • pathology
  • microbiology

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.

Pharmacy students at Newcastle University.

Your course and study experience - disclaimers and terms and conditions  
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2023-24.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Quality and ranking

Professional accreditation and recognition

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body.

Modules and learning

Modules

The information below is intended to provide an example of what you will study.

Most degrees are divided into stages. Each stage lasts for one academic year, and you'll complete modules totalling 120 credits by the end of each stage. 

Our teaching is informed by research. Course content may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.

Optional module availability
Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.

Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.

To find out more please see our terms and conditions.

Your learning will be focused on patient-orientated problems.

You'll study areas such as the normal structure and function of the human body, pharmacology and medicinal chemistry.

You'll gain professional and practical skills including how to talk to patients, working within healthcare teams and simple examination skills.

During Stage 2, you will study pharmaceutical care, such as pathology, as well as topics such as systems for medicines management.

You will examine abnormal pathology and subsequent therapeutic options to deal with disease. This will be integrated with cutting-edge pharmaceutical science and continued workplace experience. 

In Stage 3, you'll study applied pharmaceutical interventions such as design and delivery and develop an understanding of how medicines are used concomitantly and how adverse effects are monitored and managed.

You will explore the development of drugs from first principles, and the formulation of injections and implantable medicinal devices. You will also experience more complex patient-based cases.

In Stage 4, you'll study targeted therapeutics such as optimisation, critique and responsibility.

You will encounter complex clinical problems and examine specific areas of oncology, infection and immunology.

You'll also learn about state-of-the-art formulation devices used in the delivery of chemotherapy and have the opportunity to choose an area of pharmacy to study as part of a research project.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

You'll be taught through:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • problem-based learning
  • practical experience
  • laboratory work
  • case seminars 

These combined methods of teaching are designed to encourage you to develop knowledge and skills in an integrated manner.

You'll be supported in case-led teaching so you are able to confidently apply your knowledge to future work.

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through a combination of:

  • Assessments

  • Coursework

  • Examinations – practical or online

Skills and experience

Research skills

Undertake a Research Project in your final year. Areas of focus include:

  • medicinal chemistry
  • pharmacology
  • pharmacy practice
  • formulation science
  • pharmaceutical microbiology

Business skills

Gain hands-on learning through a range of experiential opportunities throughout the degree and access to patients from day one.

Embedding these opportunities at all stages of the course will give you the skills to excel as a pharmacist and effectively contribute to high-quality patient care to improve the lives of millions.

Practical skills

Reinforce your learning through:

  • on-site visits to local hospitals
  • practical sessions in our on-campus pharmacy labs, clinical skills suites and anatomy and biochemistry labs
  • working and training alongside professionals and students within the Faculty of Medical Sciences

Clinical placements and experience

Clinical placements are a key element of your degree and an essential part of preparation for clinical practice.

On placement, you'll have a diverse range of clinical experiences. This will introduce you to the many and varied roles that qualified pharmacists can undertake.

The placements help you develop a sense of identity as a pharmacist and identify your interests. They are also an opportunity for you to gain, develop and craft your practical knowledge and skills.

You'll also engage in hospital-based learning, and interprofessional education at Newcastle.

Chat with a Pharmacy student

Ayomide

Facilities and environment

Facilities

Our School is part of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, which is also home to Dentistry, Medicine, Psychology and Biomedical Sciences, encouraging inter-professional collaboration.

You'll have access to newly refurbished pharmacy laboratories in the historic red-brick George VI Building, in our city-centre campus. You'll also benefit from:

  • a clinical skills suite, anatomy lab and biochemistry lab in the Medical School
  • specialist medicinal chemistry facilities
  • access to the hospital environment through our close proximity to the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Support

You'll have the support of an academic member of staff as a personal tutor throughout your degree to help with academic and personal issues.

Peer mentors will help you in your first year. They are fellow students who can help you settle in and answer any questions you have when starting university.

Your future

Pharmacy is a highly varied profession with a number of different possible career paths open to graduates.

To register as a pharmacist in the UK, you must complete the MPharm degree, a pre-registration training year and sit the registration assessment. After registration, pharmacy graduates are highly sought after and are amongst the most employable professionals in the UK, with many opportunities to work internationally.

Career paths include:

  • community pharmacist
  • hospital pharmacist
  • industrial pharmacist
  • emerging roles, including working in GP practices and care homes

Make a difference

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Careers support

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Recognition of professional qualifications outside of the UK

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements and offers below apply to 2024 entry.

A-Level
International Baccalaureate

Other UK and the Republic of Ireland qualifications

Contextual Offers

Through one of our contextual routes, you could receive an offer of up to three grades lower than the typical requirements.

What is a contextual offer? Find out more and if you’re eligible for this or our PARTNERS Programme supported entry route.

Qualifications from outside the UK

English Language requirements

Entrance courses (INTO)

International Pathway Courses are specialist programmes designed for international students who want to study in the UK. We provide a range of study options for international students in partnership with INTO. 

Find out more about International Pathway Courses

Admissions policy

This policy applies to all undergraduate and postgraduate admissions at Newcastle University. It is intended to provide information about our admissions policies and procedures to applicants and potential applicants, to their advisors and family members, and to staff of the University.

Credit transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can allow you to convert existing relevant university-level knowledge, skills and experience into credits towards a qualification. Find out more about the RPL policy which may apply to this course.

Fitness to Practise requirements

Applicants must satisfy Fitness to Practise requirements on admission to the course.

This includes a health declaration and submission of an acceptable disclosure and barring service (DBS) clearance.

Students coming direct to the course from a country outside of the UK must provide a letter of good conduct from their home country and will be required to submit an acceptable DBS at the end of the first year.

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2024 entry (per year)

Qualification: MPharm Honours

Home students

full time 4 years

Tuition fees (per year)

9250

International students

full time 4 years

Tuition fees (per year)

25200

Year abroad and additional costs

For programmes where you can spend a year on a work placement or studying abroad, you will receive a significant fee reduction for that year. 

Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.

Find out more about:

Scholarships

Find out more about:

Open days and events

How to apply

Apply through UCAS

To apply for undergraduate study at Newcastle University, you must use the online application system managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). All UK schools and colleges, and a small number of EU and international establishments, are registered with UCAS. You will need:

  • the UCAS name and institution codes for Newcastle University (NEWC/N21)
  • the UCAS code for the course you want to apply for
  • the UCAS 'buzzword' for your school or college

If you are applying independently, or are applying from a school or college which is not registered to manage applications, you will still use the Apply system. You will not need a buzzword.

Apply through UCAS

Apply through an agent

International students often apply to us through an agent. Have a look at our recommended agents and get in touch with them.

Visit our International pages

Important application information

We are no longer accepting applications for this course from home students for 2024 entry.

Get in touch

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