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

Download information about this course as a PDF

Your course during COVID-19
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.

Given the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commitments outlined are subject to guidelines that may be in place from time to time.

View our COVID-19 Study page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2021-22.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information

Quality and ranking

Study Pharmacy at Newcastle University and you will be joining our world-renowned Faculty of Medical Sciences.

We have an international reputation for the quality of our well-established degrees in medicine, dentistry, psychology and biomedical sciences. Pharmacy at Newcastle ranks top 150 in the Clinical, Pre-clinical and Health category, Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2020.

We achieved 92% for overall student satisfaction in National Student Survey 2019 (subject area Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy).

Teaching excellence

TEF Gold

A ringing endorsement of Newcastle University’s long tradition of excellence in teaching.

Professional accreditation

This course has full accreditation from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

The GPhC accredits and recognises Pharmacy courses leading to pre-registration and then pharmacist registration. After successful completion of your degree, you will need to complete one year as a pre-registration trainee. After this, you can register with the GPhC and be allowed to practise as a pharmacist.

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.

Information about these graphs

We base these figures and graphs on the most up-to-date information available to us. They combine data on the planned delivery and assessments of our courses in 2021-22 with data on the modules chosen by our students in 2020-21.

Teaching time is made up of:

• scheduled learning and teaching activities. These are timetabled activities with a member of staff present
• structured guided learning. These are activities developed by staff to support engagement with module learning. Students or groups of students undertake these activities without direct staff participation or supervision

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.

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.

Read our detailed explanation

Tuition fees and scholarships

Tuition fees for 2021 entry (per year)

Home Fee Students

£9250

International Fee Students

£23400

The maximum fee that we are permitted to charge for home fee-paying students is set by the UK government.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Read more about fees and funding

You will be charged tuition fees for each year of your degree programme (unless you are on a shorter exchange programme). 

The tuition fee amount you will pay may increase slightly year on year as a result of inflation.

For courses commencing from September 2021 and beyond, EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for home fees or Student Finance England support.

If you are from the EU you will pay international tuition fees.

Read more about fees and funding

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:

• different tuition fees
• additional costs

Scholarships

Find out more about:

• scholarships for UK, EU and international students
• Student Loans and Government financial support for UK and EU students

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