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Course starts: 15 September 2025Apply now
Play a vital role in improving the health of patients. Become an expert in the design, development and therapeutic use of medicines. Graduate and develop a fascinating and rewarding career, both holistically and financially.
Our highly-regarded MPharm course is designed to ensure you develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and professional attributes to practice as a pharmacist. The course lasts four years and you'll graduate as a Master of Pharmacy. The MPharm is the only undergraduate qualification in the UK which leads to professional registration as a pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). All newly qualified pharmacists will now be independent prescribers at the point of registration.
There is a huge demand for pharmacist independent prescribers, with a range of opportunities within primary care, secondary care and specialist sectors. We provide placements across all these settings to supplement our onsite teaching and simulation activities, while giving you experience of the range of career opportunities available to you.
The teaching on our course integrates the fundamental pharmaceutical, chemical, and biological sciences with clinical therapeutics and patient-focused clinical skills. We have state-of-the-art facilities to enable the simulation of healthcare settings, where we teach alongside patients and their carers, and other healthcare students during interprofessional learning sessions. Most of our clinical staff continue to work in practice as prescribers alongside their academic work, ensuring the currency and relevance of our teaching for the pharmacists of the future.
You'll be taught mainly in small seminar groups, where you'll explore clinical therapeutics, the management of disease, prescribing skills, and clinical skills. You'll also work in small learning groups during practice laboratory classes and dispensing classes.
Larger group or online lectures cover key principles and are delivered by experienced and research active academics in the field.
You'll study alongside student doctors, nurses, paramedics, and physiotherapists in interdisciplinary learning opportunities. We involve patients, their carers, and the general public in many of our teaching and simulation sessions.
We provide a longitudinal placement model in all four years of the course, in a variety of settings including community and hospital, to general practice and more specialist sectors, such as within a prison or hospice.
Assessment methods include examinations, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), assignments, essays, reports and presentations.
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade - SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement | GPA 3.0 or higher with Grade 12 Chemistry and one other science (or Maths) at grade C or above |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
A Levels must include Chemistry and one other science subject at Grade B or above excluding General Studies.
We accept T Level Science only with an overall grade of Merit or Distinction.
We accept Access to Higher Education Diploma in Science which must include Distinctions in Chemistry and one other science.
We recognise that some applicants may have varied learning backgrounds and hold alternative qualifications, e.g. previous degree at 2:1 or above. Please contact us to discuss if you are unsure whether your qualifications would be suitable for entry.
If English is not your first language, you should have an IELTS (or equivalent) score of at least 7.0, with a minimum of 6.5 in each band.
All offers are subject to both successful performance at interview and passing mandatory compliance checks. The interview consists of multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) and a numeracy assessment. The MMIs are scenario-based to assess personal behaviours and attributes, as well as professional awareness. Compliance checks include a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service), occupational health check, and self-declaration of health. These are essential as pharmacy is a regulated healthcare profession.
Fees are:
*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Most of our students go on to work in community pharmacy, general practice, or within a hospital. Pharmacists usually begin their careers in more generalised roles, with opportunities to become more specialised, for example, as a consultant pharmacist, coming with experience.
Some graduates chose to work in industrial pharmaceuticals or progress on to research degrees, such as a PhD.
Pharmacy is an excellent option for a portfolio career, with many pharmacists choosing to split their working week across different roles.
Financial rewards compare favourably with most other professions and there are excellent career prospects. Currently, there is virtually no unemployment of qualified pharmacists.
On graduation as a Master of Pharmacy (MPharm), you'll need to undertake a further year of postgraduate training after the end of the course to become eligible for registration as a pharmacist in the UK. This is known as the Trainee Pharmacist Foundation Year and involves you working under the supervision of a qualified pharmacist.
Applying for a training position is via a system called ORIEL. We provide help and guidance in your third year of the MPharm course to prepare you for this process.
We've never had an MPharm graduate who has not obtained a Foundation Training Year position and we'll support you in finding one (although we are unable to guarantee one). We also offer a course called the Trainee Pharmacist Foundation Programme to support you during this year.
On successful completion of the Trainee Pharmacist Foundation Year, you'll be required to pass the national registration assessment set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) before you are eligible to start your career as a pharmacist.
Although the MPharm is primarily a route to becoming a pharmacist, it can also open up many other career pathways where expertise in medicines is vital.
Examples of other career options include pharmaceutical research and working in the Research and Development industry.
We have well-established links with professionals working in all the main branches of pharmacy. Through these links we organise a programme of guest speakers who will help you relate academic theory to current trends and issues.
Many of the staff teaching on this course are practitioners from hospital, community, and primary care backgrounds. This ensures that our course is employer-led, and means that you'll have regular contact with the ‘real world’ of the pharmacy profession.
I have had the opportunity to meet people with same ambitions in life who will forever be friends
This job really is a dream come true, I always hoped to eventually move into hospital pharmacy
The teaching enables you to work to an exceptional level in your role as a pharmacist
If you want to focus on developing your life skills and knowledge, then this is your destination.
I am looking forward to working in a community pharmacy
I don’t know how I would have coped without the support of my lecturers.
