Pharmacy (Plymouth University campus)
Entry requirements
A level
Typical offer: AAB in three A levels including Chemistry and one other science or mathematics subject. Contextual offer: ABB in three A levels including Chemistry and one other science or mathematics subject Alternative offers: ABB in three A levels including Chemistry and one other science or mathematics, plus additional study - please see the Pharmacy course page on our website.
Access to HE Diploma
A pass in the Access to HE Diploma (in Science or Science and Engineering) with 33 credits at Distinction in Science or Mathematics units and at least 6 credits at Merit or above. This must include 15 credits in Chemistry units achieved at Distinction. We are able to consider Access to HE Diplomas in Science or Science and Engineering. Our Pharmacy course is academically challenging and requires solid foundations of knowledge in Chemistry. You will need to have studied Chemistry units worth at least 15 credits, including at least 3 credits of Organic Chemistry but excluding Biochemistry. Recent successful applicants have studied between 15 and 21 credits of Chemistry as part of their Access course and a high proportion of Organic Chemistry.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Typical offer: 36 points overall and 6, 6, 5 in three Higher Level subjects including Chemistry and a second science or mathematics course. Contextual offer: 36 points overall and 6, 5, 5 in three Higher Level subjects including Chemistry and a second science or mathematics course. We will accept either HL Mathematics course, and Sports, Exercise and Health Sciences, as a second science or mathematics subject for this degree. Chemistry is required at Higher Level. - we cannot accept Standard Level Chemistry for this course.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DDD in the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF) in Applied Science - PLUS grade A in A level Chemistry. We are only able to consider the above qualifications in Applied Science (excluding Physical Science). Your Organic Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Calculation skills will be examined as part of any interview.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Typical offer: AB in two Advanced Highers including Chemistry and one other science or mathematics subject. You will typically be expected to have completed five Scottish Highers and we prefer applicants who have achieved at least AAABB in their Highers.
T Level
Typical offer: D overall with grade A in the core component in a Science or Healthcare Science T Level PLUS grade A in A level Chemistry. You must be studying A level Chemistry alongside your T Level qualification. We are only able to consider the above T Level technical qualification in Science or Healthcare Science. If you are studying the Science T Level we prefer you to be studying either the Laboratory Sciences specialism or Metrology Sciences specialism If you are studying the Healthcare Science T Level we prefer you to be studying the Assisting with Healthcare Science specialism.
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About this course
**Pharmacy, MPharm (Hons), delivered at the University of Plymouth**
**Study our highly-ranked pharmacy course at the University of Plymouth, in preparation for a role at the forefront of modern healthcare.**
As experts in medicine design and use, pharmacists play a critical role in improving patient health.
Our MPharm pharmacy course, delivered at the University of Plymouth, combines classroom learning, campus based simulations and placements in real healthcare settings across the South West. The combination gives you a full understanding of pharmacy within community, General Practice (GP) and hospital settings, and will help prepare you for a career in your preferred area.
By studying human physiology, pharmacology, pharmaceutics and medicinal chemistry alongside clinical topics, you’ll learn about the causes and progression of medical conditions and how drugs exert their effects. You'll also learn about the appropriate prescribing, supply and administration of medications and the principles of disease progression and medicines optimisation.
**Our partnership with the University of Plymouth**
As a student in Plymouth, you will study the same course content as those studying Pharmacy in Bath, gaining a unique knowledge of the scientific development and clinical use of medicines, and preparing you for a career as a pharmacist.
You’ll be taught by Plymouth-based University of Bath academic and practice staff, and after four years of living and learning in Plymouth, you’ll graduate with a University of Bath degree. This new course provides the opportunity to live and study in the vibrant and unique surroundings of Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City. The University of Plymouth is conveniently located near Derriford Hospital, the largest teaching hospital in Devon and Cornwall, and a wealth of healthcare providers across the South West, there are plenty of opportunities for placements nearby.
**Benefit from specialist facilities**
Studying the MPharm at the University of Plymouth, you will be based in brand-new, purpose-built facilities at the heart of campus. Plymouth is home to over 4,500 health and social care students in the Faculty of Health. The new pharmacy facilities are currently in construction on the ground floor of the Nancy Astor Building and will be open ahead of the course starting in September 2024. They'll include practice-based and clinical teaching spaces, such as consultation rooms and simulation equipment.
**Put your learning into practice**
As a highly patient focussed profession, we put great emphasis on regular patient contact and clinical placements. Starting from year one, you’ll benefit from our excellent connections on placements with major teaching hospitals, community pharmacies and GP practices. You will undertake Clinical Learning in Practice (CLIP) and clinical placements and these increase in volume as you progress through the course.
You'll also have inter-professional sessions with medical, nursing and dental students to build confidence in your professional practice role.
**Get ready for your future career**
As a graduate of one of the top schools of pharmacy in the UK, you’ll be well-equipped for a rewarding career in pharmacy or pharmaceutical research. Our students are well prepared for and consistently perform well in the national NHS Oriel recruitment process for their Foundation Year place. Our graduates also consistently achieve high pass rates in the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Foundation Training assessment. In 2022, our students had a 99% pass rate in the GPhC pre-registration assessment, the highest pass rate in the UK.
To become a practising pharmacist you will need to undertake a foundation year in practice and we will support you in finding the right training place for you.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Plymouth
Pharmacy and Pharmacology
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Pharmacy
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Pharmacy
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
As only a relatively small number of students study pharmacology or toxicology, these statistics refer most closely to the graduate prospects of pharmacy graduates, so bear that in mind when you review them. Only a handful of students take first degrees in pure toxicology every year — the subject is more popular at Masters level. Pharmacology is a degree that tends to lead to jobs in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, and outcomes are improving again after a difficult time in the last few years. Jobs in pharmacology are often very specialist and so it’s no surprise that pharmacologists are amongst the most likely of all students to go on to a doctorate — if you want a job in research, start thinking about a PhD. As for pharmacy, unemployment rates are below 1% and 95% of pharmacy graduates had jobs as pharmacists (mostly in retail pharmacists) six months after they left their courses - employment rates have gone up significantly in the last couple of years.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Pharmacy
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£28k
£38k
£42k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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