Medicine and healthcare
Pharmacy
MPharm
Overview
The MPharm is the undergraduate master's that starts training as a pharmacist. You study chemistry and biology of medicines, how drugs act, and how to supply and advise on them safely in pharmacies and hospitals. It is a four-year integrated course, followed by a foundation training year before registration. A pharmacology degree is related science but is not the pharmacist qualification. Students who enjoy pharmacy like precise chemistry, talking with the public, and the responsibility of checking that a medicine is safe for a particular person.
You want to register as a pharmacist.
Pharmacology and pharmaceutical science do not by themselves lead to pharmacist registration.
People who like chemistry applied to real patients and who are careful with detail.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Year 1
- Chemistry of medicines
- Human biology
- Pharmacy practice
Middle years
- Pharmacology
- Formulation
- Clinical placements
Final year
- Complex patients
- Prescribing preparation
- Research or project
Skills
Useful before you start
- Chemistry
- Careful calculation
- Clear advice
Developed during the degree
- Clinical checking
- Formulation science
- Patient counselling
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Lectures, Laboratories, Pharmacy placements, Workshops.
Assessment often includes Exams, Objective clinical exams, Calculations, Portfolio.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate for a laboratory and placement master's. Calculations practice sits on top of contact time.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | ABB–AAB. Chemistry is widely required, plus another science or mathematics. Check the school of pharmacy. |
| IB Diploma | UCL publishes 34 points for ABB and 36 for AAB, including 16 or 17 across three Higher Level subjects. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | That Manchester guide gives AP 5, 4, 4 for ABB and AP 5, 5, 4 for AAB, with GPA 3.0/4.0. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
Chemistry is widely required, plus another science or mathematics. Check the school of pharmacy.
Often recommended: Biology, Mathematics.
GCSE and IGCSE
Many healthcare courses expect English language and mathematics, and often sciences, at GCSE or IGCSE. Grade thresholds differ. No single grade is stored as a national rule. International GCSEs are not automatically treated as GCSEs by every university.
Indicative only. The MPharm must be accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council.
Other ways in
- A foundation degree or pharmacy technician route is not the same as starting the MPharm.
- Registration follows the degree and the foundation year.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
Published courses already checked
King's College London
Pharmacy MPharm. 2027 entry. 4 years.
This is one published course, not the general pattern above.
Official course page
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Pharmacist
Direct qualifying route
The GPhC-accredited MPharm is the university route. Foundation training comes after it.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.