Pharmacy MPharm

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.

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Learning, teaching and assessment in 2021/22

Overview

Our highly-regarded Pharmacy course begins with a broad overview of the fundamental pharmaceutical and biological sciences. You will develop more specialised knowledge and skills in medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, therapeutics, clinical management and patient-focused clinical skills.

The course lasts four years and you will graduate as a Master of Pharmacy. The MPharm is the only undergraduate qualification in the UK which leads to professional registration as a pharmacist which is a key worker profession.

Why us?

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) figures show that the University of Sunderland is consistently one of the top-ranking Schools of Pharmacy in the National Registration Assessment. The pass rate in 2019 was 89.82% which is significantly above the national average of 72.33%
97.5% of our MPharm Pharmacy graduates are in graduate-level employment, further study or training within six months of graduating, according to DLHE 2016/17 (based on full-time, first degree, home leavers)
Pharmacy has been taught at Sunderland for 100 years and we have a strong reputation as a Pharmacy School that produces successful graduates
This course has 86% Overall Satisfaction (National Student Survey, 2020)

Patient contact is embedded throughout the course alongside placements and interprofessional learning opportunities
All our pharmacist academics are at the forefront of current practice as they continue to work with regional trusts and pharmacy employers. This means you have direct links to employers and the most up to date clinical teaching
Research in Pharmacy at Sunderland has been described as ‘world-leading’ by the latest Research Excellence Framework
Our Pharmacy and Pharmacology courses are ranked 18th in the UK (The Guardian University league tables, 2022)

Course structure

Lectures cover key principles and are delivered by experienced and research active academics in the field. You will also learn in small seminar groups, practical laboratory classes and dispensing classes.

Assessment methods include examinations, time constrained tests (some web-based), assignments, essays, reports and presentations.

Year 1 (national level 4):

Fundamental Principles of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Formulation (50 credits)

Study the fundamental principles of pharmaceutical chemistry and the formulation of medicinal products. Explore the various types of dosage forms and the commonly used routes of administration in clinical practice. Learn to identify sources of drugs and discuss the regulatory structure that ensures quality and patient safety in the preparation of pharmaceutical products.

The Healthy Patient: Fundamental Principles of Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology and Microbiology (50 credits)

Gain an understanding of the fundamental principles of biological sciences. Be introduced to the anatomy and the functions of body systems, which will integrate well with the clinical skills studied at this Stage. Study the fundamental principles of physiology, pharmacology and microbiology and consider how these are applied to the care of patients.

Introduction to the Professional Practice of Pharmacy (20 credits)

Be introduced to the professional practice of pharmacy and discuss the various roles of a pharmacist as part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team. The underlying concepts of professionalism and the regulation of pharmacy professionals by the General Pharmaceutical Council will also be explored. Undertake placements in community pharmacy and develop your clinical skills through sessions with patients. Integrate the material from all Stage 1 modules and apply the concepts covered to patient focused case studies.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Pharmacy: the Legal, Professional and Ethical Basis of Practice (40 credits)

Build on the professional elements of Stage 1. Develop the knowledge and skills needed in order to practice legally as a pharmacist in the UK. Study several important components of practice in the UK, namely; pharmacy law, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical calculations, professionalism and ethics. Undertake placements in both community and hospital pharmacy and work with students from other healthcare professions.

Integrated Therapeutics 1: Cardiovascular and Renal Systems (40 credits)

Focus on cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal disease. Cover the clinical management of diseases of these systems, supported by developing your knowledge of relevant underpinning scientific principles and the application of these to patient care. Cover major areas including hypertension, heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, acute and chronic renal failure. Continue to develop your clinical skills and work with patients throughout this module.

Integrated Therapeutics 2: Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Systems (40 credits)

Focus on respiratory and gastrointestinal disease. Cover the clinical management of diseases of these systems, supported by developing your knowledge of relevant underpinning scientific principles and the application of these to patient care. Cover asthma, COPD, allergies, cough, cystic fibrosis, ear, nose and throat pathology, peptic ulcer disease, GORD inflammatory bowel disease, emesis, constipation, diarrhoea and alcohol/drug-induced hepatic disorder. Continue to develop your clinical skills and work with patients throughout this module.

Year 3 (national level 6):

Research Option (40 credits)

Undertake your own research project in a specific area related to pharmacy; we currently offer research projects in pharmaceutical chemistry, analysis, drug discovery, formulation, clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice.

Integrated Therapeutics 3: Endocrine, Genito-Urinary and Musculoskeletal Systems (40 credits)

Focus on the endocrine, genito-urinary and musculoskeletal systems. Cover the clinical management of diseases of these systems, supported by developing your knowledge of relevant underpinning scientific principles and the application of these to patient care. Cover diabetes and disorders of the thyroid, adrenocortical, hypothalamic, pituitary, sex hormones and bone metabolism. Discuss the formulation of injectable products such as insulin and the medicinal chemistry of key drugs such as those used in the treatment of diabetes. Undertake community, hospital, general practice and specialist sector placements.

Integrated Therapeutics 4: Central Nervous System and Skin (40 credits)

Focus on the central nervous system and skin. Cover the clinical management of diseases of these systems, supported by developing your knowledge of relevant underpinning scientific principles and the application of these to patient care. Explore pain, mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, dementia and schizophrenia. Discuss other CNS conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and the role of the pharmacist in the management of substance misuse. Continue to work with patients and with students from other healthcare professions.

Final year (national level 7)

Applied Practice: Achieving Optimal Clinical Outcomes (60 credits)

Be prepared for clinical and professional practice and study the latest in pharmacy law, ethics and the evidence based therapeutic management of acute and chronic conditions. Spend a significant amount of time using our simulation suites, mock hospital ward and simulated pharmacy, and perform safe and effective consultations applicable to community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and primary care settings. Undertake a one week placement in a sector of your choosing.

Advanced Therapeutics (60 credits)

Gain an understanding of the principles of oncology and infectious disease. Put a greater focus on decision making and complex therapeutic interventions. Study various cancers seen commonly in clinical practice. Understand the use of chemotherapeutic and supportive interventions and the evidence base supporting their use in the treatment of cancer. Cover the management of common and serious infections and HIV.

More about (MPharm) Pharmacy at Sunderland

Discover more articles

Helen McArdle House is based on our City Campus and has benefited from multi-million pound investment in modern facilities in recent years.
Many of our healthcare courses are taught here, including Nursing, Paramedic Science, Medicine and Healthcare Sciences, and our School of Psychology is also based here.
The building is made up of a variety of teaching and learning spaces, including mock hospital wards, OSCE suites, the Patient Diagnostic Suite, Mental Health and Wellbeing Suite and seminar and IT classrooms.
A lot of academic staff offices are based here, with an open-door policy in place.
Helen McArdle House
The Living Lab boasts a unique immersive simulation room, that allows participants to experience a range of simulated scenarios in a safe environment. The space is designed to make scenarios feel as close to reality as possible, to enable students to practice their clinical skills safely. An adjacent debrief room allows groups to observe the scenario in the immersive suite through a live stream (projected onto TV screens) and provide peer feedback and group discussion following the completion of the scenario.
Immersive Suite
Immersive Suite 360
The University boasts a collection of more than 430,000 books in total, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. There are nearly 9,000 journal titles, mostly in electronic format. Each year the University invests around £1 million in new resources. As a student, you will have access to a huge range of online databases such as:

British National Formulary:
Compiled with the advice of clinical experts, the British National Formulary (BNF) provides up-to-date guidance on prescribing, dispensing and administering medicines.

The British Pharmacopoeia:
The British Pharmacopoeia (BP) is the authoritative collection of quality standards for UK medicines and is an essential reference for anyone involved in pharmaceutical R&D, manufacture, testing and regulation.

CINAHL:
CINAHL with Full Text is the world’s most comprehensive source of full text for nursing & allied health journals, providing full text for more than 600 journals indexed in CINAHL.

The Cochrane Library:
The Cochrane Library is a collection of databases that contain high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making.

PubMed Central:
PubMed Central is a service of the US National Library of Medicine that includes over 25 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles and includes links to full text articles and other related resources.

ScienceDirect:
ScienceDirect is a leading full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters covering physical sciences, life sciences, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities.
Library Services - pharmacy, health and wellbeing
Mock Hospital Ward 360
Multi-Functional Lab 360
OSCE Suite 360
The Dispensary is used by Pharmacy students across all year groups, including Pre-Registration students. The Dispensary has industry-standard kit such as labelling software, access to pharmacy reference sources (online and paper-based resources) and appropriate drug storage facilities which comply with relevant legislation and good practice requirements.
Pharmacy Dispensary
Pharmacy Dispensary 360
There are a range of simulation manikins used across most of our healthcare courses, giving you the opportunity to apply your training in a realistic, yet safe, setting.
Our manikins range from various SimMan patient simulators (SimMan 3G, SimMan ALS, Sim Junior and Sim Baby to name a few) to CAE Apollo and Caesar manikins, to anatomically realistic SimBodies and lower-fidelity simulation manikins.
SimMan and Apollo manikins can demonstrate realistic physiological behaviour, including blood pressure, a pulse, drug recognition technology (in SimMan 3G) and each model can be pre-programmed with various medical scenarios.
Simulation Technology
The Sciences Complex is based on our City Campus. It has benefited from multi-million pound investment in modern facilities in recent years and continues to develop as our health sciences offer grows.

It is the central hub for many of our health and sciences courses and is made up of a variety of teaching and learning spaces, including labs, problem-based learning classrooms and facilities that encourage interprofessional learning. A lot of academic staff offices are based here, with an open-door policy in place.
The Sciences Complex
Map and directions

Facilities

Sunderland's exceptional facilities include state-of-the-art equipment for pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry and pharmacology.

Entry requirements

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.

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 interview, this includes a multiple mini-interview (MMI's) consisting of situational judgment tests/ scenarios where you are assessed on how you would react in a certain situation and a numeracy assessment.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The annual fee for this course is:

£9,250 if you are from the UK/Europe*
£13,000 if you are an international student

*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss nationals are classed as international, however 21/22 entrants will receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the (undergraduate) home tuition fee rate of £9,250 for the duration of their studies. The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

97.5% of our MPharm Pharmacy graduates are in graduate-level employment, further study or training within six months of graduating, according to DLHE 2016/17 (based on full-time, first degree, home leavers).

Many of our students go on to work in Community Pharmacy, Primary care, Secondary care, and Industrial pharmaceuticals, or progress on to research degrees.

Financial rewards compare favourably with most other professions. Typical starting salaries for pharmacists range from £25,000 - £40,000 depending on sector, location, conditions of employment and experience. Currently, there is virtually no unemployment of qualified pharmacists.

Qualifying as a Pharmacist

On graduation as a Master of Pharmacy (MPharm), you will 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. We have never had an MPharm graduate who has not obtained a pre-registration placement and the University will support you in finding a position, however we are unable to guarantee one.

This one-year placement is known as the ‘pre-registration training year’ and involves you working under the supervision of a qualified pharmacist. We offer a support programme during the pre-registration year at Sunderland: Pharmacy pre-registration training programme.

On successful completion of the pre-registration training year, you will be required to pass the national registration assessment set by the General Pharmaceutical Council before you are eligible to start your career as a Pharmacist.

Other career options

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 include pharmaceutical research and working in the Research and Development industry.

Guest speakers

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 help you relate academic theory to current trends and issues.

Teacher practitioners

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 will have regular contact with the ‘real world’ of the pharmacy profession.

Meet the students

I have had the opportunity to meet people with same ambitions in life who will forever be friends

Crystal Kline
This job really is a dream come true, I always hoped to eventually move into hospital pharmacy

Emma Boxer
The teaching enables you to work to an exceptional level in your role as a pharmacist

Kayleigh Davison
If you want to focus on developing your life skills and knowledge, then this is your destination.

Mohammed Ahmad Tarik Altaee
I am looking forward to working in a community pharmacy

Nizamuddin Ahmad Bin Sirajuddeen
I don’t know how I would have coped without the support of my lecturers.

Yasmine Haq

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing.

Page last updated: 21 September 2021

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Pharmacy MPharm

Overview

Why us?

Course structure

Year 1 (national level 4):

Year 2 (national level 5):

Year 3 (national level 6):

Final year (national level 7)

More about (MPharm) Pharmacy at Sunderland

100 years of our pharmacy heroes

Everything you need to know about the Trainee Pharmacist Foundation Programme

Five alternative careers you can have with a Pharmacy degree

Facilities

Entry requirements

Fees and finance

Career ready

Qualifying as a Pharmacist

Other career options

Guest speakers

Teacher practitioners

Meet the students

Crystal Kline

Emma Boxer

Kayleigh Davison

Mohammed Ahmad Tarik Altaee

Nizamuddin Ahmad Bin Sirajuddeen

Yasmine Haq

Related courses

Contact

Sign up to receive more information