Overview
Studying the Pharmacy MPharm degree at Aston University gives you the skills, insight and capability to keep our communities healthy and safe, delivering care that puts the person at the centre in a rewarding career.
Course outline and modules
About
Studying at Aston Pharmacy School will help you to develop the skills, knowledge and outlook required to become an outstanding pharmacist. You’ll experience work-based learning through our extensive network of industry partners; develop your skills in dedicated specialist facilities, and benefit from the experience and insight of our expert teaching staff.
With our roots stretching back to the establishment of the Birmingham Pharmaceutical Institution in 1847, and strong links with the NHS and healthcare industry, Aston is the ideal place to learn about this fascinating, and ever-changing profession.
The Aston Pharmacy School sits within the College of Health and Life Sciences.
Accreditation
Our Pharmacy MPharm degree is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which is one of the key requirements to practice as a pharmacist in the UK. The most recent accreditation at Aston University took place in May 2019 and the MPharm program was re-accredited for six years, the maximum period possible.
Integrated placements and interprofessional learning
You will benefit from extensive patient contact throughout the course. Both within the University, and through a series of professional experiences in different workplace environments such as hospitals, community pharmacies, GP surgeries and primary care settings. We also have a strong focus on interprofessional practice and collaborative care, offering opportunities for you to learn with, from and about other healthcare specialities.
In addition to this, many of our final year students select a final year research project in pharmacy practice, which can be based in either community or hospital practice.
Your personal tutors, along with the wider Pharmacy School team, will be on hand to support you with sourcing additional work-based experiences on summer breaks to improve your skills and enhance your CV.
International students and post-study work visa
Aston University is a diverse, close community and welcomes international students. Students from over 120 different countries choose to study with us every year. Aston is not only a great place to study, based in the centre of Birmingham it’s also a great place to live.
For international students who are interested in completing their Pre-registration year in the UK, you can find more information about visa requirements here. Additionally, the new post-study work visa enables international students to remain in the UK for two years after they have completed their studies to find work. For more information visit the government website.
Course outline
As the only Pharmacy School in the UK to hold a prestigious Regius Chair in Pharmacy, studying at Aston means you’ll be learning in the best possible environment to have an outstanding career that changes and improves many lives.
We have a long-standing track record of teaching excellence, student satisfaction and graduate prospects, and at Aston, you’ll be provided with the opportunities, experience and expertise needed to prepare for your pre-registration training year and successful future career as a pharmacist.
You’ll have access to our student support team and personal tutor who are there to help you through your studies, supporting your personal and professional development. In addition, you will have a great peer support network through the highly active and student-led Aston Pharmacy Association.
Our open and inclusive curriculum structure allows you to see how the material you learn throughout the course is connected.
You’ll study twelve integrated themes, within three broad areas of study:
The Professional
Four themes focusing on the safe and effective delivery of healthcare and supporting you in the development of your professional identity as a pharmacist. Themes include:
- Personal professional development
- Population and public health
- Delivery of care
- Fundamentals of practice
Four themes focusing on how medicines are discovered, formulated and used in practice, including the latest developments in individualized medicines. Themes include:
- Drugs to market
- Enteral drug delivery
- Parenteral drug delivery
- Personalization of pharmaceuticals
four themes focusing on the care of patients, covering a wide range of both individual and multiple clinical conditions. Themes include:
- Inflammation and immunity
- Musculoskeletal and central nervous system
- Cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal
- Gastrointestinal and endocrine
Running throughout each of these themes are three key central learning threads:
- Patient-centered care
- Deliberative practice
- Collaborative practice, via inter-professional learning with other healthcare professionals and students, such as those from the Schools of Medicine, Optometry and Audiology.
Learning, teaching and assessment
Learning and teaching
You will benefit from working with our highly qualified and knowledgeable team of academics, scientists, leading researchers, and practicing pharmacists from a variety of healthcare areas.
Our interconnected course structure enables us to put all teaching firmly in the context of delivering patient care as part of a multi-disciplinary team. We have a strong and deliberate focus on interprofessional practice and collaborative care, working closely with Aston’s many healthcare courses to increase the opportunities for you to learn with, from, and about other healthcare specialties.
Your learning will be delivered via a range of teaching methods from problem-based learning and video recording sessions, to computer-aided learning and patient simulators. We utilize a range of learning technologies, which are combined with high-fidelity simulations of healthcare practice to provide you with a realistic and safe environment in which to learn skills and develop your knowledge.
Each year of study is worth 120 credits, with each credit equivalent to 10 learning hours. The learning hours may include but are not limited to lectures, seminars, tutorials, lab sessions, practicals, online activity, reading, another independent study, reflecting on assignment feedback, field trips, and work placements.
Assessment
Our recently revised MPharm curriculum has a 50/50 split between coursework end-of-year assessments.
What learning facilities can I expect?
As a Pharmacy student, you will have access to a range of specialist facilities in our recently redeveloped Wilson Pharmacy Suite. This includes our clinical skills room with a mock hospital bay set up, dispensing and patient counseling suites with discrete video recording capabilities. You will also use a range of laboratories and teaching rooms.
Career prospects
As an MPharm student at Aston, you will have access to a wide range of services and support as you embark upon your first career steps.
Our dedicated Careers and Placements team offers interview support, CV surgeries, and specialist on-campus careers fairs. Of course, you will also have the Aston Pharmacy School team on hand to assist with any questions you have about securing your pre-registration post or another career of choice.
Our graduates enter a variety of careers in:
- Community pharmacies like Boots, Cooperative, LloydsPharmacy, Superdrug, and small-chain or independents
- GP surgeries
- NHS Primary Care Trusts
- Hospitals
- The pharmaceutical industry with organizations such as GSK, Pfizer, and Britannia Pharmaceuticals Ltd
- Pharmaceutical research
- Further study with an MSc or PhD
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