Master of Pharmacy


The Master of Sciences of Pharmacy is the standard master's degree program in Pharmacy. It is the oldest honourable Diploma authorized from the European Faculties of Pharmacy as it takes five years to complete. It is based on a credit system higher than the normal Bachelor of Pharmacy degree. It is different from the American Pharmaceutical Diploma, Doctor of Pharmacy,, that takes six years to complete. The Faculty is a member of the Association of European Faculties of Pharmacy and its graduates meet all the requirements for the profession as defined by the European Union. In the initial three years students revise and broaden their knowledge of elementary natural and medical subjects to the level required for understanding specific subjects from the field of Pharmacy. Students attend lectures and seminars and take part in practical pharmacy placements. During the last year of study they work on their thesis. The programme is concluded by defending the thesis and taking the final state examination. Then the students are awarded the master's degree. The study programme is compliant with EU directive 2005/36/EC.
Graduates awarded the master's degree can later sit for a thorough state exam including an advanced thesis defence. After passing they are awarded the "Testing Board" degree.
Graduates can apply for postgraduate after studying several branches of Pharmacy in the five accredited years. After defending their dissertation, submit their researches in their selected branches of Pharmacy and passing the final state examination they are awarded the degree.
The master's program is offered in different specialized areas, one major being Clinical Pharmacy. Clinical pharmacy specialization enables pharmacists to deliver higher levels of clinical services. In some countries these specializations are happening with residency programs.

Finland

In Finland, proviisori is an academic degree awarded after completing the post graduate programme in pharmacy. The degree is equivalent to English term Master of Pharmacy. Proviisori degree is required in order to be a druggist in Finland. Pharmacy is taught in University of Helsinki and University of Eastern Finland.

Israel

Starting in 2017, the Ben Gurion University of the Negev has begun offering a 2-year Master's program in Community Clinical Pharmacy and Regulatory Management. The program is available to Bachelor of Pharmacy graduates whom are listed as registered pharmacists in the country, with at least 2 years of work experience.

Malta

The University of Malta, Department of Pharmacy within the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, offers a Master of Pharmacy course for students who have successfully completed the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Science. The M.Pharm is a requirement in obtaining the warrant to practice as a Pharmacist in Malta.

Poland

In Poland, magister farmacji is an academic degree awarded following five and a half years of academic study in pharmacy. Completing a dissertation in this area is a prerequisite. The degree is equivalent to American Pharm.D.

Ukraine

England

In Ireland, the M.Pharm is awarded after five years: four years of undergraduate study leading to a BSc.Pharm and a one-year placement in a community or hospital pharmacy setting.
In the United Kingdom, MPharm is a postgraduate academic degree awarded following four years of academic study in pharmacy. The degree is awarded by all of the schools of pharmacy in the UK and superseded the BSc or BPharm degree when the length of the undergraduate pharmacy course was increased from three to four years in 1997—partly due to EU harmonization of pharmacy training and partly to extend the scope of the undergraduate degree.
The MPharm is the only qualification in the UK which leads to professional registration as a pharmacist. MPharm programs are accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council in England, Scotland and Wales, and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland.
Aspiring pharmacists in the UK qualify by first completing this degree, then undertaking a year of pre-registration training. On successful completion of this training, and after passing the pre-registration exam, they become registered pharmacists. In Great Britain it used to be the case, until September 2010, that with registration they became members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, able to use the postnominal letters MRPharmS. However, the RPS split off its regulatory role in September 2010 and the new regulatory body, the GPhC, does not grant postnominals to its registrants. MRPharmS is still granted by the RPS to its member but no longer has an automatic link to current registration as a pharmacist. In Northern Ireland regulation has not been removed from the PSNI and therefore registration as a pharmacist and membership of the PSNI are still simultaneous, granting use of the postnominals MPSNI.

Universities

India / Australia

Master of Pharmacy in India is offered as post graduate course after completion of BPharma degree. The MPharma course is normally of two years duration. In some universities it is one-year research and one year theory examination, while some offers M Pharm by research completely leading to doctorate degree. The course focuses on specialisation in the field of pharmacy. The MPharma courses are offered by pharmacy colleges affiliated to unite leading to entry into the pharmacy profession. In 2004, the University of Newcastle introduced a two-year postgraduate MPharm coursework program, to provide an alternative means to gain qualification for registration to practice as a pharmacist for graduates with a bachelor's degree in any science or medical science that includes the required prerequisites. The MPharm degree is not an advanced follow-up degree for pharmacists. Following the commencement of the MPharm program at the University of Newcastle, other universities across Australia also began offering MPharm coursework programs. At present, either the BPharm or MPharm degree is accepted for registration as a practicing pharmacist.
See list of pharmacy schools: Australia for a listing of institutions offering the MPharm degree.

MPharm (Clinical)/MClinPharm

With the success and popularity of the MPharm coursework degrees, research MPharm degrees have now been redesignated Master of Pharmacy or Master of Clinical Pharmacy. This degree offers advanced training to graduates of a Bachelor of Pharmacy, and does not by itself meet the requirements for registration as a pharmacist.
These are the following colleges imparting M Pharma in India in various specialties like Industrial Pharmacy, Bulk Drugs, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology etc.:
1. Department of Pharmacy, University of Development Alternative
2. Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka
3. Department of Pharmacy, Jagannath University
4. Department of Pharmacy, State University of Bangladesh
5. Department of Pharmacy, University of Science and Technology Chittagong

Pakistan

The post graduate M.Phil program is offered in Pakistan instead of Master of pharmacy in four disciplines, namely, Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy. A new discipline Pharmacy Practice is also introduced by some universities.

Kenya

In Kenya, the School of Pharmacy, University of Nairobi, offers three Master of Pharmacy degrees:
These are 2-year Master's degree programs that have both taught and research components.