Pharmacy MPharm with preparatory year

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Interview info

Your interview will be held online using MS Teams, with a member of our pharmacy teaching staff and, in some instances, an observer. It is designed around what is known as values-based recruitment (VBR).

We may ask you questions about:

• what motivated you to consider a career in pharmacy
• why do you wish to study at Brighton
• what subjects you enjoyed the most at school or college
• examples of when you have worked well in a team and individually
• your opinions of health care and science in the wider sense.

We will also ask you to consider and discuss a pharmacy-related scenario. Your responses to the scenario and these questions will allow us to find out if you have the right attributes to successfully engage with and complete the course. All candidates are asked the same set of questions and answers are assessed against a standard framework to ensure a fair interview and selection process. Finally, you will have an opportunity to ask us questions about the course, studying and living and Brighton or anything else you’d like to know.

Find out more about values-based recruitment and the NHS Constitution for England, the core values that underpin the NHS.

Why choose an integrated preparatory year? 

This integrated preparatory course is suitable for applicants with a wide range of backgrounds and qualifications who, for a variety of reasons, may not feel ready to begin study at undergraduate level.

This may apply to mature students who have had a break from education and may have vocational experience in addition to academic qualifications.

Students who do not have the subject-appropriate A-levels or equivalent qualifications for the undergraduate course may also benefit.

Course structure

Our MPharm course has moved away from a modular approach and been carefully structured to integrate chemistry, pharmaceutics, microbiology, physiology, pharmacology and health psychology with the practice of pharmacy in providing the best care for patients. This is achieved in a case-based manner so you can see the science behind patient care as immediately relevant.

In addition to undertaking placements, you benefit from early involvement with continuing professional development (CPD) via reflective entries in a personal e-portfolio.

The course is delivered through a mixture of lectures, laboratory classes, workshops and tutorials. Assessment involves lab reports, written exams, oral presentations, logbooks, portfolios, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and peer assessment.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, we will inform you of any improvements or innovations to the curriculum through our admissions portal.

Preparatory year 

During your preparatory year you’ll be introduced to key concepts in biology, chemistry and data handling to prepare you for study at undergraduate level. You’ll also develop your skills in problem solving, analysis and communication.

Modules

• Foundation Biology
• Foundation Chemistry
• Data Handling
• Study Skills

Year 1

Your first year consists of 10 cases specifically designed to allow you to gain an understanding of minor ailments and their treatments using medicines that can be purchased from a community pharmacy. Cases cover subjects such as digestive ailments, skin conditions and eye conditions. Your learning will be supported by a placement in a community pharmacy.

Modules

• Integrated Pharmaceutical Knowledge Attributes and Skills 1

  In this module you will bring together the skills, attributes and knowledge learnt across your year 1 cases. The module focuses on your development of appropriate study skills, professionalism, communication skills, pharmaceutical numeracy and aspects of pharmaceutical practice, including reflective practice.

• Introductory Pharmacy 1

  This module will introduce you to pharmacy, including the place of pharmacists in the healthcare system. Underpinning this will be an understanding of fundamental chemical and microbiological principles integrating them into the practice of pharmacy.

• Introductory Pharmacy 2

  In this module you will explore the areas of pharmaceutical sciences: cell biology; pharmacology; and pharmaceutical practice, by studying cases on lung cancer, pain, health during pregnancy and pet medicines.

• Introductory Pharmacy 3

  In this module you will explore the areas of pharmaceutical sciences, therapeutics and pharmaceutical practice with particular emphasis on drug stability, topical formulations, microbial infections and OTC medicines and other products.

Year 2

You will study 12 cases dealing with more complex conditions such as asthma, hypertension, and ischaemic heart disease. You will also learn how to take a drug history and produce a care plan. Learning is supported by three clinical placements.

Modules

• Integrated Pharmaceutical Knowledge, Attributes and Skills 2
• Intermediate Pharmacy 1
• Intermediate Pharmacy 2
• Intermediate Pharmacy 3

Year 3

You will continue to build on your learning through a further 13 cases including endocrinology, immunology and oncology in considering the treatment of patients with type 1 diabetes, autoimmune diseases and breast cancer. Learning is supported by a week-long hospital placement where you work alongside healthcare professionals and interact with patients and carers.

Modules

• Integrated Pharmaceutical Knowledge, Attributes and Skills 3
• Advanced Pharmacy 1
• Advanced Pharmacy 2
• Advanced Pharmacy 3.

Final year

You will focus on more complex patients, usually involving multiple pathologies and polypharmacy. There will also be small-group, inter-professional education sessions that simulate real-life clinical scenarios.

You will study two special topics and undertake a research project. You also have the option of studying in an industrial environment.

Modules

• Research Project
• Preparing for Pharmacy Practice

Options*

• Regenerative Medicine, Medical Implants and Diagnostics
• Clinical Microbiology in the Post-Antimicrobial Era
• Advanced Pharmaceutical Analysis  
• Industrial Manufacturing Processes
• Omics for Diseases: Theory, Practice and Applications  
• Biological Membranes: Drug Targets and Disease
• Controversies in Science
• Advanced Diabetes Therapies
• Oxidative Stress and Human Disease  
• Pharmaceutical Care of Surgical Patients
• Global Perspectives on Health and Medicines
• Quality Issues in Complementary Therapies that Utilise Plants
• Monitoring Signalling Molecules
• Ageing: Pathology and Prevention
• Cancer: Bench to Bedside
• Understanding Age-Related CNS Disorders
• Nanotechnology Research: Therapeutics, Diagnostics and Advanced Pharmaceutics
• Business Studies for Pharmacists
• Novel Medicinal Products: A Clinical Perspective

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Staff profiles

Information for international students

All international students who graduate with an MPharm from a UK university must apply for a visa in order to work in the UK (ie to undertake their foundation training).

Information on visa options that may be suitable for the foundation training year can be found on th UK Visas and Immigration website. You may want to consider whether applying for Tier 2 or Tier 5 sponsorship may be suitable for your particular circumstances.

Please note, however, that the UK Visas and Immigration website provides the most up-to-date information, and it is possible that there may be changes to visa and/or immigration policy by the time you start your foundation training – particularly in light of the recent government response to the Migration and Advisory Committee Tier 2 report. (See also: 'Sponsor a Tier 2 or 5 worker: guidance for employers'.)

You should be aware that it may not be possible to obtain a visa for the foundation training year, so there is no guarantee you will be able to stay in the UK to complete your training.

For further guidance on visas for the foundation training year, contact our international student advisers. You can also contact the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), either by telephone on 0845 257 2570 or by email at support@rpharms.com.

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2023–24.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate and postgraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

Campus where this course is taught

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