Professional Development for Pharmacy Practitioners (MSc) Postgraduate Programme By Cardiff University |TopUniversities

Programme overview

Degree

MSc

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

Blended

This course gives you the flexibility to undertake the full MSc in Professional Development for Pharmacy Practitioners or to study modules on a standalone basis.

Our MSc Professional Development for Pharmacy Practitioners has been designed to support the development needs of pharmacists and other pharmacy practitioners e.g. pharmacy technicians. Our School is internationally renowned for the outstanding quality of our teaching and research. Undertaking the Professional Development programme at Cardiff University means studying at one of the top schools of Pharmacy in the UK.  

The programme will support you to develop the knowledge, skills and professional values and behaviours required by pharmacy practitioners to effectively contribute to the provision of medicines related healthcare.  It will enable you to address complex health-related challenges faced by patients and the population. It will develop in you, a comprehensive understanding and critical awareness of your role in a changing healthcare environment.

As professionals leading, managing, and developing diverse roles within healthcare, our programme has been designed to support a wide range of pharmacy practitioners, from newly registered professionals to those with more experience working at a senior level.  All modules will be available for pharmacists registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council/Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland; many modules will be available for other practitioners e.g. pharmacy technicians who wish to advance their knowledge base and specialist skills.  

Several learning and teaching approaches are employed depending upon the learning outcomes for the modules you select e.g. some require face-to-face study days whereas others are delivered through e-learning.

You’ll be taught all of this by our team of world-leading academic staff, and pharmacist and healthcare practitioners who have an extensive range of expertise. We ranked joint first School of Pharmacy nationally in the most recent Research Excellence Framework. This is a direct result of the quality, and cutting-edge nature of our research projects. 

Our programme has been designed with in-built flexibility to allow you to undertake modules that fit into your professional and personal circumstances.  There are two main study routes: 

Study Route 1:  Obtaining the full MSc in Professional Development for Pharmacy Practitioners (180 credits)

You will have a maximum period of 7 years to complete the programme including the Master’s dissertation. You will study a range of modules that you select that support your professional practice. Some years you may decide not to complete any modules. This will give you the greatest flexibility to tailor your study to your learning requirements

Study route 2: Stand-alone modules

If you do not wish to enrol directly on the programme you can study modules on a stand-alone basis up to a maximum of 60 credits each year.  For each successfully completed module, you will receive a transcript annually detailing the credits achieved. As you accumulate credits, you may wish to consider completing the remaining credits and transferring to Study route 1 to receive an award i.e. Certificate (60 credits), Diploma (120 credits) or MSc (180 credits).

Transfer to study route 1 must occur before you have gained the required number of credits for the award i.e. you cannot retrospectively apply for an award from stand-alone modules. 

Please note that this programme is not a pharmacy conversion course. It does not lead to full professional registration with the GPhC/PSNI, and it does not qualify you to practice in the UK.

Distinctive features

Our highly versatile and flexible MSc programme has been designed “by practitioners for practitioners” to help you acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and competencies to support your autonomous practice and career development in healthcare. Here are some of the programme’s key features:
  • The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has enjoyed over 100 years of excellence in teaching and research, and we have a rich history of running postgraduate taught professional programmes for healthcare professionals to support their development.
  • The programme allows you to complete, over a period of 7 years, providing flexibility in the number of modules you study each year to align with your personal and professional practice.
  • As there are no core modules; the range of modules available allows you to customise your studies to your personal and professional development needs.
  • Aside from being taught by an academic team that carry out cutting-edge, world-leading, research, you’ll also get to learn from expert practitioners drawn from across a range of health and social care settings who’ll give you a thorough understanding of contemporary and developing practice. 
  • Different methods of learning and assessments are employed throughout the programme to support a diverse range of learner needs and all modules provide you with the opportunity to explore relevant topics by engaging critically with the literature and your peers.
  • Not only will you have support from your Personal Tutor, but you’ll also be able to get advice from module leaders and the Programme Director to help you successfully navigate your academic journey.

Programme overview

Degree

MSc

Study Level

Masters

Study Mode

Blended

This course gives you the flexibility to undertake the full MSc in Professional Development for Pharmacy Practitioners or to study modules on a standalone basis.

Our MSc Professional Development for Pharmacy Practitioners has been designed to support the development needs of pharmacists and other pharmacy practitioners e.g. pharmacy technicians. Our School is internationally renowned for the outstanding quality of our teaching and research. Undertaking the Professional Development programme at Cardiff University means studying at one of the top schools of Pharmacy in the UK.  

The programme will support you to develop the knowledge, skills and professional values and behaviours required by pharmacy practitioners to effectively contribute to the provision of medicines related healthcare.  It will enable you to address complex health-related challenges faced by patients and the population. It will develop in you, a comprehensive understanding and critical awareness of your role in a changing healthcare environment.

As professionals leading, managing, and developing diverse roles within healthcare, our programme has been designed to support a wide range of pharmacy practitioners, from newly registered professionals to those with more experience working at a senior level.  All modules will be available for pharmacists registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council/Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland; many modules will be available for other practitioners e.g. pharmacy technicians who wish to advance their knowledge base and specialist skills.  

Several learning and teaching approaches are employed depending upon the learning outcomes for the modules you select e.g. some require face-to-face study days whereas others are delivered through e-learning.

You’ll be taught all of this by our team of world-leading academic staff, and pharmacist and healthcare practitioners who have an extensive range of expertise. We ranked joint first School of Pharmacy nationally in the most recent Research Excellence Framework. This is a direct result of the quality, and cutting-edge nature of our research projects. 

Our programme has been designed with in-built flexibility to allow you to undertake modules that fit into your professional and personal circumstances.  There are two main study routes: 

Study Route 1:  Obtaining the full MSc in Professional Development for Pharmacy Practitioners (180 credits)

You will have a maximum period of 7 years to complete the programme including the Master’s dissertation. You will study a range of modules that you select that support your professional practice. Some years you may decide not to complete any modules. This will give you the greatest flexibility to tailor your study to your learning requirements

Study route 2: Stand-alone modules

If you do not wish to enrol directly on the programme you can study modules on a stand-alone basis up to a maximum of 60 credits each year.  For each successfully completed module, you will receive a transcript annually detailing the credits achieved. As you accumulate credits, you may wish to consider completing the remaining credits and transferring to Study route 1 to receive an award i.e. Certificate (60 credits), Diploma (120 credits) or MSc (180 credits).

Transfer to study route 1 must occur before you have gained the required number of credits for the award i.e. you cannot retrospectively apply for an award from stand-alone modules. 

Please note that this programme is not a pharmacy conversion course. It does not lead to full professional registration with the GPhC/PSNI, and it does not qualify you to practice in the UK.

Distinctive features

Our highly versatile and flexible MSc programme has been designed “by practitioners for practitioners” to help you acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and competencies to support your autonomous practice and career development in healthcare. Here are some of the programme’s key features:
  • The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has enjoyed over 100 years of excellence in teaching and research, and we have a rich history of running postgraduate taught professional programmes for healthcare professionals to support their development.
  • The programme allows you to complete, over a period of 7 years, providing flexibility in the number of modules you study each year to align with your personal and professional practice.
  • As there are no core modules; the range of modules available allows you to customise your studies to your personal and professional development needs.
  • Aside from being taught by an academic team that carry out cutting-edge, world-leading, research, you’ll also get to learn from expert practitioners drawn from across a range of health and social care settings who’ll give you a thorough understanding of contemporary and developing practice. 
  • Different methods of learning and assessments are employed throughout the programme to support a diverse range of learner needs and all modules provide you with the opportunity to explore relevant topics by engaging critically with the literature and your peers.
  • Not only will you have support from your Personal Tutor, but you’ll also be able to get advice from module leaders and the Programme Director to help you successfully navigate your academic journey.

Admission Requirements

7+
In order to be considered for an offer for this programme you will need to meet all of the entry requirements. Your application will not be progressed if the information and evidence listed is not provided. 

With your online application you will need to provide: 
  1. A copy of your degree certificate and transcripts which show you have achieved a degree in a health-related discipline such as pharmacy, or an equivalent international degree. If your degree certificate or result is pending, please upload any interim transcripts or provisional certificates.
  2. A copy of your IELTS certificate with an overall score of 7.0 with 7.0 all subskills (in line with those required by the professional body, the GPhC), or evidence of an accepted equivalent. Please include the date of your expected test if this qualification is pending. If you have alternative acceptable evidence, such as an undergraduate degree studied in the UK, please supply this in place of an IELTS. 
  3. A reference which comments specifically on your clinical experience and will need to be tailored to the modules you wish to undertake e.g. confirming your access to patients and a practice supervisor for modules with experiential learning/practice clerkships, support from a Designated Prescribing Practitioner for the Pharmacist Independent Prescribing module etc.  References should be signed, dated and less than six months old at the time you submit your application. 
  4. A personal statement which clearly states your motivation for wanting to enrol onto the programme, the modules you propose to study and your clinical experience. The GPhC-accredited Pharmacist Independent Prescribing module requires a specific personal statement, please contact us for further information if you wish to apply for this module.

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