Master of Pharmacy

Academic degree

The Master of Pharmacy is a postgraduate degree in pharmacy, awarded upon the completion of postgraduate coursework or an integrated undergraduate postgraduate curriculum. Typically, this program lasts for four to five years.

In 2004, the University of Newcastle introduced a two year postgraduate MPharm coursework program as an alternative pathway for graduates with a bachelor's degree in any science or medical science that meets the required prerequisites to qualify for registration as pharmacists. The MPharm degree serves as an entry level qualification rather than an advanced degree for practicing pharmacists. Following the launch of the MPharm program at the University of Newcastle, other universities across Australia also began offering similar coursework programs. Currently, both the BPharm and MPharm degrees are accepted for registration as practicing pharmacists. Refer to the list of pharmacy schools in Australia for institutions offering the MPharm degree.

In Finland, "proviisori" is an academic degree awarded upon completion of the postgraduate program in pharmacy, equivalent to the English term "Master of Pharmacy". Holding a "proviisori" degree is a professional prerequisite for pharmacists. Pharmacy education in Finland is offered at the University of Helsinki and the University of Eastern Finland.

Starting in 2017, the Ben Gurion University of the Negev initiated a 2 year Master's program in Community Clinical Pharmacy and Regulatory Management. This program is open to Bachelor of Pharmacy graduates who are registered pharmacists in the country, with a minimum of 2 years of work experience.

The Department of Pharmacy at the University of Malta, within the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery, provides a Master of Pharmacy (M. Pharm.) course designed for students who have completed the Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Pharmaceutical Science. The MPharm degree is mandatory for acquiring the warrant to practice as a Pharmacist in Malta.

In Poland, magister farmacji (abbreviated to mgr farmacji) is an academic degree conferred after five and a half years of academic study in pharmacy, with the completion of a dissertation being a prerequisite. This degree is equivalent to the American Pharm. D.

In the United Kingdom, MPharm is a postgraduate academic degree awarded after four years of academic study in pharmacy. This degree replaced the BSc (Pharmacy) or BPharm degree when the undergraduate pharmacy course was extended from three to four years in 1997. This extension was partly due to EU harmonization of pharmacy training and partly to broaden the scope of the undergraduate degree. The MPharm is the sole qualification in the UK leading to professional registration as a pharmacist. MPharm programs are accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) in England, Scotland, and Wales, and by the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in Northern Ireland. Aspiring pharmacists in the UK qualify by first completing this degree, then undertaking a year of foundation pharmacist training. Upon successful completion of this training and after passing the registration assessment, they become registered pharmacists. Until September 2010, in Great Britain, registration with the GPhC automatically made pharmacists members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, allowing them to use the postnominal letters MRPharmS (Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain). However, in September 2010, the RPS separated its regulatory role, and the new regulatory body, the GPhC, no longer grants postnominals to its registrants. MRPharmS is still awarded by the RPS to its members, but it is no longer directly linked to current registration as a pharmacist. In Northern Ireland, regulation remains under the PSNI, so registration as a pharmacist and membership of the PSNI still occur simultaneously, allowing the use of the postnominals MPSNI (Member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland).

In Ireland, the MPharm is awarded after five years: four years of undergraduate study leading to a BSc. Pharm and a one year placement in either a community or hospital pharmacy setting.

Master of Pharmacy (MPharma) in India is offered as a postgraduate (graduate) course following completion of a BPharma degree. The MPharma course typically spans two years. In certain universities, it comprises one year of research and one year of theory examination, while others provide MPharm solely through research, culminating in a doctoral degree. The program emphasizes specialization within the field of pharmacy. MPharma courses are conducted by pharmacy colleges affiliated with universities, enabling entry into the pharmacy profession.

In Bangladesh, the degree is conferred by the University of Development Alternative, University of Dhaka, Jagannath University, State University of Bangladesh, University of Science and Technology Chittagong, and North South University.

The postgraduate MPhil program is offered in Pakistan in four disciplines: pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacognosy. Some universities have also introduced a new discipline, pharmacy practice.