Pharmacy

Pharmacy is the science and practice of medicines, encompassing their discovery, development, preparation, dispensing, and the optimisation of their therapeutic use. Pharmacists are among the most expert professionals in the healthcare system when it comes to drug mechanisms, interactions, and the complexities of medicines management. Increasingly, pharmacists work as independent prescribers, taking on clinical responsibilities that were once exclusively the domain of doctors, making the profession both more demanding and more rewarding than ever before.

At Cardiff University, this four-year full-time MPharm degree develops your expertise across the full spectrum of pharmaceutical science and clinical practice. You will study how drugs work, how they are made and tested, how they are dispensed and monitored, and how their effects are optimised for individual patients. The programme prepares you to work across community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, and research, reflecting the genuine diversity of careers that a pharmacy qualification opens.

Cardiff's programme benefits from a strong research environment and close connections with NHS services in Wales, giving you access to clinical learning contexts that bring your scientific training to life. The typical entry tariff is 152 UCAS points.

Graduates who complete the MPharm and pass the pre-registration assessment are eligible to register with the General Pharmaceutical Council as pharmacists. Career paths include community pharmacy, hospital clinical pharmacy, primary care and GP practice pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory affairs, public health, and academic research. Independent prescribing is an increasingly important extension of the pharmacist role, and Cardiff graduates are well prepared to pursue that additional qualification.

The profession offers strong employment prospects, genuine clinical responsibility, and the opportunity to contribute directly to patient health and safety.