The Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) at the University of Newcastle will provide you with the theoretical knowledge, practical experience and attributes to drive clinical leadership in health care while also providing a framework to influence the management of pharmaceutical services in Australia and globally.

You will be equipped to provide a vital primary health care role as you counsel people on the best use and management of medications, provide advice on the symptoms and management of common ailments, prepare and formulate medications and educate the community on a wide range of health and well-being matters.

At the University of Newcastle, you will use innovative and state-of-the art educational technology to supplement your face-to-face lectures, tutorials and experiential learning, through clinical placements and simulated learning environments.

Throughout your studies the University of Newcastle will provide you with the opportunity to develop outstanding research capabilities. As a student at a research intensive university, you’ll be under the guidance of our experienced academic staff who are world leaders in their respective fields.

The Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) at the University of Newcastle is a four year embedded honours degree and will set you on your way to becoming a registered pharmacist.

University of Newcastle Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) Overview

BENEFIT FROM THEORETICAL AND CLINICAL TRAINING

Throughout the Pharmacy degree at Newcastle you will develop an extensive knowledge of the essential underpinning sciences, pharmacotherapeutics and pharmaceutical sciences that are required to practice as a pharmacist.

You will develop and practice the core competencies required to work in clinical, hospital and community pharmacy settings. These attributes include strong interpersonal and communication skills, clinical leadership and ability to provide health care to culturally diverse communities.

In particular you will study:

• core biomedical sciences, including anatomy and physiology
• dosage formulations
• chemistry
• drug design and discovery
• pharmacotherapeutics
• mental health first aid
• epidemiology and pharmacoeconomics
• clinical leadership and communication

Throughout the Pharmacy degree you’ll also have the opportunity to develop outstanding research capabilities under the guidance of our experienced academic staff who are world leaders in their respective fields.

Through your research you can further investigate drug design and discovery, formulation development, pharmacy practice, personalized health care and health technologies assessment, such as pharmacoeconomics. This foundation in research will help prepare you for a career in a rapidly evolving global environment.

Clinical Work Experience

At University of Newcastle’s Pharmacy School, Clinical placements start in your first year of study and continue throughout your degree providing you with substantial clinical experience in a variety of settings both locally and nationally as part of the degree. This ensures you are continually putting into practice the theory and hands-on skills you learn throughout the degree.

You will gain clinical experience in a variety of health settings, which may include community facilities, hospitals, rural pharmacies, aged care facilities.

To prepare you for your clinical placements, you will build practical skills through inter-professional simulated learning activities in our fully functioning demonstration pharmacy, hospital based simulation wards and the Hunter New England Simulation Centre.

The clinical placement component of the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) at Newcastle consists of more than 420 hours and occurs in a range of diverse clinical contexts throughout the Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast and University Department of Rural Health sites.

Entry Requirements

• Entry into the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) program for students holding High School Diploma: minimum 65% gpa
• Prerequisites: Chemistry, Physics and Senior level Math
• Students coming with a university background are also invited to apply.

Professional Recognition

The University of Newcastle’s Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) has been granted accreditation by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) and approved by the Pharmacy Board of Australia as a qualification leading to registration as a pharmacist in Australia.

It is the student’s responsibility to contact their local credentialing body for re-entry pathways.  The Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) is the national certification body for the pharmacy profession in Canada. Upon returning, students must go through an evaluation procedure with the PEBC.