The University of South Australia has over 50 years’ experience teaching Pharmacy and is one of only four universities in Australia to be a member of the prestigious National Alliance for Pharmacy Education. Pharmacy as a profession is concerned with providing primary health care; providing drug information and promoting the quality use of medicines by consumers; reviewing medication regimens; manufacturing and dispensing drugs; ordering, storing and safeguarding drugs; controlling and supervising the distribution of drugs; and undertaking research in selected settings.

Key features

• Join a university ranked in the World Top 150 for pharmacy and pharmacology.¹
• Study the only pharmacy degree offered in South Australia.
• Embark on a pathway to becoming a registered pharmacist.
• Be equipped with the skills and knowledge to build a career helping society to get the best outcome from medicines.
• Gain credentials from one of the four founding members of Australia’s prestigious National Alliance for Pharmacy Education (NAPE).
• Get professional practice experience from placements in a range of practice settings including community and hospitals.
• Study in UniSA’s $247 million state-of-the-art Bradley Building.
• Join a university with more than 50 years’ experience in pharmacy education and research.
• Learn from a university with well above world-class research in pharmacy, pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences.²
• Benefit from our industry connections within the pharmacy profession, and links with internationally renowned research concentrations.
• Gain two qualifications with one extra year of study when you complete Australia’s only double degree in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science.
• As one of the World’s Top Young Universities³, we’ll ensure you get the experience your future profession demands so it’ll feel like you’re studying one minute and in a career the next.

¹ 2022 QS Subject Rankings.  ² 2018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). ³ Ranked #46, 2022 THE Young University Rankings, Ranked #29, 2021 QS Top 50 Universities Aged Under 50.

University of South Australia Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) Overview

The Bachelor of Pharmacy at the University of South Australia prepares students for a professional career in community, hospital or industrial pharmacy and allied industries. Students undertake broad training in physical and biological sciences; knowledge of drugs and their effects, and the application of this knowledge to individuals; the ability to provide advice and pharmacy care to consumers; and a scientific approach that will permit critical appraisal of developments in pharmaceutical sciences. In an evolving health system subject to rapidly accelerating demands, pharmacists are embracing new roles and should be prepared to undertake continuing development of their professional skills.

What you’ll learn

This honours degree will equip you with the knowledge, skills and practical expertise needed to embark on a career in the ever-changing field of pharmacy.

As an honours student there is also a strong focus on research, and you will graduate with the skills needed to undertake and manage research projects in a health-related setting.

During your first two years you will study:

• Foundations in pharmaceutical sciences and clinical skills
• Common diseases and their management
• Understanding healthcare systems and the roles of healthcare professionals
• Collecting and interpreting health information to provide individualised patient care
• Ethical pharmacy practice including responsible and legal control and supply of medicines.

During the third and fourth years you will study:

• Clinical decision-making principles and interprofessional practice
• Compounding and formulation of medicines
• Quality use of medicines
• Research skills and professional communication
• Clinical trials and international regulation of medicines
• Advanced pharmacy practice service delivery.

In fourth year, you will also complete professional placements in community and hospital-based pharmacy settings, with opportunities for rural and international experiences.

Entry Requirements

Entry into the Bachelor of Pharmacy program for students holding Ontario Secondary School Diploma:  75% with a prerequisite of Biology, Chemistry,  or Physics.

Professional Recognition

The program is accredited with the Australian Pharmacy Council.  Successful completion of the program satisfies the academic requirements for registration as a pharmacist with the Pharmacy Board of Australia. Eligibility for registration is determined by the Pharmacy Board of Australia and includes a suitably recognized and appropriate period of supervised training.

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.

University of South Australia latest news

UniSA Thriving In World Young University Rankings

At 28 years old and in an increasingly competitive field of young universities, the has maintained its strong position at number 26 in the Times Higher Education global ranking of Universities under 50 years old.

The 2019 results follow a rise of six places in 2018 and are in step with the University’s strong performance in the THE Impact Ranking in April this year, where it earned a position of 22 in the world for overall University Impact and top 10 globally for quality education. …

University of South Australia Welcomes A Powerhouse In Space Partnership

The Federal Government’s announcement that the Australian Space Agency will be based in Adelaide is outstanding news for the state and its university sector, according to UniSA’s Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research, Professor Tanya Monro.

Professor Monro says the decision will strengthen South Australia’s long and proud history in space technology and further the state’s expertise and international collaborations associated with space education, business and innovation.

“We are hopeful that this announcement will also strengthen our bid for one of the largest Cooperative Research Centres in Australian history to develop smart satellites, …

QantasLink Partnership Offers New Flight Path For UniSA Aviation Grads

Today the and QantasLink will sign up to a partnership that ensures the University’s brightest and best aviation students have access to special industry based additional training provided by one of the world’s leading airlines. 

The partnership agreement will be signed at 10.30 am (Monday August 13) at UniSA’s Jeffrey Smart building, Hindley Street.

As Australia’s longest running aviation degree program, UniSA’s Bachelor of Aviation has been a huge success, graduating both pilots and aviation management professionals now employed across Australian and around the world. …

University of South Australia’s Professor Shudong Wang Honoured at NHMRC Awards

World renowned cancer researcher, ‘s Professor Shudong Wang, was honoured at the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) annual Research Excellence Awards in Canberra on 27 June, winning the Top Development Grant for 2017.

Professor Wang, who leads the team at UniSA’s Centre for Drug Discovery and Development, was awarded the prize to develop a new and effective enzyme-targeted drug for cancer patients.

Her team demonstrated the drug’s effectiveness against acute myeloid leukemia and cancers of breast and ovaries, …

University Of South Australia Steps Up Again In THE World Rankings

The continues to grow its reputation as one of the world’s top 250 young universities, moving up six places in the Times Higher Education rankings to 26.

UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd says UniSA’s performance in the prestigious world ranking of young universities has been on an upward trajectory for the past three years.

“As Australia’s University of Enterprise, we have set our sights on institution-wide improvement – in the teaching and research we conduct locally and internationally, …