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.