Bachelors in Pharmacy in Australia

The Bachelor of Pharmacy combines hands-on learning with clinical experience to give you a comprehensive understanding of how drugs are developed and how medications affect the human body. This program is your first step to becoming a registered pharmacist and sets you up to play a vital and rewarding role within the healthcare landscape.

This is a prestigious program of coursework and research in pharmaceutical science for high achieving students who have completed a relevant undergraduate degree. You will undertake research methodology training and carry out an independent research project on a selected topic, working closely with a supervisor who will provide you with individual guidance and academic counselling. The course offers a pathway to higher level research in pharmaceutical science.

Studies can be undertaken within the general research themes of:

• drug discovery biology
• drug delivery, disposition and dynamics (formulation science)
• medicinal chemistry
• medicine use and safety.

With permission of the Graduate Research Committee, it may also be possible to undertake a portion of the research in an external institution such as a hospital or industry laboratory. If a substantial portion of the research work is to be carried out in an external institution you will have an internal supervisor from the faculty and an associate supervisor from the relevant institution.

Get started in pharmacy.

Want to launch your pharmacy career with an accredited degree and a wealth of hands-on experience? You’re in the right place.

La Trobe's Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) is your path to a successful career as a pharmacist.

Accredited by the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC), this degree builds your understanding of how medicines can help in treating diseases, how medicines can impact people's lives, and the importance of patient-centred and individualised care. You'll develop the practical, technical and human skills needed to provide medicines to the public.

Based at our Bendigo Campus, you'll have access to La Trobe's on-campus training pharmacy as well as community and hospital networks. Plus you'll benefit from embedded training in vaccination delivery, mental health first-aid and medication reviews, so you'll graduate well-positioned for a successful career.

In your first two years, you'll study the fundamentals in science – biochemistry, chemistry, physiology and pharmacology – along with pharmacy subjects. Across your next two years, you'll focus on subjects such as pharmacy practice and therapeutics (treatment of diseases). You'll delve into public health – examining issues in rural and remote Australia and across Indigenous communities. You'll also learn about the dynamic digital health space.

Choose a pharmacy course designed in consultation with our industry advisory committee, practising pharmacists and researchers. That way, you can be confident your skills are in demand. After graduation, you'll be eligible to complete a one-year internship and take the Australian Pharmacy Board exams to qualify as a professional pharmacist.

Industry experience is a big part of this degree. Use it to set yourself apart when you participate in a range of community and hospital placements throughout your degree, and hone the practical pharmacy skills you'll use in your career

As a qualified pharmacist, you'll graduate ready to start your career in a highly trusted profession.

Our course reflects the complexity of pharmacy practice in the real world. Your studies will focus on priority health areas of patient care, such as musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and mental health conditions. You will learn from pharmacy experts with established careers in patient-centred care and award-winning research.

UNE's flexibly delivered Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours program is available to study either online or on campus. In fact, we were the first university to offer the Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours by distance education.

If you are studying online, our mandatory on campus intensive schools in Armidale allow you to take advantage of our modern teaching and research facilities.

Develop a strong foundation in basic and pharmaceutical sciences, pharmaceutics, pharmacotherapeutics and pharmacy practice and explore a range of dynamic career opportunities in healthcare and industry.

Study online with Australia's first Australian Pharmacy Council accredited pharmacy degree offered by distance education. Our course gives you opportunities to:

• Explore clinical placements in rural and regional areas. We encourage you to seek out clinical placements in rural and regional communities, which are at the heart of UNE's research and teaching programs. As a student at UNE you may be eligible to apply to the Rural Pharmacy Scholarship Scheme, valued at $10,000 per annum per student.*
• Learn contemporary skills in our professional practice laboratory with model dispensary and dedicated formulation laboratory, ensuring that you graduate ready to operate in a clinical workplace.
• Complete specialist modules as part of your degree, including Mental Health First Aid, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's (PSA) "Support the Supply of Pharmacy Medicines and Pharmacist Only Medicines", and vaccination training, opening the door to enhanced professional practice opportunities upon graduation.
• Develop your interest in a specialist area of pharmacy as well as critical thinking skills with the independent Honours research project undertaken in your final year (or, if you are studying part-time, in your second last year of study).
• Graduates consistently rate UNE with the maximum 5-star ratings for Overall Experience and Student Support in The Good Universities Guide, Australia's largest independent higher education rating organisation.
• Study with the experts in online education. In fact, UNE is Australia's longest continuous provider of distance (now online) education.

In the second and fourth years of the degree, you will complete 7 weeks of practical work experience (approx. 270 hours). This practical component includes clinical placement in community and hospital pharmacies, with one week full time in a rural community pharmacy. Placements are integrated with coursework units during normal university trimester times.

Assumed knowledge for this course is NSW HSC level (or equivalent) Chemistry and Mathematics. We offer introductory units and Bridging Courses in Chemistry and Mathematics for students who do not have the recommended background knowledge. We also recommend that you have a knowledge of Biology, and have completed the equivalent of NSW HSC Mathematics Extension 1. For students who do not have a background in science, we offer the Bachelor of Scientific Studies. If you don't have a Science background, please give serious consideration to including the Bachelor of Scientific Studies as a preference when you submit your application. Alternatively, consider enrolling for the Bachelor of Scientific Studies in the first instance, and on successful completion of eight units, you can transfer to the Bachelor of Pharmacy (with Honours) with some credit (advanced standing) for units you have completed.

Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours graduates are eligible to apply to enrol for the research degree, the Master of Philosophy. Those who have the appropriate level of Honours are eligible to apply to enrol for the Doctor of Philosophy.

* The Rural Pharmacy Scholarship Scheme enables students from rural and remote areas to undertake university studies in pharmacy. Up to 30 scholarships are offered annually, with a value of $10,000 per annum per student.