Bangor University opens door for new Pharmacy (MPharm) degree

Bangor University officially revealed its plans to launch a new and exciting Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) degree beginning in 2025, with the option to practise in Welsh languages.

"Bangor University is set to open its doors for students to apply for our new Pharmacy undergraduate programme starting in September 2025," the Welsh University has issued this week.

This four-year undergraduate (MPharm) degree aims to attract 35 students in its inaugural year and eventually expand to accommodate up to 100 students.

The new course will offer students the opportunity to learn and practice pharmacy in both English and Welsh.

Professor Stephen Doughty, Head of the Pharmacy programme, expressed excitement about the course, stating, "We hope to grow to a projected steady state size of 90-100 students over the first four cohorts."

He also expressed that the degree is expected to be £9,250 per year (the usual tuition fee in Wales) for students enrolling in September 2025. “The main offer level will likely be ABB at A-level with equivalencies for other qualifications,” he notified C+D. However, he stated that "some considerations on a case-by-case basis" will be made.

The North Wales University also stated that it is working “towards accreditation of this programme” with the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) and that the “programme will be provisionally accredited until the accreditation process is complete”.

“Opportunities to practise using the medium of the Welsh language will be core to the programme,” it mentioned. Doughty stated in C+D that the course is “being developed specifically for the new GPhC initial education and training of pharmacists (IETP) 2021 standards.”

Starting with the new criteria, the (2025/26) cohort will become independent prescribers, and every single upcoming cohort must finish a multi-sector training placement.

Bangor is set to "provide significant experiential teaching through partners including the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), community pharmacies, GP practices and Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW)," it stated.

Daughty expressed that the MPharm will "be exciting and relevant to the future roles of the modern pharmacist." He also added by saying that it "will meet both a local and national need and will ensure that North Wales has a strong base for pharmacy education and research."

"This will ensure that patients and potential students’ needs are being met for the  future," he mentioned.

The University of Hertfordshire recently announced that pharmacy degrees were among the most popular choices for students during the clearance process for the 2022/23 academic year. This highlights the continued strong demand for pharmacy education and the growing interest in careers in the healthcare field.

In addition, in the month of April, University College London, King's College London, and Kingston University also stated that they would "work together to standardise and expand pharmacy undergraduate placements across the capital."

In January, the University of Leicester announced the establishment of a new pharmacy school to help "tackle the UK's pharmacist shortage.” And in the same month, Plymouth University announced plans to offer the University of Bath's MPharm pharmacy course beginning in September 2024.

However, Oriel statistics show that the number of trainee places scheduled to be offered by huge multiples for the 2025/26 cohort had plummeted.

The announcement came after C+D exclusively reported Well Pharmacy's plans to offer "less than 30" spots for English pharmacy trainees in the cohort in March.