Pharmacy
We are passionate about the pharmacy profession and proud to be one of the top schools of pharmacy in the UK. Our MPharm programme is designed to allow you to explore different aspects of modern pharmacy in preparation for your future career. We hope you’ll join our warm and welcoming community as you begin your exciting journey to improve patients’ lives.
Why study with us
100 years of excellence in teaching and research
We are a close-knit and long-established School having recently celebrated our 100 year anniversary.
Top School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
According to The Complete University Guide 2022, we rank top School offering the MPharm in England and Wales.
Joint first School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for research
In the Research Excellence Framework, we rank joint top school of pharmacy for the quality and impact of our research
Developing top quality pharmacy practitioners
95.7% of our students who sat the 2021 General Pharmaceutical Council’s registration exam passed first-time, higher than the overall national average of 89.7%.
Great career prospects
98.5% of our graduates are in highly skilled jobs and/or graduate-level further study 15 months after their course ended. (Source: Graduate Outcomes 2020/21)
Welsh language provision
We have a range of teaching activities through the medium of Welsh designed for Welsh language students and learners to benefit healthcare delivery.
Courses
Entry year
Our talk
An introduction to our MPharm undergraduate course
This video by our Director of Admissions and Recruitment, Dr Allan Cosslett, provides an overview of how to become a pharmacist, the varied career options available to you along with information about our MPharm course and our School. Don’t miss our top tips on applying!
What modern pharmacists do
Pharmacists play a crucial role in keeping us all healthy - they are experts in the science and use of medicines, and the drugs contained within them.
Qualified pharmacists are clinicians who use their strong scientific knowledge to help patients overcome all sorts of health problems as they know which medicines work best to treat different illnesses, what side effects can occur, how our bodies interact with different medicines and how those medicines interact with each other within our bodies.
You probably know pharmacists best for working directly with patients when they are unwell or need advice on their medicines. As well as having this expert scientific knowledge about medicines, pharmacists also need excellent communication skills as they hold consultations to identify patients' needs and to determine what medicines will be most effective to treat a patient's health condition.
These pharmacists administer drugs and vaccinations, offer advice about medicines to patients and other healthcare professionals – such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and they support patients to care for themselves. Many prescribe medicines too – just like a doctor.
As key members of the healthcare team, pharmacists work in lots of different settings - in doctor’s surgeries, in hospitals and in pharmacies in our communities. Others work in the military, in care homes, prisons, and within mental health organisations, all with the aim of improving patient health.
There are other ways in which pharmacists can use their expert knowledge to help patients in need.
Some pharmacists work in laboratories where they carry out research to discover new drugs and treatments for all kinds of diseases. Others also work in labs to redevelop existing drugs to better treat a disease. And some pharmacists choose to research and test new ways of delivering drugs into our bodies using technologies such as tiny needles, aerosols, capsules or even nanoparticles so that they work more effectively for all kinds of patients with complicated health problems.
Pharmacists can also work for the companies that manufacture and distribute a whole range of medicines or in Government helping to advise on medicines approvals.
So, whether you'd like to help design or develop a drug in a lab or prescribe medicine to make patients better when they’re ill, by studying pharmacy, you could use your expert knowledge of medicines and health to improve patients’ lives.
The animation below explores how pharmacists help to improve patient health.
Watch this animation to find out what pharmacists do to improve patient health.
Discover more about our School
When you walk through the Redwood Building doors, you’ll be right at home within our warm, welcoming environment. Our close-knit School is also a supportive community where staff and students work closely together. Visit our Pharmacy Undergraduate page to discover more about our School community, the support we will offer you and our modern facilities - as well as our placement and interprofessional education opportunities on our fully accredited MPharm programme.
Above all else we are passionate about the profession of pharmacy and preparing our students for their future careers.
Our teaching is informed and supported by our internationally recognised research. Our team of world-leading researchers work on the discovery, development and use of drugs and medicines to tackle some of the most debilitating and life-threatening medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, cancer, diabetes and infectious diseases. It is the same team of researchers, as well as external expert practitioners, who will teach you if you join us. Find out more about our School.
The best thing about the MPharm is being taught by staff who are world leaders in their fields. We get to speak with people who are shaping the world of pharmacy, and are doing the research and development that will underpin the treatments of the future. I've had the chance to spend time abroad, be selected for several awards and represent our professional body, the RPS. I’ve had a fantastic time here.
How we teach and what our students think of us
Students are equipped with many of the skills they will need for advanced pharmacy practice.
Our Practice in Pharmacy lab gives students the chance to learn how to dispense medicines.
Our consultation rooms within the School are fully kitted out so that students get the chance to experience Pharmacy in practice.
Our students gets hands on experience and training to prepare them for their future career.
Our School has modern laboratories for teaching and practical classes.
MPharm students carrying out an experiment as part of a practical session.
Students in our state of the art GMP (Goods Manufacturing Practice) suite where real medicines are made.
Our students are taught by a team of world-leading researchers.
Our students benefit from patient-focused education.
Students studying in the Redwood Building where the Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is based.
The break-out social space for students in the Redwood Building
Redwood Building
Explore Cardiff University
Next steps
Download our MPharm brochure
A brief guide to studying an MPharm in Cardiff.
Undergraduate prospectus
With over 300 courses to choose from, download our prospectus.
How to apply
Everything you need to know about the application process.
Other subjects which may be of interest
Undergraduate
With over 300 courses to choose from, join us and benefit from our excellent facilities, a great student experience and as a graduate, be in demand by leading employers.
Undergraduate prospectus 2025
Order or download a copy of our prospectus, subject brochures and other guides.
Contact us
Get in touch if you have a question about studying with us.