MPharm Pharmacy

We require grades AAB. This must include Chemistry, either Mathematics or Biology, and one further rigorous academic subject (we do not accept General Studies or Critical Thinking). You are required to obtain a pass in the practical element of any science A-level taken.

Selection for interview is normally based on predicted grades matching the entry requirement (i.e. AAB). However, in some cases we may consider an applicant whose predictions are ABB (with the A in Chemistry, Biology or Mathematics).

We will consider resit applications provided you have obtained a minimum of A-level grades BBB at the first attempt (or equivalent qualifications).We do not accept grade equivalents such as ABC.

Please note that the specific offer conditions will be based on the assessment of the interviewer.

Applicants who have been in local authority care for more than three months or have refugee status may be eligible for an offer two grades below the standard requirements.

We do not accept AS grades in place of A2-level grades.

The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit information where available.  Like all other information provided by applicants this may be taken into consideration when assessing your application.  Unit grades will not normally form part of an offer conditions.

We require at least five GCSEs or IGCSEs; four at minimum grade B/5 (including English Language) and Mathematics at grade B/6.

For applicants whose status has been confirmed as WP+ using the University's Contextual Data Eligibility tool , we will allow an overall reduction of 2 grades on the full GCSE requirements. Please note, however, that no individual subject should be lower than C/4.

For applicants whose status has been confirmed as WP++ using the University's Contextual Data Eligibility tool , we will allow an overall reduction of 4 grades on the full GCSE requirements. Please note, however, that no individual subject should be lower than C/4.

35 points overall including:

• Grades 6,6,5 in higher level Chemistry, alongside higher level Biology and standard level Mathematics or
• Higher level Mathematics and standard level Biology

For this programme of study we will accept: Higher Level Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches or Applications and Interpretation.

Please note the specific offer conditions will be based on the assessment of the interviewer.

We welcome applications from overseas students. Country-specific information can be found on the  University website . However, this is for general information only, as specific entry requirements may be different for the MPharm.

Please contact us at  ug.pharmacy@manchester.ac.uk to check specific requirements for your country before you apply for the MPharm course.

Advanced Placement Tests

554 (specific subjects required).

We require grades AABBB to include Chemistry and either Mathematics or Biology together with Grade B in Advanced Higher Chemistry. If you have not studied National 5 qualifications, we would expect you to have studied English and Mathematics at Higher level.

The University welcomes and recognises the value of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma/Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and usually requires two A Levels or equivalent to be included within this.

We accept the Welsh Baccalaureate in place of the third A-level only.

We require an overall grade of 83% with grade 8 specifically in Chemistry and either Biology or Mathematics.

The University recognises the benefits of the AQA Baccalaureate and the opportunities it provides for applicants to develop independent study and research skills.

In making offers, the University will focus on the three A Levels taken within the AQA Baccalaureate. Students need to check the standard A Level requirements for their chosen course.

The units of broader study, enrichment activities and the Extended Project are considered to be valuable elements of the AQA Baccalaureate and we would therefore strongly encourage students to draw upon these experiences within their personal statement.

Applicants completing either the NCUK International Foundation Year in Science programme or the INTO Manchester in partnership with The University of Manchester international foundation programme in Science, are required to achieve AAB in Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics and an EAP score of A. For NCUK applicants your full educational background and your qualifications prior to the NCUK FY (eg High School Diploma) will factor into our decision. All applicants will need to be successful at interview.

For all applicants taking a Foundation Year, we will consider your full educational background. A decision about your suitability for this course will not be taken based solely on the foundation year completed, and will include all prior qualifications. Applicants should pass the Foundation Year at the first attempt as resits will not be considered.

BTEC National Extended Diploma

We require successful completion of a BTEC National Extended Diploma at grades D*DD in a science-based subject (must include Biology) with A-level Chemistry at grade B or above.

BTEC National Diploma

We require successful completion of a BTEC National Diploma at grades D*D in a science-based subject (must include Biology) with A-level Chemistry at grade B or above.

BTEC National Foundation Diploma

We accept the BTEC National Foundation Diploma at grade D in lieu of the third A-level only. It must be offered alongside A-level Chemistry and either A-level Biology or Mathematics at grade A/B.

BTEC National Extended Certificate

We accept the BTEC National Extended Certificate at grade D in lieu of the third A-level only. It must be offered alongside A-level Chemistry and either A-level Biology or Mathematics at grades A/B.

Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

We accept the Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma (in any subject) at grade D*DD in lieu of the third A-level only. It must be offered alongside A-level Chemistry and either A-level Biology or Mathematics at grades A/B.

Cambridge Technical Diploma

We accept the Cambridge Technical Diploma (in any subject) at grade D*D in lieu of the third A-level only. It must be offered alongside A-level Chemistry and either A-level Biology or Mathematics at grades A/B.

Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma

We accept the Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma (in any subject) at grade D*D in lieu of the third A-level only. It must be offered alongside A-level Chemistry and either A-level Biology or Mathematics at grades A/B.

Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate

We accept the Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate (in any subject) at grade D in lieu of the third A-level only. It must be offered alongside A-level Chemistry and either A-level Biology or Mathematics at grades A/B.

We require 60 credits overall with 45 at Level 3, including a minimum of 15 credits in Chemistry with a Distinction grade, plus a minimum of 15 credits in Mathematics or Biology with a Distinction grade and the remaining 15 credits at Distinction grade.

You should also have at least five GCSEs or IGCSEs; four at minimum grade B/5 (including English Language) and Mathematics at grade B/6.

Students educated up to GCSE level who have only taken a one-year Access course will not normally be accepted.

Students will not be considered if they have resat any units or have re-taken the full year.

We consider applicants offering Pre-U Principal Subjects, or a mix of Pre-U and A Level subjects, provided a minimum of three distinct subjects overall is taken to include Chemistry and either Biology or Mathematics. Grades required will be D3 - M2 and/or A-B.

We do not accept T Levels as entry onto this course. The University does accept specific T Level qualifications on a number of courses please review to our T Level information page for a full list.

The University recognises the benefits of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and the opportunities it provides for applicants to develop independent study and research skills. Although the Extended Project will not be included in the conditions of your offer, we strongly encourage you to provide information about the EPQ in your personal statement and at interview. A number of our academic Schools may also choose to take your performance in the EPQ into account should places be available in August for applicants who narrowly miss the entry grades for their chosen course.

The University welcomes and recognises the value of Level 3 core mathematics qualifications (eg AQA Certificate in Mathematical Studies). 

Core Mathematics is not a compulsory element of post-16 study and as a result we will not normally include it in the conditions of any offer made to the student. However, if a student chooses to undertake a core mathematics qualification this may be taken into account when we consider their application, particularly for certain non-science courses with a distinct mathematical or statistical element.

This course accepts grade B in Core Mathematics in lieu of the correct grade in GCSE Mathematics.

If you are a student who has followed a non-standard educational route, e.g. you have been educated at home; your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course for which you are applying. You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the specified academic entry requirements of the course. We will also require a reference from somebody who knows you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education. If you are a home schooled student and would like further information or advice please contact the academic School for your chosen course who will be able to help you. 

Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences.  Students come from a whole array of backgrounds, study every kind of course, undertake full-time and part-time learning and are motivated by career intentions as well as personal interest.  There is no such thing as a typical mature student at Manchester.

The application process is the same as for other prospective undergraduates.  If you require further clarification about the acceptability of the qualifications you hold please contact the academic School(s) you plan to apply to.  Further information for mature students can be found here ( http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/mature-students/ )

We require one of the following:

• GCSE, IGCSE or O-level English Language at grade 5 (B). We will accept C+ in the Northern Ireland reformed GCSE;
• UCLES or CIE 1119 English Language at Grade B or higher;
• IELTS grade 7 (with no component less than 6.5);
• TOEFL (iBT) - 100.

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

We work hard to ensure that our course can be completed without significant additional study costs over and above the tuition fee.

The two areas where additional costs can be incurred are travel to clinical placements and reading. In both of these situations, we seek to ensure that additional costs are kept as low as possible.

The University defines low cost as an annual cost that is no more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee.

Because of the high volume of applications we receive, we will not consider those applicants who choose Pharmacy as a second option and whose personal statement is geared towards a different discipline.

Interviews are part of the selection process. Please refer to the  application process  page for more information.

We will only consider applicants who obtained the relevant qualification within the three years prior to commencing the MPharm. If your most recent qualification was taken more than three years ago, please contact the Admissions Office ( ug.pharmacy@manchester.ac.uk ). We will consider each application individually and may require you to submit further information, such as transcripts and details of employment.

Applicants living overseas (excluding Northern Ireland, ROI and the Channel Isles) will not need to attend a face-to-face interview in Manchester. However, you will be required to attend a Zoom interview.

We will contact candidates after consideration of their UCAS form to arrange the Zoom session and will ensure it is timetabled at a mutually convenient date/time with sufficient advance notice. In some cases, we may contact applicants for additional supporting documents (eg transcripts, syllabus of courses) which may delay the timetabling of the Zoom interview.

Please note that occasionally overseas qualifications do not permit direct entry onto the MPharm course.

Becoming a pharmacist after a UK-based course (advice from the Pharmacy Schools Council)

After the successful completion of the course, you will receive an MPharm degree. There are further steps to go through before you will be able to register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and practise as a qualified pharmacist in the UK.

Once you have completed an MPharm, you will need to apply for a foundation training year, where you will further develop the skills you gained during your degree as a paid employee in a professional environment.

Entrance to a foundation training year is competitive and there is no guarantee that you will receive a place. A proportion of these foundation training places are with the NHS, but the majority of placements involve working with community pharmacists.

Again, you should be aware that your place on the foundation training year is not guaranteed, as the number of available placements is dependent on different factors.

One such factor is that the availability of foundation training places offered by community pharmacies can vary from year to year. International students will require a Graduate Immigration route visa.

After the completion of 52 weeks of foundation training, and subject to you passing the common registration assessment at the end of the training, you will be eligible to register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and practise as a fully qualified pharmacist.

Please see the government's visas and immigration pages for further information.

All international applicants will need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct from their home country at the point their application status is UF.

Pharmacy is a registered healthcare profession, and carries both privileges and responsibilities. You must demonstrate that you are able to exercise those privileges and bear those responsibilities. To join the pharmacy profession at the end of your training, you must abide by the General Pharmaceutical Council's (GPhC) Standards for Pharmacy Professionals, undergo a medical fitness assessment and a Disclosure and Barring Service check at the start of your degree.

When the time comes to apply to join the register of pharmacists, you must also make a health declaration and submit to character checks. If you wish to study pharmacy, you should note that your fitness to practise both before and/or during your studies may impair your eligibility to register and practice as a pharmacist.

Communication and dress code

We have adopted the same policy regarding dress code as set out by the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC states that non-verbal communication is at least as important as verbal communication, and so how a student or pharmacist appears to patients, relatives or colleagues means as much as what he or she says.

Students (and pharmacists) in professional settings must dress in a manner that adds to, and does not detract from, effective communication.

Furthermore, the Standards for Pharmacy Professionals states that students must learn how to listen to patients and their carers, and communicate effectively with them in a way they can understand.

This applies not only in clinical settings, but also throughout the educational elements of the undergraduate course, which is built around group work with other students and tutors.

In addition, the convention of some units may require wearing white coats, being bare below the elbow or other approved clothing (eg scrubs). Hair should be tied back if it interferes with, or adds risk, to a clinical activity. Nail polish and gel nails are an infection risk and may not be permitted in some clinical areas. Students must abide by all workplace dress codes when on placement, which may vary between sites.

You must be able to participate fully in communication and other skills training, discussion and assessment. As well as adhering to the dress code above, it means being able to interact fully with patients, standardised patients, teachers and examiners of any cultural or ethnic background or either gender. This includes conducting physical examinations that are a compulsory component of the course eg blood pressure, pulse and temperature.

Health requirements and Fitness to Practise procedures

Offers of a place are subject to satisfactory health screening. The health screening procedure is based upon the Higher Education Occupational Physicians/Practitioners (HEOPS) standards of medical fitness to train for pharmacy students.

If you are concerned that your health or disability may affect your ability to fulfil the requirements of the MPharm course, you are encouraged to contact the Occupational Health Service and/or the Disability Advisory and Support Service at an early stage in order to explore the feasibility of making reasonable adjustments.

Health screening requires you to complete a detailed health questionnaire and possibly attend an appointment with the University's Occupational Health Department. In order to be admitted and continue on the course, you must be deemed as medically fit for both campus-based learning and placements by the Occupational Health Department. You will be required to comply with any viral screening and vaccination as requested by the Department of Health.

Where a course requires you to undertake practical training in a quasi-professional role in relation to patients, clients or service users, or where the qualification provides a direct licence to practise, The University of Manchester has a duty to ensure that students are fit to practise.

A pharmacy student's fitness to practise is called into question when their behaviour or health raises a serious or persistent cause for concern about their ability or suitability to continue on the MPharm course. A student's fitness to practise, before or during their period of study as a student, may impair their eligibility to register and to practise as a Pharmacist. For further information, please read the guidance on the GPhC website.

This includes, but is not limited to, the possibility that they could put patients, the public, other students, staff or themselves at risk, and the need to maintain the public's trust in the pharmacy profession. Issues surrounding professional behaviour and fitness to practise are monitored and investigated initially. We consider cases that are brought to us and follow initial investigations via appropriate staff.

For information specific to the University, please read:

• Guidance and procedure for applicants to the Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) (PDF, 179KB)
• Medical Fitness Assessment Procedure (PDF 127KB).

Applicants and students should note that we treat all information disclosed by students in the strictest of confidence. Information about a student's fitness to practise will only be disclosed to the GPhC when the Faculty's Committee on Fitness to Practise has imposed sanctions upon the student.

When sanctions have been imposed, the student must also disclose them to the GPhC if they apply to join the register of pharmacists. Sanctions include:

• conditions or undertakings
• suspension from the course
• expulsion from the course.

To ensure students are of good character as part of the GPhC's fitness to practise requirements, you must complete a professional conduct declaration form at interview and then annually, and submit to a criminal records check during the first year of the MPharm course.

You must declare any convictions, cautions or reprimands received at any time before or during your studies, either in this country or in other countries.

The criminal records check is an Enhanced Level search by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). We will assist you in the completion of these forms.

International applicants will need to submit an overseas police check and this will be included as a formal offer condition.  

To assess good character, the GPhC Good Character Framework is used.

Applications for deferred entry are considered equally to other applications up to the point of confirmation.

Requests for deferred entry are granted on the discretion of admissions staff, and are normally granted for one year only. However, in certain circumstances (for example, if an international student needs to complete National Service), we might consider a request to defer for 2 years.

Please contact the admissions team directly for advice. Some English Language test results, such as IELTS or TOEFL, are only valid for two years from the test date.

We will consider resit applications provided you have obtained a minimum of A-level grades BBB at the first attempt (or equivalent qualifications).

If you have applied via UCAS previously, any subsequent application should provide updated information on your suitability for the course. We reserve the right to draw on any information from previous applications.

If you have already achieved your A-level grades, you must have obtained a minimum of AAB in three suitable subjects including Chemistry, and either Biology or Mathematics.

Transfer requests are not accepted as such. All applications must be directed through  UCAS  and applicants must satisfy our specific entry requirements, ie a minimum of AAB in three suitable A-level subjects including Chemistry and either Biology or Mathematics (or equivalent qualifications). We do not accept insufficient A-level grades alongside one or two years on an alternative degree course.

Advanced entry

All applications are considered for first-year entry only onto the MPharm course.

Visas for the pharmacy foundation training year

All international/EU and EEA students who are graduating with an MPharm from a British university must apply for a visa to work in the UK, ie to undertake their foundation training year. 

Further information about the Graduate Immigration Route visa can be found  here .

You will take integrated course units throughout the four-year MPharm course, each developing your knowledge and understanding, practical and clinical skills and professional attributes.

Course units are organised by body systems, which increase in complexity year on year. Within each body system block, you will develop your learning in medicines design, disease management, professional skills and clinical practice.

The taught content of the course is common to all students, however each student has their own unique learning journey, experienced through our enquiry-based learning approach, extensive range of placements, inter-professional events and a master's level research project in Year 4.

Every six weeks, throughout the course you will have the opportunity to attend organised placements which take place in NHS hospitals, community pharmacies and GP surgeries. Your placements will take place in Greater Manchester each year of the course. There may be an additional opportunity to attend an organised placement within the pharmaceutical industry.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Year 2 will also include students in some taught sessions who are undertaking the BSc in Clinical Pharmacy, which is a joint course between the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, and China Pharmaceutical University.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Year 3 will also include students in some taught sessions who are undertaking the BSc in Clinical Pharmacy, which is a joint course between the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, and China Pharmaceutical University.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants from the Disability Support Office  

This course is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).