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Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This MSc is an advanced-level programme offered by UCL School of Pharmacy together with several local hospitals or teaching hospitals within London. It is designed for pharmacists who wish to develop the clinical expertise and leadership skills needed to deliver enhanced pharmacy services adapted to their home countries.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£19,300
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£37,500
Duration
1 calendar year
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024

Applications closed

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024

Applications closed

Find similar courses still open

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree in pharmacy from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, and registration as a pharmacist. At least one year’s relevant work experience in a clinical setting is normally required. Applicants must be familiar with standard software packages including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Pharmacists will develop clinical pharmacy skills, inquisitive and enquiring approaches to practice and pharmaceutical care delivery, critical thinking and appraisal skills, transferable skills for pharmaceutical care services in new settings and environments, and an international perspective on healthcare systems and health needs of different populations worldwide.

Who this course is for

This programme is suitable for pharmacists who wish to develop clinical pharmacy and leadership skills relevant to the needs of their home countries.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

The programme is centred on the health priorities of the World Health Organisation, which includes diabetes, cardiovascular and infectious diseases. Approximately half of the programme is delivered through taught modules at the UCL School of Pharmacy with the remaining time spent gaining clinical and research experience at hospitals in the London area under the tutelage of clinical pharmacy specialists.

Students develop new learning styles as they progress through the programme. This makes for a stimulating and challenging year where self-development is central. This programme has drawn international students from approximately 40 countries worldwide. 

You can find further information in our Frequently Asked Questions page here.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Some of the skills you will acquire by taking this programme are self-directed learning, critical thinking, reflective practice, medicines optimisation, and research and evaluation.

Employability

Graduates of this programme usually return to their home countries to take up senior and prominent leadership roles in governnment ministries, hospitals and universities, or pursue a PhD in the UK or overseas.

Networking

Students will meet alumni, interact with UK pharmacy staff in the workplace (during placement), and have one or more joint sessions with practitioners on the MSc Advanced Pharmacy Practice. Students also have the opportunity to network with specialist clinical pharmacists who teach on the programme.

Teaching and learning

Teaching methods are varied and include lectures, seminars, small group work, problem-based learning (PBL) approaches and individual project work. National experts (pharmacists and other health care professionals) contribute to the programme. Class size varies from 6 to 30 students depending on the teaching format.

In addition to the taught modules, students are assigned to a clinical placement site at a teaching hospital in the London area. These placements allow access to patients and practices in order to develop skills associated with clinical care, such as identifying pharmaceutical care issues and preparing appropriate care plans to optimise treatment. A clinical placement tutor is assigned to facilitate learning and demonstrate usual care patterns in the UK.

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures and workshops, case tutorials and small-group work. Assessment is through written examination, coursework, research projects and oral presentations.

Contact hours are spent with academic/teaching staff and on placement. Students are normally expected to spend the equivalent of 37.5 hours per week in scheduled teaching combined with placement activity and self-directed study.

Modules

This is a twelve month, full-time (35 hours per week), taught postgraduate degree programme.  You will attend lectures and workshops on campus which will cover a range of different topics to support your learning for the taught modules.  Throughout the year you will also spend time at your hospital placement, working under the supervision of practising clinical pharmacists. You will experience first-hand how clinical pharmacy services operate and integrate with the care provided by other healthcare professionals. You will also conduct your research skills project at your placement site.    

In terms one and two, you will take four compulsory modules (Clinical Pharmacy Practice and Policy 1; Clinical Pharmacy Practice and Policy 2; Clinical Practice at Placement Site; and Leadership and innovation in Clinical Pharmacy Services / International Perspectives on Health) which would provide you with concrete knowledge about the master degree programme. In term three, you will take the compulsory dissertation module.

Compulsory modules







Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy.

Placement

For experiential learning, students will spend 2-3 days per week throughout the programme at one of our partner hospital sites

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Study Clinical Pharmacy (AM)

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An opportunity to meet the Clinical Pharmacy programme lead and ask any questions you have about the programme content, career prospects, and life and study at the UCL School of Pharmacy and UCL.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Study Clinical Pharmacy (PM)

—

An opportunity to meet the Clinical Pharmacy programme lead and ask any questions you have about the programme content, career prospects, and life and study at the UCL School of Pharmacy and UCL.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £19,300
Tuition fees (2024/25) £37,500

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

This programme includes experiential learning at a hospital site. Our partner hospitals are located within Travelcard zones 1-6. Students are responsible for travel costs to allocated placement sites throughout the programme of study. 

Students are required to pass an occupational health check at their placement site. Students will be asked to bring along proof of relevant immunisation status for enrolment.

Students are also required to provide a recent police check from their country of domicile.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • How your academic and professional background meets the demands of Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy
  • Why you want to study Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy at graduate level
  • What particularly attracts you to this programme at the UCL School of Pharmacy
  • Where you would like to go professionally with your degree and how this programme meets these needs

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Got questions? Get in touch

School of Pharmacy
School of Pharmacy

sop.pgt@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.