Bachelor of Pharmacy


A Bachelor of Pharmacy or Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy ''' is an academic degree in the field of pharmacy. The degree provides training to understand the properties and impacts of medicines and develop the skills required to counsel patients about their use. In most countries where it is offered, the course of study typically requires four years. Bachelor of Pharmacy degree holders can pursue various career paths, including working as a pharmacist, providing patient counseling, pursuing further studies such as a master's degree, teaching at a university as a lecturer, or working as a drug information specialist.
In most Western countries, PharmB and PharmD are considered equivalent since they are both prerequisites to be licensed. In many Western countries, foreign graduates with BPharm, PharmB, or BS Pharm practice similarly to PharmD graduates. It is analogous to an MBBS versus an MD, where MBBS is the foreign equivalent of an MD. In some countries, the BPharm has been superseded by the Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy degrees. In the United States, this degree has been superseded by the PharmD. In Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree is a prerequisite for practicing as a pharmacist. See list of [pharmacy schools] for institutions offering the BPharm degree.

Asia and Oceania

Australia

In Australia, the BPharm degree is awarded following a four-year undergraduate pharmacy program. Australian undergraduate pharmacy courses were previously three years but increased to four years during the 1990s with greater emphasis on pharmacy practice education. It is compulsory to undertake clinical placements during this undergraduate program. During the early 2000s, two-year postgraduate Master of Pharmacy courses were established by many universities, but these have accounted for a relatively minor proportion of pharmacy graduates.
All BPharm programs in Australia are accredited by the New Zealand and Australian Pharmacy Schools Accreditation Committee. These programs provide comprehensive training in various fields, including pharmacology, chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutics, ethics, pharmacy law, pharmacy management, physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, pharmacokinetics, and medication compounding. At present, either the BPharm degree or the MPharm degree is acceptable for registration as a practicing pharmacist.
As with most honors degrees at Australian universities, the awarding of a Bachelor of Pharmacy is based on the completion of original research and a high level of academic performance. All other graduates are awarded a pass degree. Unlike most honors degrees in Australia, an additional year of study is not required for a BPharm, as most universities integrate research and coursework into the fourth year of BPharm programs.
In 2003, the University of Sydney began offering a four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy program at its Orange campus. It was designed to address the continuing shortage of pharmacists in rural areas and placed greater emphasis on rural aspects of pharmacy practice. Since the BPharm and BPharm had most units of study in common, academics delivered many lectures at the main campus in Sydney with a live video broadcast to students at Orange. The program was not offered in 2005 due to the transfer of Orange campus to Charles Sturt University. Following a review, a new BPharm program was offered from 2006 onwards at the university's main campus. Although the rural program has not continued, focus on a rural workforce remains within the degree. Rural placements are encouraged in almost all undergraduate programs.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree is offered by the Chinese University of Hong Kong under the Faculty of Medicine. The CUHK Bachelor of Pharmacy program started in 1992 and was the only pharmacy degree program available in Hong Kong until 2009. The degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of at least three to four years of full-time study. To be considered for registration as a practicing pharmacist in Hong Kong by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, graduates must complete an additional year of pre-registration training. In 2009, the University of Hong Kong implemented a Bachelor of Pharmacy program under the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

India

The Bachelor of Pharmacy degree is a four-year program with both annual and semester schemes available. Diploma of Pharmacy holders are eligible for admission directly into the second year of the BPharm program. BPharm holders can enter directly into the fourth year of the PharmD course. Colleges imparting pharmaceutical education must be approved by the All Indian Council of Technical Education and the Pharmacy Council of India. BPharm is often superseded by MPharm, PharmD, and PhD-level courses, although the minimum qualification required for registration as a pharmacist is DPharm.

Bangladesh

The BPharm in Bangladesh is a four-year program with both annual and semester schemes available. Colleges imparting pharmaceutical education must be approved by the Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh
.

Pakistan

PharmD is the only basic pharmacy degree awarded by universities in Pakistan. The five-year program is approved by the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan. Those who hold an older four-year Bachelor of Pharmacy and are registered as pharmacists with the Pharmacy Councils of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan or Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa can study at any university for a one-year evening and/or weekend condensed course leading to a post-BPharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy.

Europe

Norway

In Norway, the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree is awarded by Oslo Metropolitan University, The University of Tromsø and Nord University. The degree makes one eligible to work as a pharmacist in Norway. Norway also offers the Master of Pharmacy degree, which often offers higher payment and more job opportunities than the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree.

Ireland

MPharm degrees in the Republic of Ireland are offered by:
However, in Northern Ireland, MPharm degrees are offered at Queen's University Belfast as in the rest of the UK.

Finland

In Finland, pharmacy is taught in University of Helsinki, University of Eastern Finland and Åbo Akademi University. A Bachelor of Pharmacy is called farmaseutti, and a Master of Pharmacy is called proviisori. A proviisori degree is required to be a pharmacist.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the BPharm degree was awarded following a three-year undergraduate pharmacy program. As a result of European Union harmonisation, the BPharm degree was superseded in 1997 by the Master of Pharmacy degree, which is awarded following a four-year program.

Portugal

In Portugal, the BPharm degree is awarded following a four-year program. The degree is necessary to become a pharmacy technician, and progressing to being a pharmacist by doing a master's degree alone is not possible.

North America

Canada

The following Canadian universities formerly offered the bachelor's degree program and replaced it with the graduate Doctor of Pharmacy:

United States of America

Universities in the United States do not offer Bachelor of Pharmacy programs; however, many offer pre-doctoral programs and other undergraduate degrees that better an applicant's chance of becoming a student for a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

South America

Guyana

offers the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree program.

Africa

Nigeria

The BPharm degree remains the most commonly awarded pharmacy degree in Nigeria, although there has been a recent move towards the clinically oriented Doctor of Pharmacy degree. The following Nigerian universities still offer BPharm programs:

South Africa

The following South African universities offer BPharm programs:

Lesotho

The following universities offer BPharm programs in Lesotho:
National University of Lesotho – Department of Pharmacy

Kenya

The following Kenyan universities offer BPharm programs:

Uganda

The following Ugandan universities offer BPharm programs: