About us

Scientific advances in modern healthcare mean people benefit from having a range of experts involved in their healthcare needs. Pharmacists often work in teams with other healthcare professionals, such as doctors and nurses, and use their expertise in medicines and pharmacy to improve the health of patients and communities. 

Pharmacists are experts in medicines and in the use of medicines in healthcare. Pharmacists are concerned with ensuring people receive the most appropriate medicines and that people know how to use their medicines safely and effectively.

To achieve this, pharmacists spend time talking to patients and their family/whānau and carers, as well as a range of healthcare professionals, about medicines. Pharmacists work in community pharmacies, hospitals and other healthcare settings, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry, medicines regulation, clinical and laboratory research and other exciting careers that use pharmacists' expertise in medicines. The role of pharmacists in patient care is expanding, as is the range of healthcare services pharmacists and pharmacies can provide. Ultimately, this means pharmacists can help more people get the greatest benefit from their medicines.

Our established Bachelor of Pharmacy degree is designed to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge to fulfil the vital role of a pharmacist in the rapidly changing world of healthcare.

The University of Auckland’s School of Pharmacy is at the forefront of pharmacy education internationally, ranked #77 worldwide for Pharmacy and Pharmacology in the 2025 QS World University Rankings. As New Zealand's highest-ranked university for global reputation amongst academics and employers,* its reputation for excellence in education and research opens a world of possibilities for your pharmacy career. 

The School of Pharmacy is dedicated to producing high-quality pharmacists who contribute to improving the health of all New Zealanders through ensuring the best use of medicines in our society, and to producing research-literate graduates who are able to follow pathways into pharmaceutical research or academia. We believe that theory, along with practical education, helps better prepare our students for their careers as pharmacists in a variety of settings.

*2025 QS World University Rankings

Our research develops solutions to real-world problems, supported by national and international funding sources and leveraging significant research collaborations across the globe. 

Our school’s research is organised into clusters:

• Pharmacy policy, law, ethics and the pharmacy profession
• Pharmacy health service delivery
• Pharmacoepidemiology and Health Outcomes Research
• Formulation and drug delivery for various applications
• Improving paediatric medicines, drug delivery technologies and medicine use
• Investigating experience and developing treatments for spinal cord injury
  
• Pharmacy education and curriculum development
• Safety and efficacy of herbal medicines and other natural health products
• Neuro, psychopharmacology and substance use
• Technology and digital innovations in health

Since the School of Pharmacy was established in 2000, it has set up world-class postgraduate programmes offering Research Masters and PhD students opportunities to work with and learn from experts in diverse fields.