Postgraduate study in Pharmacy

What can you study in Pharmacy?

Once you have completed your undergraduate study, you can undertake postgraduate study in Pharmacy in the following programmes:

The Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy provides an entry point to a coherent programme of advanced clinical skills for registered pharmacists working in an inter-professional healthcare environment.

Postgraduate certificate students will be taught the skills to:

  • Make effective use of medicines information reference sources and critically evaluate medicines literature to apply findings to clinical practice.
  • Access and evaluate relevant clinical information to manage and optimise pharmaceutical therapy in selected therapeutic areas.
  • Design, implement and optimise pharmaceutical care plans for individual patients in selected therapeutic areas.
  • Make positive contributions to patient outcomes by utilising pharmaceutical knowledge in the context of inter-professional healthcare teams.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy aims to further develop the clinical and evaluative skills of pharmacists who hold a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy (or equivalent).

Postgraduate diploma students will be taught the skills to:

  • Ensure the safe, effective and economic use of medicines for both individual patients and patient groups.
  • Design, implement and optimise pharmaceutical care plans for individual patients in a broad range of therapeutic areas.
  • Manage the pharmaceutical care of patients with complex clinical needs.
  • Develop specialised knowledge of medicines use in areas of clinical interest, including advanced medicines management.

The Master of Clinical Pharmacy degree builds on the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy (or equivalent) and includes a supervised research project in an area of Pharmacy.

Most students will start with the PGCertClinPharm and enrol in 60 points per year (30 points or one course per semester). Courses completed as part of the PGCertClinPharm can be credited toward the PGDipClinPharm. Students who complete the PGDipClinPharm with an average grade of B or higher can then get entry to the MClinPharm.

The specialisation in Prescribing is open to registered pharmacists who have completed the PGDipClinPharm or masters (or equivalent).

Prescribing:

These programmes are currently available only for New Zealand based pharmacists currently registered with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand.

The School of Pharmacy offers New Zealand registered pharmacists postgraduate qualifications in clinical pharmacy, including a pathway to becoming a designated prescriber. The programmes have been designed to allow students living anywhere in New Zealand to enrol, with most of the material presented online and supplemented by face-to-face weekend workshops for some courses.

More information on postgraduate study in Pharmacy

Where can postgraduate study in Pharmacy take you?

Internationally, the role pharmacists can play in patient care is rapidly expanding and New Zealand is at the forefront of this. Legislation has now been passed that allows pharmacists to prescribe, and the numbers of New Zealand pharmacists registered to prescribe is steadily growing.

Jobs related to Pharmacy

  • Pharmacist
  • Prescriber
  • Research

Further study options

  • Doctor of Philosophy

Postgraduate programmes