Welcome from the Dean

Welcome to Australia’s leading centre for pharmacy education and research.

I welcome you to the Faculty of Pharmacy, a place where students and researchers are among the best in Australia and the world. Aspiring to be the best – and to achieve excellence in their learning, teaching and research – they work hard and contribute to all aspects of the faculty, continually adding new skills and experiences to their personal achievements.

The faculty offers one of the leading pharmacy education programs in Australia with an enviable national and international reputation. The faculty’s innovative teaching, clinical and experiential placements and voluntary business skills programs will provide you with a well-rounded, professionally relevant pharmacy degree, putting you in high demand with employers.

Like many other students who care about people’s health and wellbeing, I decided to train as a pharmacist to give me an opportunity to help those needing support in times of illness. I am very proud to be a pharmacist, and with a Masters and PhD from this university I feel privileged to lead the Faculty of Pharmacy in my role as Dean.

Life as a student in the Faculty of Pharmacy

As a student here you will be trained and mentored by internationally renowned academics and will have access to brand new teaching laboratories that have been developed using world’s best practice standards.

I encourage you to participate fully in academic and other activities within the faculty and University to get the most out of your time here. A great place to start is our student association for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, Sydney University Pharmacy Association (SUPA).

With a student committee elected by you, SUPA provides a range of academic, professional and social activities. SUPA representatives also interact with faculty staff to provide feedback and formal input into the quality assurance processes of the faculty.

Aspire to be the best with our specialist programs

The Talented Students Program is offered to undergraduate students of superior academic ability, recognising their exceptional quality and enabling them to realise their full academic potential. Students are given the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities across all disciplines of the pharmacy profession. Each student is assigned an academic staff mentor who facilitates their involvement in their chosen pharmacy-related activities.

The Business Undergraduate Mentoring Program (BUMP) links the faculty’s best undergraduate students to industry ‘mentors’. Students spend alternate weeks at specialist seminars and visiting the mentor’s pharmacy business, gaining valuable experience and knowledge of their mentor’s business and entrepreneur skills.

The innovative Blooms Business Skills Program is offered to students on a voluntary basis, teaching them business management skills in small seminar groups led by pharmacy owners, all highly successful in their field. The program is very popular with students, especially those who are considering owning a pharmacy in the future.

Summer Vacation Placements provide students with experience in research that might not be available elsewhere in their degree. By gaining an insight into the research process, students are given the opportunity to see if they are interested in pursuing further studies or a career in a research environment.

The Industry Placements scheme has been developed to provide opportunities for Year 2 and 3 students to experience pharmaceutical practice in industry. Successful applicants undertake work experience for 4 to 8 weeks within local pharmaceutical or veterinary industries in the Sydney area during the summer vacation break.

New Bachelor of Pharmacy curriculum

The faculty recently updated the undergraduate curriculum to create a more integrated framework of pharmacy modules to reflect contemporary pharmacy practice and improve industry relevance. Students can choose to major in industrial, hospital or rural pharmacy in their final year, and also experience clinical placements and other practical aspects of pharmacy.

Postgraduate coursework and research opportunities

The faculty has a graduate entry Master of Pharmacy program designed for those who already have a non-pharmacy degree. This two year degree allows you to register as a pharmacist and give you skills and knowledge equivalent to the Bachelor of Pharmacy.

For those who want to pursue studies in herbal medicines, the faculty has a coursework program leading to a Master of Herbal Medicines (Graduate Certificate and Diploma qualifications are also available).

The faculty also offers Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacy for students who wish to focus on a research career or gain the ultimate academic qualification.

What can you do with a pharmacy degree?

Pharmacy graduates have a wide variety of career choices and the ability to make a real difference to their community and to improve the quality of medication usage and the quality of life for their patients.

As a pharmacy graduate you will have the opportunity to register as a pharmacist, to work in the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies, to contribute to research and academia, and work in community and hospital pharmacy including remote and rural communities.

Pharmacists are also leaders, helping to develop the pharmacy profession by serving on boards and committees of state and federal governments, advising the government and key health organisations on critical pharmaceutical issues.

The Faculty of Pharmacy wishes all its students, new and continuing, an inspiring and productive 2009.

Iqbal Ramzan
Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy