Becoming a pharmacist as a mature student

I'm 26 and I have a degree in History but I have decided i want to become a pharmacist. I'm not sure how i can go about this as i dont have the relevant a levels to study at univeristy. I was wondering what to do. Ive contacted a university and they advised me to get additional courses and then i can apply to do mpharm with a foundation. does anyone have any advice

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

Original post

by delightful-curva

I can throw a few options your way:

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Do an accredited MPharm degree with preparatory year (a foundation year)

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Do an Access course in Science (with at least 15 credits in biology and 15 in chemistry) then do an MPharm

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Do A Levels privately and then do an MPharm

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BTEC Extended Diploma in Applied Science at your local college, then do MPharm degree

If your A Levels are more than 5 years old (which they should be), you should check with the particular uni before you do any further courses. If they are more than 5 years old, the uni might ask you for a new set of Level 3 qualifications prior to enrolment. Some unis might not be that picky about this though, so do check for each uni.

Where possible, I would recommend doing the Access course because it's cheaper (costs about £3500 offline at a local college) and quicker (1 year) compared to A Levels (can cost £250 for exams per subject, but you are likely required to do the practical assessments costing £1000 per subject to meet entry requirements - do check with each course though; do note that this doesn't include the cost of any course that you might do should you do a course to supplement your study), preparatory years (£9k tuition for 1 year) and BTEC (should cost roughly the same as an Access but takes 2 years). The problem with Access courses is that some unis will still expect you to have Chemistry A Level to supplement your application, so you would need to check the entry requirements for each individual course

There is a list of approved MPharm degrees that you can do to become a pharmacist:
https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/students-and-trainees/pharmacist-education-and-training/courses-and-qualifications-pharmacists

See the list for some of the degrees with preparatory years here:
https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/pharmacy-ug/mpharm-pharmacy-with-preparatory-year
https://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/study/pharmacy-mpharm-with-preparatory-year.aspx (requires science A Levels)
https://www.uea.ac.uk/course/undergraduate/mpharm-pharmacy-with-a-foundation-year#entry_requirements
https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/courses/foundation-courses/pharmacy-mpharm-year-zero/pharmacy-mpharm-year-zero.aspx (at least one Science A Level)
https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/course/sfysfyub/pharmacy/
https://www.bangor.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/b20f-pharmacology-with-foundation-year#entryrequirements

Do note, as pharmacy is not a course that's under the ELQ exemption list (https://www.heinfo.slc.co.uk/resources/guidance/courses-management-service-user-guide/eligibility/equivalent-or-lower-qualification-elq-exceptions/?alttemplate=printchapter&id=1454), you will not have access to student finance to fund the degree (which makes as much sense as lot of things in the NHS). The good news is that this pain in the rear ELQ policy might be lifted in 2025 (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/student-finance-to-be-radically-transformed-from-2025), so wait until next year to see?

In the meantime, I would check whether your previous A Levels are still valid for the unis that you want to apply to, and then look to either supplement your studies with either Access, A Levels, or BTEC OR think about applying for a preparatory year with your MPharm degree. Until the ELQ policy is lifted, you might have a difficult time applying for the degree (unless you are telling me you're loaded).

Just for my reference, what did you do after graduating from History and why did you decide to change careers recently?

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 2

abuhanzala

It’s great that you’re pursuing a new career path! Since you’re already in touch with a university, getting those additional courses is a good step. Consider looking into accredited A-level equivalents or foundation courses that can help meet the entry requirements. Also, you might want to explore any work experience opportunities or volunteer positions in the pharmacy field to strengthen your application. Best of luck on your journey to becoming a pharmacist!