MPharm Pharmacy with Preparatory Year

From day one, Reading doesn’t let you just sit back and watch. You get into real settings, using professional tools & environments so you're ready for the job when you graduate. You’ll do placements in community and hospital pharmacies, take on research projects in later years, work in their Clinical Skills Suite with real medicines & dispensing software, and learn alongside internationally recognised lecturers doing cutting-edge topics. 

Here are the specifics:

• Placements from early years: Starting in Year 1, students have short placements (enhancement week) in community pharmacies and hospital settings—this gives a first-hand look at how medicines are handled, how care is given, how hospital wards or the dispensary work. 

• Compulsory placements throughout: As you move forward (Years 2-4), you’ll do longer placements in hospital & community pharmacies and often GP practices. The placements become more complex; you’re working with prescriptions, counselling patients, extracting info from medical notes, part of clin-pharmacy teams.

• Research Project in Final Year: You’ll get to choose a research project module, working with internationally recognised researchers. Topics are varied: molecular pharmacology, medical technology, drug synthesis, formulation, pharmacy practice. 

• Clinical Skills Suite and Real Tools: You’ll use real medicines and professional dispensing software, practice in simulated dispensing & pharmacy practice environments, learn about errors, prescription assessment, law, ethical & professional behaviour in pharmacy. The Clinical Skills Suite is a core part of this. 

• Group work, case-based & interprofessional learning: Workshops, team-based learning, case studies where you solve patient-centred problems. You’ll work with peers and sometimes other healthcare disciplines to build communication, decision-making. 

• Exposure to research facilities: Through the School of Chemistry, Food & Pharmacy you get access to specialized labs—Chemical Analysis Facility (NMR, mass spec, etc.), plus other tools for drug synthesis/analysis & interdisciplinary research. 

Graduates of this programme leave ready to become registered pharmacists, moving into hospital, community pharmacy, or roles in the pharmaceutical industry. Others go into research, regulatory affairs, medical sales, or business roles within health care. Having a GPhC-accredited degree means you can enter the Foundation Training Year and then register, opening those professional doors.

Here are the key details:

• University services/Support for Employment:
  The School of Pharmacy at Reading offers a Careers Fair each year with numerous employers. You also get help via workshops, mock interviews, and support during placements to prepare you for real world practice. 

• Employment & Outcome Stats:
  ~96-98% of graduates from Reading School of Pharmacy are in work or further study within 15 months after graduation.
  Average salary about £34,000–£35,000 15 months after the course for many graduates. 
  Most go into community or hospital pharmacy roles; a smaller portion move into industry or research. 

• University–industry & regulatory alignment:
  The programme is fully accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
  Reading also runs business and leadership elements via Henley Business School to broaden roles students can take within or outside strict clinical settings. 

• Long-term value:
  Because GPhC accreditation is current and up-to-date, the qualification remains valid under recent educational standards, including those placing more emphasis on clinical decision-making and independent prescribing. 

• Graduate destinations & employers:
  Reading Pharmacy graduates have moved on to work with big names: Boots, GSK, NHS, Lloyds Pharmacy, Spire Healthcare, among others. 
  Some graduates also choose paths like teaching, regulatory affairs, or further study (MSc, PhD) if they want to specialise. 

Further Academic Progression:
After finishing the MPharm, students can go further in a few ways:

• Do postgraduate specialisations (Master’s degrees) in fields such as advanced clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutics, regulatory science, or drug discovery.

• Pursue a PhD to enter research or academic roles.

• If interested in leadership or business sides of healthcare, take additional qualifications (MBA-style, certifications in management, policy, or public health).