Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice

This flexible, part-time clinical MSc for pharmacists uses a practice-orientated approach to support your progress towards advanced and consultant roles.

Flexible work-based learning

Our MSc in Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice has been developed to link closely to both the pharmacy and the multi-disciplinary frameworks which define advanced practice.

All our courses are created to meet workforce development needs and are closely linked to relevant professional frameworks.

Course features

Core units to meet the requirements of the Advanced Practice Framework
Choice of units reflecting your areas of professional interest
Study at your own pace with minimal time away from work
Excellent support and learner networks with a user-friendly virtual learning environment
Increased professional expertise and status with enhanced career prospects
Accredited by The Centre for Advancing Practice

MSc students are registered for the maximum study duration of five years to allow flexible study options. Our flexible course allows you to study at your own pace with minimal time away from work.

Study pathways

Create a learning pathway incorporating our core units alongside options to match your specialist interests and learning needs. All routes cover the four pillars of advanced practice: clinical skills; education; leadership; and research.

Core units

To meet the requirements of the Advanced Practice Framework, a core set of units is required:

Independent Prescribing (unless previously completed)
Advanced Clinical Assessment
Leadership in Health
Education & Training in Healthcare
At least one from Research Methods, Quality Improvement or MSc dissertation

Core units above comprise a minimum of 105-CATS credits.

Optional units

Students may then select from a wide range of optional 15-credit units to build the rest of their study pathway.

A total of 180-credits are needed for the MSc ACPP.

Study on each unit is supported by a dedicated unit convener, access to online learning materials, live teaching sessions and in some cases, face-to-face study days.

See the unit catalogue for full details of available options.

Transfer from other courses

It may also be possible to transfer to the MSc ACPP at the end of the first or second year of study. This is dependent on previous study and must be discussed with the ACPP Course Lead.

See below for information on other ways we can recognise previous learning.

Project and taught routes

Your study route can be adapted depending on your previous experience.

The MSc ACPP can be achieved with or without a project dissertation year.

For pharmacists with previous postgraduate qualifications in clinical pharmacy, the project route may be the most suitable allowing the development of research skills in a year-long project relevant to their workplace role.

Understanding needs

Our MSc in Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice is specifically designed to meet the needs of pharmacists preparing for advanced patient-facing roles across primary and secondary care.

As established providers of pharmacy education at undergraduate and postgraduate level, we understand the areas where pharmacists already have high levels of competence, and those where they are more likely to have development needs.

A student pharmacist practices examining an actor

Developing roles

Developing advanced clinical practice roles, is a key component of clinical workforce planning, as described in the NHS Long Term Plan. We have close links with the South West Regional Faculty for Advancing Practice to ensure our programme remains relevant to workforce needs.

The NHS England Centre for Advancing Practice website provides more information about the Multi-professional framework for advanced clinical practice and how advanced roles are developing within the NHS.

A student pharmacist practicing examinations on a patient

Methods of study

Study on each unit is supported by a dedicated unit convener, access to online learning materials, live teaching sessions and in some cases, face-to-face study days.

You can read more detailed information about the content and delivery of the Independent Prescribing unit and Advanced Clinical Assessment units on their individual pages. Details of the next intake for these units can be found on their respective pages.

Transfer onto the course

It is also possible to transfer to the Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice MSc at the end of the first or second year of study on our other courses. This is dependent on previous study and must be discussed with the ACPP Course Lead.

Transfer of a limited amount of credit from other Higher Education Institutions is often possible (including an Independent Prescribing qualification gained elsewhere). It may also be possible to apply for the award of academic credit to recognise other previous learning (for example from some leadership and management training courses) or via Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) for those students who have completed the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP). Please contact us to discuss these options.

This programme is accredited by The Centre for Advancing Practice

Health Education England’s Centre for Advancing Practice standardises post-registration education by accrediting advanced practice courses that achieve the standards outlined in the multi-professional Advanced Practice Framework.

Practitioners who have completed accredited education programmes will be eligible to be listed on the Centre’s Advanced Practice Directory.

Apply now

Make sure to complete all additional forms and upload these to your application tracker as required.

Dates for November 2025 start

Application deadline: 11 November 2024 at 5pm
Live online induction workshop - tbc
Self-directed online induction: from 25 November - 6 December 2024
First unit start date: 2 January 2025

Apply for MSc Advanced Clinical Pharmacy starting 25 November 2024

Applications will open on 30 September 2024.

Two references will be needed when applying for the MSc.

Transfer of credit from other institutions is possible. Please contact the Programme Office to discuss this option.

Application process

Please note that all elements of the application must be submitted on time for you to be considered for a place on the course. If the demand for places is greater than the number of places available, then the admissions panel will review applications following agreed selection criteria.

Most of our students work in, or plan to work in, the NHS in some capacity, and so we follow the NHS Values Based Recruitment Guidance. We strongly believe in the NHS values and will be looking for them in our applicants. All applicants will be assessed on individual merit, as well as their understanding and practice of NHS values in pharmacy.

Fees and funding

Course fees are based on the costs for individual units and can be combined in different ways to achieve named awards. The final fee for an award will depend on the combination of units taken in any given year. Please note that tuition fees are liable to increase annually for all University of Bath students.

Please note that tuition fees do not cover travel, subsistence, delegate fees and accommodation at workshops. An additional charge will be made for costs incurred.

Fees for the 2024/25 courses.

Contact your trust’s advanced practice workforce lead or training hub to enquire about funding routes for advanced practice training. The South West region run a scoping exercise with employers in February each year to allocate regional funding.

Entry requirements

Find out what criteria you need to meet before applying.

In order to study on the MSc Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice (ACPP) course:

You must be a graduate of a recognised university and be registered as a practising pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
Ensure that you have a UK practice base to work within and access to patient notes (Community-based applicants will normally need to come to an arrangement with a local GP practice. The University can provide a letter to assist in gaining access to a GP Surgery for educational purposes).
For the Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice award, applicants must have successfully completed an accredited Independent Prescribing course prior to application or transfer. Applicants may register for CPD or for an alternative award if completing Independent Prescribing at Bath, and transfer to the MSc Advanced Clinical Pharmacy Practice when complete.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, you will need an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of at least 6.5 overall with no less than 6 in all components.