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Clinical Pharmacy Practice (Primary Care and Community)

Evidence-based, part-time courses for practising pharmacists, with a problem-solving, practice-orientated approach.

Flexible work-based learning

Choosing a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert), Diploma (PGDip), Master's (MSc) or Continuing Professional Development (CPD) option will help develop your professional status and career prospects.

Course features

  • Choose a course that reflects your area of professional interest
  • Study at your own pace with minimal time away from work
  • Benefit from excellent support and learner networks with a user-friendly virtual learning environment
  • Improve your clinical skills, broaden your knowledge and apply these effectively in your professional setting to deliver safer, patient-focused care
  • All our courses are created to meet workforce development needs and are closely linked to relevant professional frameworks

All PGCert, PGDip and MSc students are registered for the maximum study duration of eight years, to allow flexible study options.

Emily posing against a white backdrop.
‘'While on maternity leave in 2018, I decided to upskill my knowledge and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.'’
— Emily Golabek Pharmacist manager for Everett's Pharmacy

Study pathways

Each unit lasts 11 weeks and is supported by online learning materials, live teaching sessions and optional face-to-face study days to support clinical skills.

CPD (individual units)

  • CPD units are 11 weeks
  • CPD intake points are throughout the year
  • Students can study any of our units as stand-alone CPD options or can continue their learning up to a master's qualification

PGCert (Year one)

  • One year, part-time
  • This award can be achieved by successfully completing 60 CATS credits and the OSCE (Observed Structured Clinical Examination)
  • If you are new to postgraduate education, we recommend starting with:
    • Professional Skills for Medicines Optimisation
    • Evidence-Based Pharmacy Practice

PGDip (Year two)

  • Two years, part-time
  • This award can be achieved by successfully completing a further 60 CATS credits (a total of 120 CATS credits)

MSc (Year three)

  • Three years, part-time
  • This award can be achieved by successfully completing a further 60 CATS credits (a total of 180 CATS credits)
  • Study pathway as agreed with programme lead

Optional units

Take any unit on its own as CPD or opt for one of our postgraduate taught courses, as detailed above.

The combination of units studied is flexible and can be tailored to meet your needs.

Independent Prescribing and Advanced Clinical Assessment units can be studied on a CPD basis or can contribute to a larger award.

Using the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) towards an academic award

If you have completed PCPEP and you want to gain Masters-level academic credit towards a PG Cert, PG Dip or MSc award in clinical pharmacy, we can help.

This route is called Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) and PCPEP meets the learning outcomes for two of the units from the primary care course:

  • Professional skills for medicines optimisation
  • Evidence based pharmacy practice

The APEL route requires you to submit a portfolio and there is tutor support (but no formal teaching) to support students.

Successful completion of both units provides 30 CATS credits towards your chosen award. The cost is considerably lower than the taught units.

AP3T Clinical Pharmacy Postgraduate Courses: PCPEP APEL from University of Bath on Vimeo.

Apply now

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

Dates for June 2023 start

  • Application deadline: 21 April 2023 at 5pm
  • Self-directed online induction from: 12 – 23 June 2023
  • Live online induction workshop: 14 June 2023
  • First unit start date: 26 June 2023

Apply for Postgraduate Certificate starting 12 June 2023.

The application deadline for the Postgraduate Certificate is 21 April 2023 at 5pm.

Apply for CPD starting 12 June 2023.

The application deadline for CPD is 21 April 2023 at 5pm.

Two references will be needed when applying for the MSc, Diploma, Certificate or CPD.

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 2023/24 courses are still to be confirmed and will be updated shortly. Find out more about tuition fees and funding options.

Entry requirements

Find out what criteria you need to meet before applying.

In order to be successful in your application, 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.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, you will need an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of at least 7.5 overall with no less than 7 in all components.

Related courses

Explore related courses and how to apply for 2023 entry.

Contact us

Contact us if you have any questions about the course or your application.