Course Content

You can download a faculty handbook detailing individual units of study here.

First Year

The first year contains the basic science on which the subjects in subsequent years depend. The Chemistry and Biology courses have been developed following detailed discussion with members of the Pharmacy Faculty so that they integrate well with subjects taught in subsequent years.

Chemistry is a general introductory course which follows on from HSC chemistry. It is not dissimilar to the first year BSc course though some different topics have been included and others deleted to achieve good integration with the teaching in later years.

Foundations of Pharmacy, Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Physical Pharmaceutics and Social Pharmacy are taught within the Pharmacy Faculty. Foundations of Pharmacy is an introduction to the major themes and topics involved in pharmacy, including the role and distribution of medications within the health care system, dosage forms, sources of drugs, and consumers of medications. Students are also introduced to the notion of the reflective professional practitioner, and to the broad discipline areas within pharmacy.

Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences provides an introduction to principles which will be expanded and applied in later years. Topics covered include drugs from plants, pharmaceutical calculations, intermolecular forces in liquids and solids, dissolution and solubility, drugs as acids and bases, and partitioning. Small group work in seminar/tutorial sessions will complement and support the learning of material introduced in lectures.

Social Pharmacy consists of two streams: (1) Professional Pharmacy provides an introduction to the professional practice of the pharmacist through lectures and fieldwork in clinical settings. Topics include an introduction to the role of the pharmacist in the health care team, the relationship of pharmacists to other health care professionals, and client expectations of the profession. Oracy and literary skills are developed in the context of professional pharmacy issues. (2) Interprofessional Practice is designed to provide a broad perspective of health and illness, and encourage a view of the patient as a whole person. The emphasis will be on basic principles of psychological processes that underpin or drive patient cognition, affect and behaviour.

Second Year

Courses include Physiology and Pharmacology, Drug Discovery and Design, Microbiology, Physical Pharmaceutics and Formulation, Therapeutic Principles and an introduction to Pharmacy Practice which is directly related to professional work and focuses on communication skills and some therapeutic areas.

Third Year

The emphasis is on themes related to neurology, dermatology, oncology/immunology, musculoskeletal, gastroenterology, cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, reproductive and multiple systems pathology.

Fourth Year

Students undertake units of study in management, therapeutics in practice, clinical placements, integrated pharmacy practice, dispensing and advanced pharmaceutical sciences.

Studies involve clinical practice externships spent on assignments at health professional locations.

Students undertaking the Rural Major will study indigenous health issues, rural and remote care and will undertake their clinical practice externship in a rural area.

Honours

The honours option is offered in Year 4 in the following research areas: respiratory disease, cancer, cardiovascular and diabetes, health services and patient safety and mental health. Enrolment in the honours program is by invitation only, based on meritorious performance in the second and third years of the program.

Grades of award of the degree

The degree may be awarded in two grades, pass and honours. The award of honours recognises superior performance in all units of study throughout the degree - including honours units of study in the final year - as well as completion of a research project. Students considering a postgraduate degree by research are advised to complete an honours degree.