Program Overview

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Pharmacy Program

The Pharmacy program at the University of the Witwatersrand is a four-year, full-time course that leads to a Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) degree. Pharmacists are experts on the action and use of drugs, including their chemistry, formulation into medicines, and how they are used to manage diseases.

Overview

Pharmacists screen people for early signs of disease, using advanced methods to provide sound pharmaceutical care. They are also specialists in the formulation, manufacture, storage, dispensing, counseling, and controlling of medicines. The profession is dynamic, continually expanding in new directions and offering interdisciplinary professional education and work-based learning opportunities.

Career Opportunities

The Pharmacy degree provides training in a wide range of interrelated disciplines and therefore offers a variety of career opportunities to graduates, including:

• Academia and Research
• Community Pharmacy
• Hospital Pharmacy
• Industrial Pharmacy
• Managed Healthcare
  • Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring
  • Clinical Trials
  • Contract Research
  • Drug Abuse Counselling
  • Drug Information Centres
  • Drug Stewardship
  • Drug Utilisation Reviews
  • Intellectual Property of Pharmaceuticals
  • Medicines Control Council
  • Pharmacovigilance
  • Pharmaco-Economics
  • Professional Regulatory Bodies
  • Poison Information Centres
  • Publishing of Pharmaceutical Research

Curriculum

The curriculum for the Pharmacy program is as follows:

First-year

• Introduction to Medical Sciences I
• Chemistry I
• Physics I
• Pharmaceutical Practice
• Health Systems Sciences I

Second-year

• Anatomy for Pharmacy Students
• Physiology and Medical Biochemistry I
• Pharmaceutical Chemistry I
• Pharmaceutics I
• Pharmacy Practice I

Third-year

• Pathology
• Medical Microbiology
• Pharmaceutical Chemistry II
• Clinical Pharmacy II
• Pharmacy Practice II
• Pharmaceutics II
• Pharmacology I

Fourth-year

• Pharmaceutics III
• Pharmaceutical Chemistry III
• Special Undergraduate Research Project
• Clinical Pharmacy III
• Pharmacy Practice III
• Pharmacology II

Entry Requirements

The entry requirements for the Pharmacy program are:

• English Home Language OR First Additional Language: Level 5
• Mathematics: Level 5
• Life Sciences AND/OR Physical Sciences: Level 5 The Faculty of Health Sciences uses a Composite Index (CI) score to guide applicant selection, which includes:
  1. Matric academic results for five subjects: English, Mathematics, best of Physical Sciences/Life Sciences, and the best two other subjects
  2. National Benchmark Test (NBT) scores

University Application Process

The Student Enrolment Centre at Wits handles all student applications. Applicants must submit their application, required documentation, and application fee before the closing date. Compliance with the minimum requirements does not guarantee a place at the University.

University Fees and Funding

The current average tuition fees for the first year of study are available on the Fees website. The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office provides information on student funding and scholarships. University-funded Scholarships include Vice-Chancellor's Scholarships, University Entrance Scholarships, Equality Scholarships, Sports Scholarships, and National Olympiad winner awards.

Program Details

• Programme Code: MFA04
• Faculty: Health Sciences
• School: Therapeutic Sciences
• Qualification: BPharm
• Duration: 4 years
• Study Mode: Full-time
• Closing Date: 30 June