We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2027/28 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2026/27 courses.
Gain practical, patient-facing skills, and the theoretical knowledge you need to excel in your career, with our MPharm Pharmacy with Preparatory Year course.
Please note that this course is now closed for 2026 applicants.
Our MPharm Pharmacy with Preparatory Year is a five-year programme that includes a year of foundation study and leads directly into the four-year course.
Our Foundation Year programmes are designed to set students up for success. They offer a broad, immersive learning experience and ease the transition to university life.
They also aim to:
At Reading, you’ll study the chemistry, biology, pharmacology and pharmaceutics that drive pharmacy practice. This learning will enable you to apply scientific knowledge to patient care from year one.
You’ll learn how to take theoretical scientific knowledge and apply it to clinical practice to best care for your patients. Your learning will cover:
Throughout your studies, you’ll develop essential knowledge and skills in areas such as:
Alongside your scientific studies, you’ll undertake clinical placements in various settings. This will provide you with the expertise and clinical experience you’ll need to succeed in your career.
Throughout the course, you will gain insight into professional practice by carrying out placements in various settings, such as GP practices, hospital pharmacies and community pharmacies.
Placements are an essential part of your training. They are compulsory and start in your second year of study, after you have completed your foundation year.
Your placements will require travel of up to one and a half hours each way, and may incur accommodation as well as travel costs.
We hold an annual Pharmacy careers fair on campus, attended by numerous employers, which will help you find placements, work experience and job opportunities.
Visit the School of Pharmacy website for more placement information
Our MPharm course is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council, the UK’s pharmacy regulator. This means that when you graduate you can go on to complete a Foundation Training Year, then register as a Pharmacist Independent Prescriber.
Our MPharm Pharmacy with Preparatory Year brings the latest techniques and research into the classroom, lab and clinical space. We encourage you to work independently and collaboratively, using simulations and digital technologies to support your learning.
You’ll develop your knowledge and clinical skills through extensive placements, lab projects and theoretical lectures.
At Reading, experts from our award-winning Henley Business School will teach you the fundamentals of business and management. You will also have the opportunity to select an optional module in business and leadership during your final year.
This unique feature of our MPharm degree will equip you with the knowledge and skills to manage people in your future career.
You’ll benefit from our extensive Clinical Skills Suites, where you can practice assessing and treating patients in simulated hospital and community settings.
The Clinical Skills Suites contain a range of facilities, including:
These facilities enable you to develop and practice the skills you’ll need to care for patients and collaborate with other clinical professionals.
We also use professional dispensing software and real medicines to build up your experience of key processes and handling medicinal products.
Your learning will be supported by industry and healthcare providers, including pharmaceutical companies and local hospitals. We work closely with our partners to deliver lectures, placements and visits, and to develop your employability skills.
Our academics are working on world-leading research. Your studies will be enhanced by their latest findings, with cases studies included in your modules.
You will also have the opportunity to develop your research skills during the course. If you choose the optional research module in your final year, you can spend part of the year working alongside our internationally recognised researchers.
