Rhodes University Faculty of Pharmacy Admission Requirements
Admission requirements
MASTER’S DEGREES
Students who have completed the BPharm degree at a sufficiently high academic standard or students who have completed a bachelor’s degree in another Faculty and have attained in their degree a standard suitable for continuation to a Master’s degree in that Faculty, and who have an interest in the application of elements of other subjects to pharmaceutical disciplines, may be admitted as candidates for the degree of Master of Science or Master of Pharmacy.
The Master of Science degree is taken by thesis. The Master of Pharmacy degree is taken either by examination, or by thesis, or a combination of the two. Registration for the Master of Science or Master of Pharmacy degree will depend upon the field of study of the candidate. Registration with the South African Pharmacy Council may be a pre-requisite for registration for the Master of Pharmacy programme.
DOCTOR OF PHARMACY (PharmD)
Suitably qualified Pharmacy professionals who wish to specialise in research in clinical services, the design and implementation of professional and clinical health-related systems may be considered for registration for study toward this degree.
The programme focuses on applied, operational and fundamental research which is supported by supplemental course work. It provides research based practical experience and is designed to prepare candidates to:
• develop, evaluate and improve pharmaceutical systems which ensure that the appropriate drugs are available and that they are used rationally in such a way as to improve the quality of life
• develop, evaluate and improve systems to provide clinical services which include the design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of pharmaco-therapeutic guidelines and patientspecific pharmaco-therapy
• provide specialised, advanced, drug information and pharmaco- therapeutic education to other health professionals
• develop, evaluate and improve drug use policies, formularies and rational treatment protocols, to rationalise and control drug use.
Programme participants are required to perform applied, operational and fundamental research in a number of areas. Each area of research is supported by distance learning modules and takes place in an onsite experiential programme at an approved clinical site. Each rotation is evaluated independently in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy and together they constitute a thesis for this degree. The minimum duration of the course is three years.