be taught in a faculty with more than 100 years of experience in delivering leading-edge pharmacy education

Transcription

1 FACULTY OF PHARMACY MASTER OF PHARMACY KEY INFORMATION The Master of Pharmacy course provides an alternative mode of entry into the pharmacy profession for applicants with a previous university degree. The course is open to both local and international students. On completion of this degree, and following a compulsory pre-registration training period that is required for all candidates as well as an Intern Training Program, graduates will be eligible for registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia. Once registered, graduates will be able to practise as a pharmacist. STUDY A MASTER OF PHARMACY AT SYDNEY The Faculty of Pharmacy at The University of Sydney offers an innovative two-year, postgraduate degree leading towards registration as a pharmacist. As a Master of Pharmacy student you will: be taught in a faculty with more than 100 years of experience in delivering leading-edge pharmacy education be taught by world-renowned academics be able to assume prominent roles in all aspects of the pharmacy profession and be leaders in innovative, evidencebased practice. 1

2 ENTRY REQUIREMENTS WHO SHOULD APPLY FOR THE MASTER OF PHARMACY? The Master of Pharmacy is designed for people who have a previous bachelor's degree (in any field) who wish to pursue a career in Pharmacy. This degree is open to both local and international students. Entry requirements Applicants for the Master of Pharmacy are required to: have a prior bachelor s degree meet the minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) requirements OR have sat the Graduate Australian Medical Admissions Test (GAMSAT) OR have sat the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) meet a minimum of 42 out of 54 credit points, or equivalent, in seven prerequisite subjects at university level have English language proficiency (if relevant). Due to a high volume of applications for the Master of Pharmacy, meeting the minimum entry requirements criteria does not guarantee a place in the course. Bachelor's degree. All applicants must have completed, or be in the final year of, a bachelor degree and have a minimum GPA of 5.5 (7.0 scale) at the time of application (roughly approximate to a credit level at the University of Sydney or 65% based on a pass mark of 50%) in order to be considered for admission. The bachelor degree must be completed by the time of enrolment for the year in which the applicant intends to commence the Master of Pharmacy program. Applicants who have undertaken a bachelor degree in an accelerated program are eligible to apply only after completion of the full degree. Applicants with overseas qualifications are required to achieve an equivalent level (e.g. a GPA of 2.7 out of 4 for USA/Canada universities, a GPA of 3.3 out of 5 for Singapore universities, bachelor degree at a Lower II class for UK universities). The University will not calculate your GPA prior to your application. How to calculate your GPA All applicants must calculate their own GPA. GPA 1. The GPA is calculated for the most recent 3 full-time (or equivalent) years of the bachelor degree or years 2, 3 and Honours year if undertaken. If you obtained credit from an institution other than the institution awarding the degree, please refer to point 11 (below). 2. Subjects are grouped chronologically to form 3 roughly-equal groups. If you studied part time or undertook any Summer/Winter School units, you would still, working backwards, divide all the subjects into 3 roughly-equal groups. 3. Each year is weighted equally. 2

3 4. Percentages are used when available rather than grades and are converted into Sydney University (SU) grades using the SU conversion table (see Appendix). 5. All failed subjects must be listed. The SU grade for a failed subject is zero (0). If a subject appears on your transcript as 'withdrawn' or 'discontinued', i.e. a subject in which you were enrolled but did not complete, you only include this in the GPA calculations if 'Withdraw/Fail' or 'Discontinue/Fail' is shown. In this case, these subjects are designated a SU grade of zero (0) and no percentage marks can be used. 6. If a subject has been failed and repeated, both marks will be included in the GPA calculation. 7. Applicants are instructed to enter unit values if they have subject weightings, otherwise a value of 1 will be assigned. 8. Calculation is based on subjects completed at the time of application. First semester results of applicants who are applying whilst in the final year of their degree will be included in the assessment only if those results are available on the transcripts at the time of application. Any offer of a place is provisional on the applicant completing his/her degree at the appropriate level of performance. 9. Honours year grades will also be converted to SU grades using the conversion table. Percentage marks are not used at this academic year level. 10. For applicants who have undertaken a combined degree or parallel degree program, the final 3 years only will be calculated, whether or not they count towards the award of the degree. 11. Where a transcript contains specified and unspecified credits for subjects, only specified credits will be included when calculating the GPA. Applicants must have obtained a credit average in their most-recent bachelor degree (65% or greater at the University of Sydney). Applicants with unspecified credits exceeding 1/3 of the total credits must obtain a statement from the awarding institution, indicating that they have a credit average for their unspecified credit. 12. Exchange subjects are included in the GPA calculation (applicants must submit original transcripts). If these are recorded as Pass/Fail and comprise 1/3 or more of the units of study awarded, please see the section Pass/Fail Grading System below. 13. Postgraduate coursework qualifications are not used in the calculation of a GPA. Pass/Fail grading system Applicants with a bachelor degree where results in 1/3 or more of the units of study are awarded on a Pass/Fail basis only must provide official documentation, signed by the Dean of the relevant faculty, indicating that they have a credit average. For bachelor degrees where such results comprise less than 1/3, these do not need to be included unless they were failed subjects. *Either an Australian university is listed in the Australian Qualifications Framework at: sub-category i. Australian Universities or ii. Self-Accrediting Higher Education Institutions). Please fill in the GPA Calculation spreadsheet following the instructions given above and on the conversion table. Example: You have received a score of 65% in the unit of study CHEM1001, worth 6 credit points. You completed this unit of study at the University of Sydney in This should appear in the Excel form as follows: Name of the institution Column used GPA year (1, 2, or 3) Subjects code Mark (or Grade) SU Grade Unit value University of Sydney A 1 CHEM

4 Prerequisite subjects You are required to meet a minimum of 42 out of 54 credit points, or equivalent, in the following seven prerequisite subjects at university level: Calculus, Statistics, Human Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Physiology. All of these prerequisite subjects must have been completed in the last five years. Students can enrol in the program with 12 credit points of prerequisite subjects outstanding as long as these subjects are completed by the end of the first year of the Master of Pharmacy program. English language proficiency Applicants who do not have English as a first language must meet the English language proficiency requirements as a condition of entry to the degree. (Applicants who do not meet the English requirements will not be considered). ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF ENTRY If applicable, the following means of entry by applicants are considered: Domestic The Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Sydney will consider transfers from current Master of Pharmacy programs across Australia. Exemptions are assessed on a case-by-case basis. International International pharmacy graduates are accepted, provided pharmacy registration has been within the last five years. It is not a requirement to have a GPA, MCAT or GAMSAT for this application. Please contact the Postgraduate Student Services Officer for more information about the above alternative means of entry. 4

5 PREREQUISITE SUBJECTS Subjects that must be completed prior to enrolment Subjects Equivalent Credit Points Chemistry 12 Pharmacology 12 Physiology 12 Biochemistry 6 Human Biology 6 Calculus 3 Statistics 3 You need to have completed 42 out of 54 credit points, or equivalent in these seven subjects at university level before the commencement of the Master of Pharmacy degree. These subjects need to have been completed within the past five years. One full, single-semester subject is equivalent to six credit points. These subjects are normally (but not exclusively) first or second year university subjects. Secondary school HSC subjects will not be considered. Students offered a place are required to finish any incomplete prerequisites by the end of the first year of study. Applicants who need to complete more than 12 credit points of prerequisite subjects will not be eligible for a place in the Master of Pharmacy as students need to undertake a full-time study load. We recommend that you complete your prerequisites in the year before entry, or at the Sydney Summer School before the commencement of the degree. Candidates are required to provide details of courses undertaken with their complete application. Fees for any prerequisite subjects completed either at Summer School or as non-award study in the first year are in addition to the Master of Pharmacy course fees. Non-award study If you have not undertaken all of the prerequisite subjects, they can be completed by non-award study at the University of Sydney. How to complete the required subjects by non-award study You may be eligible if you are either: a potential applicant for the Master of Pharmacy course who has decided to complete any of the prerequisite subjects as non-award study in preparation for their application; or, a student who is currently accepted in the Master of Pharmacy and who is required to complete any outstanding prerequisite subjects by the end of the first year. Contact the Student Services Officer (Postgraduate), in the Faculty of Pharmacy for more information about applying for nonaward study. 5

6 HOW TO APPLY Candidates must fulfil all entry requirements and have necessary documentation to apply. Applications for the Master of Pharmacy must be submitted directly to the University of Sydney(*). Applications are to be submitted via the Sydney Courses website: What you need to apply Required documentation upon application: official academic transcripts subject or unit of study descriptions for prerequisite subjects (available in your faculty handbook) birth certificate or passport copy of GAMSAT or MCAT results evidence of name change (if relevant) GPA calculation excel spreadsheet (*)International students can apply through an authorised education agent. When to apply Domestic Applicants Applications open on 1 June annually. Offers will be made in three intake rounds with a possible late round in January if places are still available. Applications submitted and assessed Offers made Round 1 1 June 31 July August (first 2 weeks) Round 2 1 August 30 September October (first 2 weeks) Round 3 1 October 30 November December (first 2 weeks) Applications will only be assessed once all documentation has been received. Once you have submitted an application, please allow appropriate time for processing before contacting the Faculty to check on the progress of your application. International Applicants International students can submit an application all year round for assessment. Applications will only be assessed once all documentation has been received. Once you have submitted an application, please allow appropriate time for processing before contacting the International Office to check on the progress of your application... 6

7 COURSE CONTENT The Master of Pharmacy is a two-year degree by coursework with a full-time study load. A minimum of 96 credit points of course material will be delivered over four semesters as well as two additional non-standard teaching sessions. The course commences in late February/early March. The semesters are structured around the standard academic calendar and are valued at 18 credit points each. In addition, one non-standard session (*) will be conducted each year, focused mainly on experiential clinical placements, to the value of 12 credit points. Master of Pharmacy Full time: 2 years. Credit points required: 96 Course Code Unit of Study Credit Points YEAR 1 - SEMESTER 1 PHAR5513 Pharmaceutical Chemistry 1A 6 PCOL5001 Current Topics in Pharmacology 6 PHAR5515 Pharmaceutical Science 6 YEAR 1 - SEMESTER 2 PHAR5516 Pharmaceutical Chemistry 1B 6 PHAR5517 Pharmaceutics 1B 6 PHAR5518 Pharmacy Practice A 6 *PHAR5505 * Clinical Residency 1 (~December-February) 12 YEAR 2 - SEMESTER 1 PHAR5514 Pharmaceutics 2A 6 PHAR5507 Dispensing Practice 6 PHAR5508 Pharmacy Practice B 6 YEAR 2 - SEMESTER 2 PHAR5509 Integrated Pharmaceutics 6 PHAR5510 Pharmacy Practice C 6 PHAR5506 Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2B 6 * PHAR5512 * Clinical Residency 2 (July & ~November-December) 12 7

8 Requirements for clinical placement Successful completion of this course is contingent on satisfactory performance in a number of clinical placements. Further information on the units of study in the Master of Pharmacy can be found in the Faculty of Pharmacy Handbook. Becoming a pharmacist On completion of this degree, and following a compulsory pre-registration training period that is required for all candidates as well as an Intern Training Program, graduates will be eligible for registration with the Pharmacy Board of Australia. Once registered, graduates will be able to practise as a pharmacist. 8

9 COURSE FEES The Master of Pharmacy is a full-time postgraduate degree with both Commonwealth Support Places and full fee-paying places. Tuition fees are set annually. Fees are payable before each semester. A small percentage of CSPs may be available. These are awarded on the basis of GPA for most recent bachelor s degree. There is no need to lodge a separate application for a CSP. Financial assistance for Australian citizens and some permanent residency visa holders can be obtained through FEE-HELP, a Commonwealth Government loans facility for eligible coursework students who are enrolled in fee-paying, postgraduate, non-research courses. The Master of Pharmacy is eligible for Student Income Support Payments. Student Income Support Payments include schemes such as Youth Allowance, Austudy and ABSTUDY. Visit the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education website to determine if you may be eligible for student income support payments. 9

10 Appendix Sydney University Grading System Conversion Table SU A B C D E F G H Honours HD/7 HD HD HD/A/ 7 HI 8 A+/A/A- First D/6 D D H2A B D/DI/B/DN/ H2B B 2A CR/5 CR C H3 B CR/C/ C+ 2B P/4 Pass Div I P C P P/PA/ Pass Div II C- Third UP/CQ/ PC CP/NC/PC/ PC/PX D PC/ C/NI/ <44 F/N/<3 F/N F F/I/N/N2/2 F/N F E Legend Column A B C D E F G H Use Column A if you have percentage marks ACU, Adelaide, Bond, Canberra, Central Queensland, Charles Sturt, Flinders, Griffith, James Cook, Macquarie, Newcastle, New England, NSW, Notre Dame, Queensland*, QUT, Southern Cross, Southern Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Swinburne, Sydney, UTS, Western Sydney, Wollongong South Australia Charles Darwin ANU, Ballarat, Deakin, Edith Cowan, La Trobe, Monash, Murdoch, RMIT, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia Melbourne Curtin New Zealand universities *NB: From 2006, grades of 3 awarded by UQ are considered a 'fail' grade (previously a 'Conceded Pass'). Therefore, grades of 3 obtained prior to 2006 will have a SU grade of 3; grades of 3 obtained from 2006 onwards will have a SU grade of 0. If your University is not listed above, use the column appropriate to the grading system used on your transcript. 10