Pharmacy
While this degree is an essential requirement if you wish to practise as a community or hospital pharmacist, Pharmacy at Trinity opens up a wide variety of professional opportunities in both industry and the healthcare sector. A strong interest in science is important to fully enjoy the course.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | University of Dublin |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | University of Dublin | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
5 years (or 4 for B.Sc. only)
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Minimum Entry Requirements: Irish Leaving Certificate
To be considered for admission to a degree course at the University you must:
Present six subjects, three of which must be at grade 5 or above on higher Leaving Certificate papers or at least grade 5 in the University matriculation examination.
The six subjects above must include:
A pass in English.
A pass in mathematics (or foundation-level mathematics (see note 2)) and a pass in a language other than English
OR
A pass in Latin and a pass in a subject other than a language.
Special Entry Requirements
Leaving Certificate
O4 or H6 Mathematics
H4 Chemistry or physics/chemistry
H4 In one of physics, biology, mathematics, applied mathematics, geography, geology, agricultural science or computer science
Combinations of subjects not permitted:
Physics/chemistry may not be presented with chemistry or physics to satisfy requirements.
Students will have to undergo a health screening.
Students will be required to undergo Garda vetting.
Note: In order to qualify to register as a pharmacist with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland students must also complete a fifth year, culminating in a M.Pharm. degree. There will be a postgraduate fee associated with the fifth year on the postgraduate register in Trinity, payable by the student. Fees are available to view at: www.tcd.ie/academicregistry/ fees-and-payments The M.Pharm. degree carries with it an entitlement to apply for registration as a pharmacist in the Republic of Ireland.
Leaving Certificate General Entry Requirements
To qualify for admission to an honours degree course at the University you must:
1 meet the minimum entry requirements (see above).
2 satisfy course specific requirements (where applicable), see above.
3 where there is competition for places, have good enough examination results to be included among those to whom offers are made (see the Leaving Certificate scoring system or Advanced GCE (A Level) scoring system).
Minimum entry points for recent years are available at: www.tcd.ie/study/apply/admission-requirements
Also see ‘Other Requirements’ below.
Notes:
1 A pass means grade O6/H7 or above in the Leaving Certificate and grade 7 or above in the University matriculation examination.
2 Mathematics at foundation-level is acceptable for minimum entry requirements only, for all courses except nursing or midwifery courses.
Irish at foundation-level is not acceptable for minimum entry requirements, course requirements or for scoring purposes.
3 Students may combine grades achieved in different sittings of their Leaving Certificate/Matriculation examinations for the purpose of satisfying minimum entry and/or course requirements, but not for the purposes of scoring. This is not permitted for Medicine.
4 Combinations of Leaving Certificate subjects not permitted:
Physics/chemistry may not be presented with physics or chemistry.
Biology and agricultural science may not be presented as two of the six subjects required for minimum entry requirements, and they may not be presented together to satisfy course specific requirements. However, both may be used for scoring purposes.
Art and music may not be offered as two of the three higher Leaving Certificate grades for minimum entry requirements, but both may be used for scoring purposes.
Bonus Points for Higher Level Mathematics
All students resenting H6 or above in higher level mathematics will have 25 points added to their score for mathematics. The bonus points will only be relevant where mathematics is scored as one of a student’s six best subjects for points purposes.
An applicant’s six best results from one sitting of the Leaving Certificate will be counted for scoring purposes. Applicants may combine results from the Leaving Certificate and the Trinity matriculation examination of the same year for scoring purposes.
The minimum entry levels (points) for Trinity in recent years are available at: www.tcd.ie/study/apply/admission-requirements/undergraduate
University Matriculation Examination
A matriculation examination, graded in equivalent terms to grades used in higher Leaving Certificate examination papers, is held in Trinity every year, usually in April. The subjects of the matriculation examination are Biblical Studies and Geology. You may take one or both of the subjects available, but you should note that the range of university matriculation examination subjects available is not sufficient for the fulfilment of all minimum entry requirements.
The closing date for application for the examination is 1 March of the year of proposed entry to study. Application forms and a syllabus can be obtained from:
Academic Registry, Watts Building, Trinity College Dublin,
the University of Dublin, Dublin 2,
T: +353 1 896 4500,
E: academic.registry@tcd.ie
Other Requirements
English Language Requirement
All applicants must present an English language qualification. Accepted/permitted qualifications are:
1 Irish Leaving Certificate: a grade 6 or better in ordinary level English.
2 GCSE: a grade C/grade 5 or better in English language.
3 US High School: a grade C in English taken in final year.
4 TOEFL
› Paper-based 570 (with a TWE score of 4.5)
› Computer-based 233 (with a score of 4.5 in essay)
› Internet-based 90 (with a written score of 21)
5 Cambridge Advanced/Proficiency: grade C
6 IELTS (academic version) 6.5 (no individual band below 6)
› For Dental courses: IELTS (academic version) 7 (no individual band below 7)
› For Clinical Speech and Language Studies: IELTS (academic version) 7 (no individual band below 7)
7 Pearson Test of English (Academic) – PTE Academic: a minimum score of 63 (with no Communication Skills section score below 59)
8 International Baccalaureate: English A1, A2 or B: 5 at Higher Level (4 at Standard Level if presenting IB through English).
9 QQI/FET: a pass in Communications module (5N0690).
10 Duolingo English Test: Minimum overall score of 120/160, with no section below 105.
Note: Examination results are only valid for two years.
Age Requirement
Applicants seeking admission in 2024 must have a date of birth before 15 January 2008.
Garda Vetting
Students on courses with clinical or other professional placements may be required to undergo Garda vetting procedures prior to commencing placements. If, as a result of the outcome of the Garda vetting procedures, a student is deemed unsuitable to attend clinical or other professional placement, he/she may be required to withdraw from his/her course. Students who have resided outside Ireland for a period of 6 months or more will be required to provide police clearance documentation from the country (including different states) or countries in which they resided.
Students who accept an offer will be informed of the procedures to be followed to complete the vetting process (as part of the student orientation information).
Fitness To Practice
Professional courses demand that certain core competencies are met by students in order to graduate and practice professionally after qualification. Trinity has special responsibility to ensure that all students admitted to all professional programmes will be eligible for registration by the relevant professional body upon graduation. It is important to us that our students are able to fulfil the rigorous demands of professional courses and are fit to practice.
Health Screening
Offers of admission to the following courses are made subject to certain vaccination requirements and/or certain negative test results:
› Clinical Speech and Language Studies
› Orthodontic Therapy, Dental Science, Dental Hygiene, Dental Nursing, and Dental Technology
› Medicine
› Nursing and Midwifery
› Occupational Therapy
› Pharmacy
› Physiotherapy
› Radiation Therapy
› Social Studies (Social work)
Full details are available at: www.tcd.ie/study/apply/admissionrequirements/undergraduate
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
These modules are accepted for scoring purposes only and are awarded the following points: Distinction 66, Merit 46, Pass 28.
QQI FET Applicants General Information
There is an entry route to a number of degree programmes in Trinity for applicants presenting appropriate QQI/FET Level 5 or 6 Major Awards. Applicants presenting distinctions in five modules can be considered for admission.
Full information on courses with QQI entry routes, requirements etc., can be found at the link below.
QQI FET General Information Link
Careers / Further progression
Graduate skills and career opportunities
As an expert in the discovery, development and optimal use of medicines, many career paths are open to pharmacists. Your career prospects as a Pharmacy graduate are excellent. Employment opportunities exist in community, hospital and industrial pharmacy, as well as in state services such as medicines licensing. In addition, you can opt to undertake research, or apply for entry to one of the postgraduate courses in hospital, industrial or community pharmacy.
Further information
Graduate Entry
A graduate entry route to this degree is also available. See: www.tcd.ie/courses/undergraduate for further details.
Students will have to undergo a health screening.
Students will be required to undergo Garda vetting.
Note: In order to qualify to register as a pharmacist with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland students must also complete a fifth year, culminating in a M.Pharm. degree. There will be a postgraduate fee associated with the fifth year on the postgraduate register in Trinity, payable by the student. Fees are available to view at: www.tcd.ie/academicregistry/ fees-and-payments The M.Pharm. degree carries with it an entitlement to apply for registration as a pharmacist in the Republic of Ireland.
Places 2023: 76
Entry 2024
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm
Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.
Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.
If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.
Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.
Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and Maynooth University have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.
Refer to page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
What is Pharmacy?
Pharmacy is the study of all aspects of drugs, both natural and synthetic in origin, including their chemistry, their uses in medicines, and how they work within the body. Pharmacists work in a variety of settings – community pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and within the pharmaceutical industry, to name just a few. In many respects, their role as a key healthcare professional is to help people achieve the best results from their medications.
Pharmacy: The course for you?
While this degree is an essential requirement if you wish to practise as a community or hospital pharmacist, Pharmacy at Trinity opens up a wide variety of professional opportunities in both industry and the wider healthcare sector. A strong interest in science is important to fully enjoy the course.
Pharmacy at Trinity
Trinity is ranked in the top 30 universities in the world for Pharmacy and Pharmacology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023). The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has world class facilities with research space in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI), which develops Trinity’s leadership position in immunology, neuroscience and cancer. The School also has purpose-built teaching spaces in the Panoz Institute, including the Boots Unit, a technology-enhanced learning space which allows students to dispense drugs and develop communication skills.
Structured professional placements are integrated throughout the new programme and these take place in second, fourth and fifth year. A particular strength of the Trinity programme is the undergraduate research project, which may take place abroad and gives students the opportunity to develop focused laboratory or field research with one-to-one supervision.
Study abroad and internship opportunities
We encourage our students (second and third year students) to undertake the summer research placement programme.
This programme allows pharmacy students carry out their research projects abroad (Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Croatia, Japan, USA.) over the summer (12 weeks) as part of their undergraduate degree programme. Students are either funded by the Erasmus programme or the School. Further information on student exchanges can be found at: www.tcd.ie/study/studyabroad/ outbound/options
Your degree and what you’ll study
The Pharmacy syllabus has been designed to provide you with an all-round education in both the basic and pharmaceutical sciences and in the practice of pharmacy itself. The five-year integrated Pharmacy programme comprises a variety of approaches to teaching Pharmacy including: lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, small-group teaching, problem-based learning, site-visits, computer-assisted learning, web discussion boards, wikis, online group assignments, communication skills, career planning, clinical case studies, inter-professional learning, laboratory and dispensing practicals, and a research project.
The programme is delivered as a series of integrated modules, examples of which include:
› Natural Sources of Drugs and Substances used in Medicines
› Formulation and Pharmaceutical Technology
› Molecular and Chemotherapeutic Pharmacology and Clinical Therapeutics
› Blood, Cardiovascular and Renal Pharmacology and Clinical Therapeutics
› Neuropharmacology and Clinical Therapeutics
› Physical Pharmacy, Formulation and Pharmaceutical Technology
› Sterile Products and Advanced Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
› Advanced Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Drug Discovery and Design
› Addiction Pharmacy
› Practice of Pharmacy and Integrated Pharmacy Skills
› Professional Practice and Public Health
› Organisation and Management Skills
Modules are assessed by final examinations and continuous assessment, such as written assignments, essays, lab reports, OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations), etc. which contribute to the overall mark in a module. There are approximately 16 hours of lectures, six hours of laboratory classes and one tutorial per week over the course of the first year. Work experience in clinical and non-clinical settings will take place over all five years of the integrated Pharmacy programme.
In the fourth and fifth year, you will undertake a research project. The following are some examples of research projects which students have undertaken in the past:
› Medicines’ use and the burden of people with intellectual disability
› New targets for old drugs: development of novel beta-lactams with anticancer activity
› The development of dapsone cocrystals for pulmonary drug delivery
www.tcd.ie/pharmacy
Email: pharmacy@tcd.ie