Pharmaceutical Sciences - Degree

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Undergraduate courses/programs offered in Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) include:

Bachelor of Applied Science (Pharmaceutical Sciences)

Features of the Program

The Pharmaceutical Science program at RMIT is a unique undergraduate degree that focuses on a career in the pharmaceutical industry and provides students with a broad-based knowledge and understanding of all facets of the pharmaceutical industry.

A highlight of the program is the opportunity for students to undertake a one year work placement in the pharmaceutical industry in the final year of the program, when students receive an industry-sponsored bursary and only pay 25% of the normal CSP-HELP fees. The professional practice placement year, along with the focus on areas specific to the pharmaceutical industry during the third year of the program, gives this degree its unique nature, ensuring that graduates have excellent vocational skills and are highly employable. The employment rate for 2004 graduates was 100%.

Career Options

The range of possible career outcomes for graduates includes:

  • Pharmaceutical companies (e.g. research and development; drug regulatory affairs, marketing).
  • Clinical trial centres.
  • Government regulatory authorities (e.g. Drug Information Services, Therapeutic Goods Administration).
  • Biomedical research and teaching in hospitals, universities and research institutes.
  • Entry into research-based biomedical science programs (Hons, MSc, PhD).
  • Qualified to sit for the Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT).

Although the Pharmaceutical Sciences program does not specifically train students to become pharmacists, it is an excellent undergraduate degree to assist graduates with entry into either pharmacy or medicine programs.

Meet two recent graduates

Mode and Duration

Students can undertake study either as full-time or part-time internal students. It will take four years full-time study to complete the program and seven years part-time. External or distance study is not currently offered for courses within this program, though some electives might be available online.

All classes (lectures, practicals and tutorial sessions) delivered in this program will be based at the Bundoora West campus, except for Professional Practice in Year 4. Currently, placements are located in Victoria and interstate. Elective courses may be chosen from other RMIT campuses located in the City or at Brunswick.

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Costs and Fees

The Pharmaceutical Sciences program is a Band 2 HECS course. Students who pay the HECS fee upfront are entitled to a discount. Positions for domestic full-fee paying students in the program are also available.

Positions for International full-fee paying students in the program are available. For further details contact International Services or the Program Coordinator.

Entrance requirements

Entry to the first year of the program requires successful completion of an approved Australian Year 12 certificate (eg VCE) or an equivalent program of study or experience. Non-Year 12 entry is also encouraged.

Year 12 pre-requisites (Units 3 and 4) are: English (any units); Chemistry, and one of Mathematics (any) or Physics.

International students

Requirements vary depending on the educational system studied. For more information contact the Program Coordinator or International Services.

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Contact Hours

In year one of the program, students will receive 16 hours of lectures and six to nine hours of laboratory and tutorial sessions per week. Classes on the Bundoora campus can be scheduled anytime between 8.30 am - 5.30 pm from Monday to Friday.

Contact hours for Years 2 and 3 will vary depending on the electives taken in these years. Students will spend 40 weeks in Year 4 in Professional Practice in a pharmaceutical company, pharmaceutical research organisation, clinical trial centre or drug regulations agency.

Professional Practice Placement

Students will spend 40 weeks in Year 4 on a professional practice placement in the pharmaceutical industry. Placements are currently available in Victoria and interstate. During the professional practice year, only 25% HECS-HELP is charged, and students receive an industry-funded bursary to fund their studies while they are on placement. Students are also able to study a concurrent Certificate IV program in Frontline Management that draws upon the management aspects of their placement. Participating organisations in the Professional Practice program have included:

  • Baker Heart Research Institute
  • Bristol-Myer Squibb
  • CSL Bioplasma
  • GlaxoSmithKline Australia
  • RMIT Drug Discovery Technologies (RDDT)
  • Servier Laboratories (Aust) Pty Ltd
  • Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Canberra
  • Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine

For more information on professional placement please contact Dr Matthew Linden.

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Program Coordinators and Course Coordinators

The Program Coordinator is Associate Professor Emilio Badoer. Each course in the program is managed by a Course Coordinator.

Related RMIT Programs

Honours

Students who are interested in pursuing a career in research should consider completing the Honours degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

This degree is a one year full-time program (two years part-time), which predominantly consists of a research project. To be able to undertake Honours, a graduate needs to achieve a Grade Point Average of 2 (Credit or better) for all their undergraduate courses. For more information on the Honours program, please click here. Depending on the results of your Honours, you may be able to progress directly into a PhD or Masters program either at RMIT or at another University.

Undergraduate

Other programs offered at RMIT which are related to the Pharmaceutical Sciences program are:

TAFE

Students who do not meet the selection criteria for this program may enrol in the Diploma of Laboratory Technology (Biotechnology) or the Diploma of Laboratory Technology (Pathology Testing) programs offered by RMIT TAFE. At the end of these programs students are eligible to apply for entry into the Pharmaceutical Sciences program and may be eligible for advanced standing of up to one year.

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Become a student

Information on how to apply for student entry into RMIT is available here. Other information which may be of help includes the following:

Deferment of studies

Students can defer before they begin their studies or during the program if need be.

Exemptions

Students who have successfully completed the Diploma of Laboratory Technology (Biotechnology) or Diploma of Laboratory Technology (Pathology Testing) at RMIT TAFE may gain one year advanced standing if they enter the program. In some instances, students transferring from other Universities may gain up to two years exemptions towards their studies in this program. As a general rule, credit is given for previous study where similar material has been covered and the learning outcome is of a similar standard. Block exemptions are also available for international students from selected programs, eg. Singapore.

Learning Hub

Enrolled students: Log in to the Learning Hub for course guides, online learning resources and communication tools.

Campus Information

For more information on different aspects of RMIT campuses and facilities, please click on the following links:

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Further Information

  • Academic program information page - Program structure, entrance requirements, fees and charges and other details.
  • Membership of Professional Societies - on graduating from the program, you may be eligible to become a member of a number of different Australian Professional Societies. If you are interested, please go to this page and click on the link to the society you are interested in for further information.

For more information on different aspects, or for further information about this program, please contact the School of Medical Sciences by phone +61 3 9925 7075 or e-mail medicalsciences@rmit.edu.au

The School of Medical Sciences offers students the opportunity to study a variety of postgraduate, degree, tertiary and higher education programs and courses at the Bundoora campus, Melbourne, Australia. A variety of online programs are also available.

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