How do you become a pharmacist in Northern Ireland?

Education & training

To become a pharmacist, the following is required:

  • Successful completion of a Master of Pharmacy Degree (MPharm) at an accredited UK university

  • Successful completion of one year’s pre-registration training overseen by the Pharmaceutical Society NI’s pre-registration department

  • Successful completion of the Common Registration Assessment

Training programmes in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has two outstanding schools of pharmacy offering undergraduate and post-graduate programmes. Please follow the links below to find out more about the courses on offer and how to apply:
Queen’s University Belfast
Ulster University

Details of other accredited courses can be found via the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) website

Pre-registration year

You must meet the fitness to practise requirements for registration as a pharmacist. Details on fitness to practise criteria can be found at the Pharmaceutical Society NI’s website.

Plans are in place to reform the initial education and training of pharmacists from 2021. Read more here.

Pharmacists registered in GB, ROI and other EEA countries

There are alternative routes to registration in Northern Ireland for those pharmacists first registered in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and other European Economic Area countries. The Pharmaceutical Society NI can advise on this process and details can be found on their website:

psni.org.uk

Joining or returning to the Register

For more information on the registration process in Northern Ireland, including how to return to the Register, please visit the Pharmaceutical Society NI’s website:

psni.org.uk

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