Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Pharmaceutical Science

About the course

A four-year, 240-ECTS honours degree in pharmaceutical science, taught in English. Experiential learning runs through the course, and in Year 4 you choose a patient-focused or an industrial experiential placement (Erasmus+ mobility is encouraged). It is the first stage of pharmacy training: after it, you complete the Master of Pharmacy before you can apply for a licence to practise as a pharmacist.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• General UM entry with the Leaving Cert: 6 Higher Level passes, including 2 at H2, 2 at H3 and 2 at H6. UM maps an Advanced Level grade C to an H2 and an Intermediate Level grade C to an H6. The course asks for Advanced Level Chemistry (grade C or better, so H2 in Higher Level Chemistry) and Pure Mathematics at Intermediate or Advanced Level (so at least H6 in Higher Level Maths). Confirm the exact Maths grade with admissions.
• No entrance exam or interview is listed. You need a Police Certificate of Conduct, and you will have an occupational health assessment in first year.
• English: an Ordinary Level Leaving Cert English pass at grade O4 or better may be accepted in place of an English test.

Working in Ireland afterwards

A pharmacy degree from an EU/EEA member state that fully meets the Directive 2005/36/EC minimum training requirements (Article 44) can be recognised automatically. If you started your studies before the Directive’s reference date, you also need 3 consecutive years of professional experience within the last 5 years. Recognition is step one and PSI registration is step two: recognition alone does not let you practise, and you must also prove competence in English. EU law allows countries to limit EU-qualified pharmacists from running newly opened pharmacies, and we could not confirm on the PSI website whether Ireland does this. If you plan to be the supervising or superintendent pharmacist in a pharmacy, check with the PSI.

How to apply

1. Check your subjectsAim for H2 or better in Higher Level Chemistry and take Higher Level Maths (at least H6), as well as meeting UM’s general rule of 6 Higher Level passes.
2. Apply onlineApply through um.edu.mt/apply. Applications open in the November before an October start. For 2026 entry the main deadline was 22 July and the late deadline 15 September. Confirm the 2027 dates.
3. Prepare documentsProvide your Leaving Cert results and a Police Certificate of Conduct. Accepted students have an occupational health assessment in first year.
4. Plan for the Master of PharmacyAfter the four-year BSc, you apply for the Master of Pharmacy. You need both before you can apply for a licence to practise.

Costs

• The official course page shows only the non-EU fee of 10,800 euro a year. The EU/EEA fee sits behind a toggle on the page, and the UM fees pages we checked do not list it. Confirm the EU/EEA tuition fee and any application fee with intadmissions@um.edu.mt. The Master of Pharmacy that follows is a separate course with its own fee.

At a glance