Master of Pharmacy

Entry requirements

• Minimum ATAR of 94 or equivalent
• English language competency
• Interview

Application process and timelines

• Assured Pathway applications are via TISC and will close late September according to TISC deadlines.
• UWA's Rural eligibility form must be submitted with the TISC application by the TISC deadline.
• Refer to the TISC guide for current course codes and application deadlines.
• Interview dates to be advised.
• Course offers will be as per TISC timelines.

Eligibility criteria

High academic achievers

This quota is for high-achieving high school students with a minimum ATAR of 94 (or equivalent).

Rural

The Rural program is part of a Federal Government initiative to address workforce shortages in medicine, dentistry, and allied health care in regional, rural and remote Australia. To be eligible, an applicant’s principal home address must have been in an area defined by the Department of Health as regional, rural or remote according to the Modified Monash Model (MMM) for any five years consecutively or at least 10 years cumulatively. A search engine for eligible locations can be found on the DoctorConnect website - click on Modified Monash Model 2019. The MMM 2019 rates locations based on 2016 census data on a scale of 1 - 7. If you are a domestic student who lives or has lived in areas rated MM-2 through MM-7 for the defined periods you may be eligible for consideration within the Rural quota.

School-leaver applicants to the Assured Pathway who believe they fit the rural definition must submit UWA's Rural Eligibility form which will be available via the TISC application process. Note the TISC closing date for Podiatric Medicine and Pharmacy is late September; refer to the TISC website for up-to-date information on deadlines. TISC applications open early to mid August each year. Contact the Specialist Admissions team should you have further queries.

Broadway

Broadway UWA is designed to ensure access to UWA courses is available to the broadest range of students with the potential to succeed at university. The program aims to promote equity in the selection of students and increase diversity in the student cohort.

Specified schools are invited to participate in this program. The full list of schools can be viewed here. To be eligible, the applicant must have undertaken their entire Year 12 studies, including WACE, at a UWA Broadway school.

Broadway school-leaver applicants will indicate their school as part of their TISC application. Refer to the TISC website for updated information on application timelines. Contact the Specialist Admissions team for further information.

Indigenous

Applicants who identify as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and are accepted as such by the community in which they live, or have lived, are eligible for consideration as an Indigenous Assured Pathway applicant. Applicants must provide a person or organisation who can verify their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status. Applicants should contact the Specialty Admissions team or the School of Indigenous Studies for information regarding this pathway..

English language competency requirement

All Assured Pathway applicants are required to meet the standard English language competency level for The University of Western Australia.

Prerequisite and recommended subjects

Assured Pathway students must complete a UWA bachelor’s degree before commencing the MPharm. In addition to English language competency requirements, there may be other prerequisites depending on the chosen major. In most cases, students who have not undertaken prerequisite subjects may undertake bridging units as part of their bachelor’s degree studies.

The following ATAR or equivalent subjects are recommended as they will fulfil some of the prerequisites for the MPharm, or may be taken as Level 1 university units:

• Chemistry
• Maths Applications or above

Interview

Applicants will be shortlisted for interview based on their predicted or actual ATAR.

The interview allows applicants to display some of the personal qualities considered desirable in Allied Health practitioners, and increase their competitiveness for a place.

WA-based applicants are notified after the WACE exams (mid-late November) regarding their eligibility for interview.

Applicants based outside WA are notified after the ATAR actual results are released (late December/early January) regarding their eligibility for interview.

Applicants who accept their interview will be provided with detailed interview information and preparation material prior to the interview.

The School interviews approximately two to three candidates for every available place.

Timing and location

Interviews for domestic Assured Pathway applicants are held in Perth.

WA-based applicants who are eligible based on their predicted or actual ATAR will be interviewed late November/early December.

WA-based applicants who do not have an eligible predicted ATAR will be placed on an academic reserve list to be interviewed early January should their actual ATAR meet the minimum.

Applicants not based in WA will be interviewed late January.

Applicants must attend their interview in person within their given interview period and are responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements. There are no telephone, video-conference or Skype interviews.

Applicants unable to attend within their given interview period cannot be guaranteed an alternative interview period.

The interview process

Further information about the interview process will be provided closer to the interview period.

Confidentiality

Interviewees will be asked to sign a statement of confidentiality as part of the registration process, indicating their agreement not to disclose information about the interview.

UWA staff, student helpers and interviewers will not disclose information regarding an applicant’s interview, responses or performance, including to other UWA staff or the applicant’s family. Information from the interview is not placed on an applicant’s student file whether or not they accept an offer to study at UWA.

The interviewers

Interviewers may be representatives from the community or from the University. Interviewers receive regular training to ensure consistency in the way questions are asked and responses assessed. One interviewer will assess applicants in each station. A second interviewer may be present in a station room for training purposes. In this case, the second interviewer will be an observer only and will not have a formal role in the assessment of the applicant.

The assessment is evidence based. The interviewers can only rate interviewees on what they say in response to interview questions. The interviewers will take notes throughout the interview; however, this is to note what the interviewee has said. Interviewers have a comprehensive set of evidence-based measures with which to rate an interviewee’s responses and formulate a score directly after each interviewee completes each station. The final score is aggregated from results across the four criteria stations and the Explaining Skills Exercise station.

Interview criteria

Criteria being assessed during the interview will include:

• Communication skills
• Explaining skills
• Motivation/commitment to a career in Allied Health

Previously further criteria have been selected from: awareness of social diversity; provision of assistance; self-awareness; trust and trustworthiness; values and ethics; working with others. Applicants who accept their invitation to be interviewed will be provided information about interview criteria.

Interview questions will not be based on clinical or scientific scenarios which would require specific medical, dental or scientific knowledge. The questions are designed to encourage interviewees to think and to explain their reasoning. The questions may be scenario based, awareness based, or experientially based, but the assessment is evidence based. The interviewer can only rate interviewees on what they say. It is therefore important to give more than one-sentence answers, and that interviewees draw on their own experiences and knowledge to address a topic and provide appropriate examples.

The interviewers will read the questions as they are written to ensure every applicant is asked exactly the same question in the same way. Applicants will need to respond to the specific questions asked. There are no generic questions or opportunities for applicants to list their achievements and skills outside the scope of the questions.

Interview preparation and third party courses

There are many ways to address a question; interviewers are not looking for one specific ‘correct’ answer. Be prepared to articulate your motivation and commitment to working as a health professional in your higher preferenced field. Have some background information about your preferred career, the course and about going to university.

Familiarise yourself with the interview topics. Consider how your own life experiences may reflect aspects of these topics. Find opportunities to discuss the topics with your family, peers and different people in your community.

The University of Western Australia does not recommend or endorse third party interview preparation courses, including those held on University premises. UWA does not release any information relating to interview questions to any third party, and interview questions within the topics will be different each year. Furthermore, interviewers and interviewees are required to sign confidentiality agreements regarding the interview process. Therefore, third party preparation course providers do not have access to any information which is not already freely available to applicants.

Applicants may benefit more from generic interview preparation rather than interview preparation which purports to aim specifically at UWA courses.

Applicants who rehearse detailed answers to specific questions risk not addressing the question they are actually asked on the day.

Course structure and curriculum

Assured Pathway students will undertake a UWA bachelor’s degree of their choice before progressing to the MPharm. Assured Pathway students must complete their bachelor’s degree with MPharm prerequisites and a minimum GPA of 5.0 and will then commence the Master of Pharmacy. The minimum period to complete both degrees is five years.

The default option is the Bachelor of Biomedical Science with the Pharmacology major; however, students on a Assured Pathway may choose to undertake any UWA bachelor’s degree. This provides our students with the opportunity to build a unique skill set that will suit their interests and support their long-term career goals. Students who have an interest in research may like to undertake an honours year before proceeding to their postgraduate professional studies. Students who undertake an honours year, including those enrolled in the Bachelor of Philosophy, will take a minimum of six years to complete both degrees.

Students choose a degree-specific majors and may choose to add a second major from any field. This allows students to combine diverse interests for a unique degree. A student who has an interest in legal issues surrounding use of drugs may combine Pharmacology with Law and Society. Students with an interest in promoting drug awareness may combine a Biomedical Science major with Science Communication or Communication and Media Studies. Students who aspire to management may like to incorporate a major from the Bachelor of Commerce.

Students on a Assured Pathway to the MPharm must ensure that their chosen course of study for their bachelor’s degree will fulfil the prerequisites. These units may be incorporated into any UWA bachelor’s degree as major, complementary, elective or broadening units. Note these are recommendations and it is not a requirement to undertake the specific listed units. Units with similar content may be taken instead. Some units have prerequisites, so refer to the linked unit details.

• Chemistry – Year 12 ATAR Chemistry is accepted, or a tertiary chemistry unit, for example Introductory Chemistry CHEM1003
• Mathematics OR Statistics – Year 12 ATAR Mathematics Applications or higher is accepted, or a tertiary mathematics or statistics unit, for example Mathematics Fundamentals MATH1720 or Statistics for Science STAT1400
• Microbiology – for example, Introductory Microbiology MICR2208 or Introduction to Infectious Diseases and Immunology MICR2209
• Pharmacology – for example, Foundations of Pharmacology PHAR2210 (Drugs that Changed the World PHAR1101 does not qualify as a prerequisite unit for Pharmacology)

The extended major Microbiology and Immunology and Pharmacology with Maths ATAR or an elective math or stats unit will fulfil the prerequisites. Students who graduate with the Microbiology and Immunology major will be eligible for membership in the Australian Society of Microbiology (ASM), providing an additional professional qualification with the Assured Pathway to Pharmacy.

For students who wish to do a different major or double major, it is recommended to include the following during the first year as major, complementary, elective or broadening units:

• SCIE1106 Molecular Biology of the Cell
• One of BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology, ANHB1101 Human Biology I: Becoming Human, or ANHB1102 Human Biology II: Being Human; and
• CHEM1002 Chemistry—Structure and Reactivity

These units are prerequisites for Level 2 Microbiology and Pharmacology units.

Final ranking and availability of places

• Final ranking will be based on ATAR or equivalent and interview score, equally weighted.
• Up to 30 places across the various domestic quotas will be offered for the Assured Pathway to Pharmacy. Up to 10 per cent of available places will be offered to eligible rural applicants, and up to 10 per cent of available places will be offered to eligible Indigenous applicants.

Registration upon completion

On completion of the MPharm, graduates will have both an undergraduate and a postgraduate degree, ensuring they have a well-rounded skill set as well as the specialist skills needed in their professional career.

Internship and registration for pharmacists

Graduates will be eligible to apply for provisional registration as a pharmacist in Australia or New Zealand, and are required to complete an internship in order to apply for general registration. The internship is a period of supervised practice required by the Pharmacy Board of Australia to be eligible to apply for general registration as a pharmacist.

Graduates who did not complete the majority of their education in English in a recognised country may be subject to additional English language requirements for registration.

For further details regarding registration requirements, refer to the Pharmacy Board.

Entry requirements

Minimum ATAR of 94 or equivalent, and interview

• A-Levels 14:
  • Applicants who will not receive their final A-Level result may receive an offer with the condition that their final result is consistent with their predicted result
  • Applicants with a conditional offer may commence in their undergraduate degree in February (before their A-level results are released in March). If their final result does not meet the condition, the applicant will lose their Assured Pathway place in the MPharm but will not lose their place in the bachelor’s degree, and would be able to apply later for graduate entry to the MPharm
• International Baccalaureate 33
• Other overseas qualifications
• Applicants who will not have their final results by the application closing date may apply based on a predicted result provided by their school. Refer to application timelines and due dates. Course offers will be conditional on the actual result being consistent with the predicted result

Application timelines and due dates

• International applications for the Assured Pathway to Pharmacy open 1 March and close 31 August the year prior to commencement.
• Applications are via UWA’s online application system. International students may also apply via an authorised international education agent.
• Applicants whose final results are not available by the application closing date must submit a Predicted ATAR form (fillable RTF 917KB, PDF 249KB).
• Interview arrangements are under review due to continued COVID19 disruptions. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
• Timing of course offers to be advised.
• Applicants who attain a place in the Assured Pathway to Pharmacy will commence their UWA bachelor’s degree in semester one (late February).
• Applicants who are offered an International Assured Pathway to Pharmacy may be eligible to defer commencement for one year. Students who are required to fulfil a national service obligation may defer for up to two years.

International school leaver status

Assured Pathways are exclusive to school leaver applicants, that is, completing or recently completed Australian year 12 or equivalent, or undertaking a national service obligation directly following school completion, and have not commenced in university studies or vocational training at AQF diploma level or above.

• Applicants must have international student status. That is, applicants who have Australian or New Zealand Citizenship, or Australian Permanent Residency, including dual citizenship holders, must apply via TISC for a domestic place.
• Applicants must not have commenced tertiary studies, including university degree studies or vocational training at diploma level or above. Applicants who have commenced in tertiary studies may apply via Graduate Entry.
• Assured Pathways are not available via Mature Age Entry. Mature Age applicants may work towards Graduate Entry.  (Students who will technically reach Mature Age status while in progress of a national service obligation will be considered as school leaver applicants.)

English language competency (ELC)

All applicants are required to meet the English language competency level (ELC) for The University of Western Australia.

Prerequisite and recommended subjects

Assured Pathway students will first complete a UWA bachelor’s degree before commencing their second degree. In addition to English language competency requirements, there may be other prerequisites depending on the chosen major. In most cases, students who have not undertaken prerequisite subjects may undertake bridging units as part of their bachelor’s degree studies.

The following ATAR or equivalent subjects are recommended, or may be taken as Level 1 university units:

• Chemistry
• Human Biology or Biology
• Maths Applications or above

Course structure and curriculum

Assured Pathway students will undertake a UWA bachelor’s degree of their choice before progressing to the MPharm. Assured Pathway students must complete their bachelor’s degree with MPharm prerequisites and a minimum GPA of 5.0 and will then commence the Master of Pharmacy. The minimum period to complete both degrees is five years.

The default option is the Bachelor of Biomedical Science with the Pharmacology major; however, students on a Assured Pathway may choose to undertake any UWA bachelor’s degree. This provides our students with the opportunity to build a unique skill set that will suit their interests and support their long-term career goals. Students who have an interest in research may like to undertake an honours year before proceeding to their postgraduate professional studies. Students who undertake an honours year, including those enrolled in the Bachelor of Philosophy, will take a minimum of six years to complete both degrees.

Students choose a degree-specific majors and may choose to add a second major from any field. This allows students to combine diverse interests for a unique degree. A student who has an interest in legal issues surrounding use of drugs may combine Pharmacology with Law and Society. Students with an interest in promoting drug awareness may combine a Biomedical Science major with Science Communication or Communication and Media Studies. Students who aspire to management may like to incorporate a major from the Bachelor of Commerce.

Students on a Assured Pathway to the MPharm must ensure that their chosen course of study for their bachelor’s degree will fulfil the prerequisites. These units may be incorporated into any UWA bachelor’s degree as major, complementary, elective or broadening units. Note these are recommendations and it is not a requirement to undertake the specific listed units. Units with similar content may be taken instead. Some units have prerequisites, so refer to the linked unit details.

• Chemistry – Year 12 ATAR Chemistry is accepted, or a tertiary chemistry unit, for example Introductory Chemistry CHEM1003
• Mathematics OR Statistics – Year 12 ATAR Mathematics Applications or higher is accepted, or a tertiary mathematics or statistics unit, for example Mathematics Fundamentals MATH1720 or Statistics for Science STAT1400
• Microbiology – for example, Introductory Microbiology MICR2208 or Introduction to Infectious Diseases and Immunology MICR2209
• Pharmacology – for example, Foundations of Pharmacology PHAR2210 (Drugs that Changed the World PHAR1101 does not qualify as a prerequisite unit for Pharmacology)

The extended major Microbiology and Immunology and Pharmacology with Maths ATAR or an elective math or stats unit will fulfil the prerequisites. Students who graduate with the Microbiology and Immunology major will be eligible for membership in the Australian Society of Microbiology (ASM), providing an additional professional qualification with the Assured Pathway to Pharmacy.

For students who wish to do a different major or double major, it is recommended to include the following during the first year as major, complementary, elective or broadening units:

• SCIE1106 Molecular Biology of the Cell
• One of BIOL1130 Frontiers in Biology, ANHB1101 Human Biology I: Becoming Human, or ANHB1102 Human Biology II: Being Human; and
• CHEM1002 Chemistry—Structure and Reactivity

These units are prerequisites for Level 2 Microbiology and Pharmacology units.

Final ranking and availability of places

• Final ranking will be based on ATAR or equivalent and interview score, equally weighted
• Up to six places will be offered for the International Assured Pathway to Pharmacy

Interviews

Interview arrangements are currently under review due to continuing COVID19 disruptions. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Changes to citizenship or residency status

If you have applied or are intending to apply for Australian permanent residency or citizenship, be aware of the following implications for your application:

• If you receive an offer for an international place and there is a change to your residency status before you commence, your offer will lapse. You will need to re-apply for a domestic place.
• If your residency status will change before the TISC application deadline, refer to information regarding domestic applications for the Assured Pathway to Pharmacy.
• Should you receive an offer and commence in the Assured Pathway as an international student and your residency status changes while in progress of your bachelor’s degree, you will lose your assured international place in your postgraduate professional course. You can complete your UWA bachelor’s degree as a domestic student and apply via graduate entry for a domestic place in your chosen professional postgraduate degree. Refer to information regarding graduate entry into Pharmacy.
• If your residency status changes after you have commenced in the MPharm, you cannot be guaranteed a domestic place in that course. If a domestic place were not available, you would be able to complete the course but would be subject to international fees.

Registration upon completion

On completion of the MPharm, graduates will have both an undergraduate and a postgraduate degree, ensuring they have a well-rounded skill set as well as the specialist skills needed in their professional career.

Internship and registration for pharmacists

Graduates will be eligible to apply for provisional registration as a pharmacist in Australia or New Zealand, and are required to complete an internship in order to apply for general registration. The internship is a period of supervised practice required by the Pharmacy Board of Australia to be eligible to apply for general registration as a pharmacist.

Graduates who did not complete the majority of their education in English in a recognised country may be subject to additional English language requirements for registration.

For further details regarding registration requirements, refer to the Pharmacy Board.

If you have completed, or are currently undertaking, a degree at any university, including UWA, you must ensure you have successfully completed at least one unit from each of the topics listed in the prerequisite areas detailed below regardless of your major(s). These units can form part of your major or be added in as complementary, broadening or elective units.

In 2018, a new curriculum was introduced for the Master of Pharmacy program and this resulted in changes to the prerequisite requirements. The new prerequisite requirements for the course have been listed below to assist you to determine your eligibility to apply.

To provide further guidance, we have provided example of units at UWA which meet the prerequisite requirements at the tertiary level. These are examples only which contain the content best suited to the Master of Pharmacy. It is not essential that you complete these exact units in each topic area, as we will accept other units completed. If you are studying at another university, you will need to complete a unit with similar content.

• Chemistry – Year 12 ATAR Chemistry is accepted, or a tertiary chemistry unit, for example Introductory Chemistry (CHEM1003)
• Mathematics OR Statistics – Year 12 ATAR Mathematics is accepted, or a tertiary mathematics or statistics unit, for example Mathematics Fundamentals (MATH1720) or Statistics for Science (STAT1400)
• Microbiology – for example Introductory Microbiology (MICR2208) or Infectious Diseases and Immunology (MICR2209)
• Pharmacology – for example Foundations of Pharmacology (PHAR2210) note: Drugs that Changed the World (PHAR1101) does not qualify as a prerequisite unit for Pharmacology

*These are examples only; you can complete other units.

Eligibility requirements

To be considered for admission into the MPharm, an applicant must:

• have a bachelor's degree, or an equivalent qualification, as recognised by UWA. Recognised bachelor’s degrees are those conferred by Australian universities or higher education institutions recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework or the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR). While academic results from postgraduate study will be taken into account, postgraduate studies undertaken without a bachelor’s degree cannot be accepted as an equivalent qualification
• have the equivalent of a Faculty Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 5.0, and
• meet the prerequisites in chemistry, mathematics, microbiology and pharmacology (refer to details below).

Applicants who can meet the prerequisites are initially ranked according to GPA, with the highest-ranking applicants being offered an interview.

After the interviews, candidates will be ranked by GPA, and interview score (equally weighted), with the highest-ranking applicants being offered a place. Rural applicants will be ranked based on GPA, interview and rurality rating (equally weighted).

Read through all sections for a detailed understanding of the requirements. The Specialist Admissions team is happy to assist with any further queries.

Application timelines and due dates

• Domestic and International applications open on 1 March and close on 31 August the year prior to commencement. Apply via UWA’s online application process for postgraduate coursework studies. International students may also apply via an authorised international education agent.
• Domestic applicants who may be eligible to apply as an Indigenous applicant should contact the Specialist Admissions team or contact the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH) regarding this pathway.
• Domestic applicants who may be eligible to apply as a rural applicant should submit the Rural Eligibility form with their application.

Interview periods

• The School of Allied Health plan to carry out interviews for shortlisted domestic and international applicants during October.
• Applicants who are eligible for Indigenous entry should contact the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH) regarding interview timelines for the current admissions period.

Course offers

• Offers are planned to commence during November. Timing of subsequent round offers will depend on the outcome of previous rounds
• An offer cannot automatically be deferred; in exceptional circumstances, a deferral request may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants should consider their personal circumstances and apply during an admissions period where they are prepared to commence should they receive an offer.

Eligibility criteria

Domestic
Australian citizens (including dual citizenship holders), permanent residents and New Zealand citizens must apply for a domestic place.

Rural (Domestic)
The Rural program is part of a Federal Government initiative to address workforce shortages in medicine, dentistry, and allied healthcare in regional, rural and remote Australia. To be eligible, an applicant’s principal home address must have been in an area defined by the Department of Health as regional, rural or remote according to the Modified Monash Model (MMM) for any five years consecutively or at least 10 years cumulatively. A search engine for eligible locations can be found on the DoctorConnect website - click on Modified Monash Model 2019.  The MMM 2019 rates locations based on 2016 census data on a scale of 1 - 7. If you are a domestic student who lives or has lived in areas rated MM-2 through MM-7 for the defined periods you may be eligible for consideration within the Rural quota.

Graduate applicants for Dentistry, Podiatric Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy or Social Work who believe they fit the rural definition must submit UWA's Graduate Rural Eligibility form to be considered for a Rural place.  Domestic graduate applicants for Medicine will indicate their eligibility via GEMSAS. Contact the Specialist Admissions team for further information.

Indigenous (Domestic)

Applicants who identify as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and are accepted as such by the community in which they live, or have lived, are eligible for consideration as an Indigenous applicant. Applicants must provide a person or organisation who can verify their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status. Applicants should contact the Specialist Admissions team or the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH) for information regarding this pathway.

International
Applicants who are not Australian citizens, permanent residents or New Zealand citizens, must apply for an international place. International students who have applied or are intending to apply for Australian permanent residency or citizenship need to be aware of the following:

• An offer for an international place will lapse if the applicant’s residency status changes before commencement. Applicants in this situation will need to re-apply during the next admissions period for a domestic place.
• A student whose residency status changes after commencement cannot be guaranteed a domestic place in a course subject to quotas.

English language competency requirement

To fulfil the English Language Competency requirement applicants must have:

• Completed 2+ years or full time equivalent tertiary study in English only at an institution in Australia, the United Kingdom, the USA, Ireland, Canada (except Quebec), and New Zealand; OR
• IELTS Academic with overall score of 7.0 and no band less than 7.0 (IELTS Indicator will be accepted during the 2020-2021 admissions period):
  • from one test sitting;
  • or a maximum of two test sittings within a six month period only if:
    • a minimum overall score of 7.0 is achieved in each sitting;
    • and a minimum score of 7.0 in each band across the two sittings;
    • and no score below 6.5 in any band.

Applicants who have completed English A-Levels in Singapore are required to submit a IELTS result.

ELC requirements must be met by the application closing date.

Prerequisites

Applicants must complete a bachelor’s degree before commencing the MPharm and must meet the following prerequisites to be considered for a place:

Chemistry – Year 12 ATAR Chemistry is accepted, or a tertiary chemistry unit, for example Introductory Chemistry (CHEM1003).

Mathematics OR Statistics – Year 12 ATAR Mathematics Applications or higher is accepted, or a tertiary mathematics or statistics unit, for example Mathematics Fundamentals (MATH1720) or Statistics for Science (STAT1400).

Microbiology – for example, Introductory Microbiology (MICR2208).

Pharmacology – for example, Foundations of Pharmacology (PHAR2210); note, Drugs that Changed the World (PHAR1101) does not qualify as a prerequisite unit for Pharmacology.

The linked units are examples only and units with similar content may be undertaken either at UWA or other universities. Units may form part of the bachelor’s degree major or be added as complementary, broadening or elective units, or as postgraduate study.

The MPharm prerequisite checklist document or PDF should be downloaded and submitted with the application. Applicants who are in progress of prerequisite units at the time of application will be considered for a place in the MPharm, and any offer will be conditional on completion by 31 December of the year prior to course commencement.

Grade Point Average (GPA) calculation method and Accepted Degrees

Details regarding the Selection GPA (sGPA) calculation method are available on the GEMSAS website and should be considered alongside information below regarding UWA’s sGPA calculation method.

sGPA calculation method

• Applicants must show they have achieved the course-specific minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) in order to be considered.
• Each year is weighted equally: ("GPA most recent year" + "GPA 2nd most recent year" + "GPA 3rd most recent year")/3.
• No preference or scaling is given to particular universities or fields of study.
• Special consideration cannot be granted as part of the admissions process. GPA will be calculated from an applicant's results as they appear on their transcript.
• The sGPA as calculated by UWA may differ to that calculated according to the GEMSAS instructions.

What is included in the sGPA calculation

UWA's sGPA is calculated from university study undertaken in the most recent three years. A full time equivalent (FTE) will be calculated for students who have studied part time or overloaded.

The calculation is from units taken in chronological order, regardless of exemptions, credit or advanced standing which may have been applied to the most recent degree.

The sGPA calculation includes recognised bachelor’s, graduate certificate, graduate diploma, master’s by coursework, completed honours, completed master's by research and completed PhD levels of study. Note that in order for honours or other research degree studies to be included in the sGPA calculation, it must be completed by the end of semester one of the application year. See information below regarding the treatment of research degree studies.

Recognised degrees are those conferred by Australian or overseas universities or higher education institutions recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), or the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR).

Domestic MD applicants who have undertaken additional study (whether postgraduate or additional bachelor level study) should indicate this on the GEMSAS application (when prompted to by the application questions). All other applicants should indicate this on their UWA application form and provide transcripts for studies not undertaken at UWA.

Accelerated Bachelor's degrees and conversion courses

UWA will accept recognised two-year accelerated bachelor’s degrees and one-year conversion degrees for the purpose of graduate admission into Medicine, Dentistry, Podiatric Medicine, Pharmacy and Optometry. Applicants who are in progress of a one-year conversion degree must complete that course before applying, unless they also hold a previously completed bachelor’s degree.

Postgraduate degrees by research

Applicants with a completed PhD at time of application will be awarded a HMS GPA of 7.0. Applicants with a completed master’s by research at time of application will be awarded a bonus of 0.2 to be added to their overall HMS GPA. Incomplete honours, master’s by research and PhDs are not considered in the HMS GPA calculation. In order to be included, all research degree requirements must be met by semester one of the application year.

Applicants who only hold higher degrees

All applicants require a recognised bachelor’s degree for graduate entry into UWA’s MD, DMD, DPM and MPharm. Applicants who have completed a higher degree but have not completed a recognised bachelor’s degree will not be eligible for consideration.

COVID19 - Treatment of Results from Semester 1 2020

As a temporary measure due to impacts of COVID19, all results obtained from studies undertaken during Semester 1 2020, and concurrent non-standard study periods, were treated as ungraded pass/fail in the sGPA calculation. As the impact from this period on the overall GPA has lessened, the sGPA calculation will now treat results from this period as shown on the transcript.

Ungraded passes

The credit value/unit weighting of ungraded passes will count towards the three years of FTE study; however, the result itself is left out of the calculation. For example, if a student has 0.125 FTE of ungraded pass in a particular year, that year's sGPA will be based on 0.875 FTE of results. The exception is where an applicant has more than one year or FTE of ungraded passes within their most recent three years FTE. In this instance, the calculation will include results from older study where available.

Ungraded or graded fails

Both the result and credit value/weighting of ungraded fails are included in the sGPA calculation. An ungraded fail will confer a GPA result of 0 for that unit. All Fail results falling within the most recent three years FTE, whether graded or ungraded, will be included in the sGPA calculation.

Minimal results in the current year of study

Where an applicant has 0.25 FTE (or less) of results for their final sGPA year, the calculation will include older study. Where no older study is available, the sGPA will be calculated from only the GPA 2nd most recent and GPA 3rd most recent years. Where there has been no older study, and if an applicant is made an offer, it will be conditional upon their performance in all enrolled units which had been incomplete during the application year (see information below about conditional offers).

Exchange studies

The sGPA calculation will use the results that appear on the home university’s transcript. In most cases, such studies are shown as an ungraded pass or an ungraded fail. If an applicant has ungraded pass/fail units amounting to more than one year FTE of their most recent three FTE years of study, the Admission team may require the applicant to provide the host university's actual graded results.

Credit/Exemptions/Advanced Standing

The sGPA is calculated from units that an applicant has undertaken in the most recent three years FTE, regardless of credit/exemptions/advanced standing units which have been applied to the most recent degree. For example, if an applicant previously completed 1.5 years FTE, and then transferred into a different degree with credit/exemption/advanced standing applied for 1 years FTE, and has since then completed a further 1.5 years FTE in the new degree, the most chronologically recent 1.5 years FTE from the previous recognised degree studies will be included in the calculation. This will include any Fail results which fall within the most recent 3 years FTE.

Credit/Exemptions/Advanced Standing from pre-Bachelor's Diploma studies

Results from Diploma or other studies completed as a pathway to Bachelor degree studies will not be included in the sGPA calculation, including where such studies have been credited to a Bachelor's degree.

Repeated units/subjects

Applicants who successfully complete a unit and subsequently repeat the same unit (or an equivalent unit) will not have the repeated unit included in their sGPA calculation, whether or not the unit was taken as part of degree studies. If the applicant has repeated a unit due to failing the first time, then the standard sGPA rules apply. That is, all units completed within the most recent three years of valid full time or equivalent study will be included in the calculation, including the fail result if it falls within the most recent three years FTE.

Not for degree studies

Results from individual units which are not taken as part of a degree are not included in the sGPA calculation, excepting where not-for-degree study constitutes more than 0.5 year of FTE study.

As an example, where an applicant's study includes 4 Access UWA undergraduate units within the most recent three years, these would not be included as the 4 units are equivalent to 0.5 year of FTE study. If 5 Access UWA undergraduate units have been undertaken within the most recent three years or full-time equivalent, these would be included in the sGPA calculation, as this exceeds 0.5 years of FTE study.

Degree completion – conditional offers

Applicants who are eligible for a course offer during the final year of their initial bachelor’s degree will be made a conditional offer requiring them to:

• attain a minimum GPA of 5.0 for semester two of the final year of their degree; and
• complete their bachelor’s degree requirements by the end of the year prior to commencement.

Applicants who are in progress of their initial bachelor’s degree and undertake a course of action that will result in receiving late results may not meet offer conditions. Therefore applicants must take care when undertaking any course of action which could delay the receipt of results or degree completion. This may include undertaking deferred/supplementary exams, undertaking units that fall outside normal semesters (e.g. summer units or trimester units) or going on exchange during the final year of study. Applicants who do not complete all requirements for their initial bachelor’s degree by the 31 December deadline will have their offer withdrawn.

Final ranking for course offers

• Final ranking for non-rural domestic and international candidates will be based equally on GPA and interview score.
• Final ranking for rural candidates will be based equally on GPA, interview score and rurality rating.

Curriculum

The UWA MPharm is a two-year course. Full details of the course structure are available in the UWA Handbook.

Interviews

• The School of Allied Health will interview eligible applicants.
• Applicants who can meet the eligibility requirements and prerequisites will be ranked and shortlisted for an interview based on their Health & Medical Sciences Selection GPA (HMS GPA). Shortlisting for interviews will take place after applications have closed.
• Eligible applicants will be contacted with more information after shortlisting is complete (approximately mid-September).
• The interview will be a structured process allowing applicants to display some of the personal qualities considered desirable in allied health practitioners, and increase their competitiveness for a place.
• Applicants who accept their interview will be provided with information and preparation material prior to the interview.
• Interviews are planned to be held early October.

Registration upon completion

On completion of the MPharm, graduates will have both an undergraduate and a postgraduate degree, ensuring they have a well-rounded skill set as well as the specialist skills needed in their professional career.

Internship and registration for pharmacists

Graduates will be eligible to apply for provisional registration as a pharmacist in Australia or New Zealand, and are required to complete an internship in order to apply for general registration. The internship is a period of supervised practice required by the Pharmacy Board of Australia to be eligible to apply for general registration as a pharmacist.

Graduates who did not complete the majority of their education in English in a recognised country may be subject to additional English language requirements for registration.

For further details regarding registration requirements, refer to the Pharmacy Board.