Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)

Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)

Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)

Embrace the new innovative world of healthcare as a modern pharmacist who is equipped with a scientific mind-set and unmatched professional skills for a role that

  • Encourages trust and inspires confidence on the optimal use of medicines
  • Promotes health and well-being of individuals and populations
  • Leads in realising the Singaporean vision of a values-based health system through technological and/or innovative solutions

If you have that aspiration to serve the greater good as a pharmacist, do step forward and join us in the integrated Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) degree programme.

Features of the NUS integrated Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) degree

  • Strong academic foundation of scientific thinking

You will learn a suite of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences that will transform you into a practitioner and problem solver who is grounded in strong scientific knowledge evidence.

  • Person and Patient centred

You will hone skills that will enable you to communicate and establish mutually trusting relationships with your colleagues and patients in your line of service.

  • Highly integrated across the basic, clinical and systems sciences

You will make decisions that are supported by strong scientific evidence, based on sound clinical reasoning and have a holistic system perspective.

  • Structured work-place learning in every year of the four-year programme from bio-pharmaceutical industry placements to across our public healthcare institutions

Your learning will be enriched by exposure to the real working environment such that you will see the relevance and importance of what you are learning.

  • Expert academic staff at the forefront of science and clinical practice

You will be mentored by dedicated and experienced faculties who will ensure that you will perform at your maximal capability and realize your ultimate potential.

  • Register with the Singapore Pharmacy Council

Your achievement of the requisite competency will enable you to become a registered pharmacist in Singapore.

Programme Brochure

Please click the e-brochure below: 


Student Testimonials

Please click the e-posters below: 

 

The Pharmacy programme is offered as a direct admission programme. Applicants to this programme must meet the entry requirements stipulated by the Office of Admissions.

Subject prerequisites for applicants holding:

Singapore-Cambridge    GCE-A Level A very good pass in H2 Chemistry and
A very good pass in either H2 Biology or H2 Physics or H2 Mathematics.
International    Baccalaureate A very good pass in HL Chemistry and
A very good pass in either HL Biology or HL Physics or HL Mathematics.
NUS High School Diploma A very good pass in Chemistry and in either Biology or Physics or Mathematics.
Polytechnic Diploma

Applicants will be considered for admission if their Diplomas are relevant and accredited to the NUS programme. The list of Diplomas accredited will follow that of NUS Science (Pharmacy) listed by the Office of Admissions.

For more details, go to:
https://nus.edu.sg/oam/admissions/polytechnic-diploma-from-singapore/programme-prerequisites.

Health Requirements

Health Screening and Vaccination Requirements for NUS Pharmacy Students, with effect from 20 May 2014, updated on 12 May 2022 and 10 Jul 2025.

In accordance with the Singapore Ministry of Health requirements, students enrolled in a healthcare professional programme must undergo the following health screening and meet these vaccination requirements.

The Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) new integrated curriculum is designed such that learning is holistic and integrated across basic, clinical and systems sciences. This unique approach allows students to make connections and apply concepts learnt in the classroom to solve real-world patient problems alongside practising pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. This makes learning active, engaging and collaborative while preparing students for future practice.

For University Requirements (General Education), please refer to General Academic Requirements and Policies (nus.edu.sg) for more information based on your cohort.

Course Descriptions

The courses and descriptions can be downloaded as follows:

Note that the exact courses and content may be subject to changes as the programme progresses.

Learning and Assessment

Each course within the curriculum will adopt a blended learning approach. Students will partake in pre-class learning using a variety of web-based online learning resources. This will be followed by in-class problem-based solving of simulated patient case scenarios and interactive discussion in the format of collaborative learning workshops that are led by our expert faculty. Such classes are further augmented by inquiry-based practicals and pharmacy practice skills laboratory where students acquire different experimental techniques as well as professional skills needed to become exemplary practitioners.


Throughout each course, students will be assessed using different formative assessments that are accompanied by the provision of timely feedback such that any misconception can be promptly clarified. At the end of each year of study, students will also be tested on their competency in knowledge and skills through an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

Fitness to Practise

The pharmacy profession is an integral and essential component of any healthcare system. The pharmacists possess a special body of technical knowledge and unique skill set that enable them to carry out professional activities such as dispensing of medications, recommending rational therapeutic treatments, compounding/ manufacturing of medicinal products, regulating the quality of medicine and many others. As pharmacists have access to medicines that can potentially cause harm to self or others, it is important that their cognitive and physical functions are in excellent state. Therefore good pharmacy practices can only be achieved when pharmacists are fit-to-practise. Fitness to practise is demonstrable through the acquisition of competency, the exhibition of good character and behaviour as well as the possession of good physical and mental health. It is a person’s suitability to be registered as a pharmacist without restrictions to practise. In practical terms this would mean the ability to maintain the requisite standards in competency to discharge all duties proficiently as a pharmacist.

Pharmacy students are expected to conduct themselves professionally as they are accorded special privileges and responsibilities that require them to uphold the integrity of the profession. The pharmacy programme offered at the National University of Singapore is multidisciplinary and students are exposed to different learning experiences to enable them to acquire knowledge, attitude and skills relevant to the practice of pharmacy. Besides in class learning, students are required to participate in workplace-based internship training, also known as Pre-Employment Clinical Training (PECT), which takes place at various training sites outside the university. PECT is compulsory and students need to pass the experiential rotations before they can graduate from the degree programme.

The Fitness to Practise Procedure

As stipulated above, a student is expected to be able to achieve the requisite competency base by the end of the programme. This competency base is fundamental to embark on the next phase of training upon graduation. If there are reasons which may present a challenge for you to achieve the stipulated competency base, it is advisable that you declare them and seek appropriate advice as early as possible. The fitness to practise procedure is established to assist potential applicants and students in making informed decision on the study of pharmacy.

The fitness to practise procedure will apply to special cases in the following ways.

(a) During the application phase. If a potential applicant has questions regarding fitness to practise and would like to seek advice before making a decision on whether to select pharmacy as a course of study, the person may write to the Department of Pharmacy to seek further clarification. It is important to share the concern with the Department as non-declaration may affect graduation and career advancement subsequently. Please write to the following mailbox askBPharm@nus.edu.sg for assistance and advice. All information will be kept confidential.

(b) Pharmacy students will be required to make an annual declaration on whether they possess concerns that may impact their fitness to practise. Those who develop concerns related to fitness to practise during the course of study, it is strongly advisable to declare them as early as possible so that appropriate advice can be given in a timely manner and remedial action taken at the soonest possible time when needed.

(c) Pharmacy students who have been subjected to disciplinary action for misconduct may be referred to the fitness to practise procedure for advisory counseling.

Some of the areas of concern related to a student’s fitness to practise are provided below. Do note that this is not an exhaustive list and clarifications should be sought where necessary.

(a) Criminal conviction

(b) Drug or alcohol misuse

(c) Aggressive, violent or threatening behavior

(d) Cheating or plagiarizing

(e) Dishonesty or fraud

(f) Unprofessional behaviour or attitudes

(g) Health conditions and lack of management of them (failure to follow medical advice/plans and recognize limits/ abilities, or lack of insight into health conditions, that may impair student’s fitness to practise)

It is an exciting time to be a pharmacist! Pharmacists today have been empowered to do so much more for our patients! We are not only playing active roles in promoting safe and effective use of medicines. We are also advancing preventive care within the community and ensuring pharmaceutical care is seamlessly integrated across the different healthcare settings for our patients.

Find out more about what we are doing under the National Pharmacy Strategy.

National Pharmacy Strategy – Meet Uncle Tan

Video credits to National Pharmacy Programme Management Office.

The Future of Pharmacy

Pharmacy alumna Azrina debunks some of the common misconceptions she has faced in her career as a pharmacist.

Think you know what a Pharmacist or Pharmacy student does? Think again.

As a pharmacist, you can also develop your expertise and interest further by becoming a specialist pharmacist or a collaborative prescribing practitioner that will provide you with greater autonomy to take care of patients with more challenging healthcare needs in collaboration with the rest of the healthcare team.

Click on the e-posters to read more:

Hear from our practitioners:

1. Dr Vivianne Shih, BSc (Pharm) Hons, PharmD, BCOP

“As an oncology specialist pharmacist within a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, I ensure that my patients are educated and understand their anti-cancer therapies. Through this process, I help improve my patients’ treatment outcomes and quality of life. It is heartening to know that I have made a difference in their cancer care journey.”

2. Associate Professor Priscilla How, BSc (Pharm) Hons, PharmD, BCPS

“Being a collaborative prescribing practitioner (CPP) in the NUH pharmacist-led anaemia management clinic allows me to be a physician-extender and provide necessary care to my patients in a timely manner. Seeing my patients achieve their treatment goals truly brings much joy and satisfaction!”

More Pharmacy Alumni

The Bachelor of Pharmacy Year 4 cohort completed their PR4191 SCI-PhI Project this semester. The “Student-led Collaborative Innovative Pharmacy Inquiry” (SCI-PhI) Project aimed to provide opportunities for creative inquiry connected to the real world, using rigorous academic approaches in the derivation of innovative solutions. Although this was a first foray into research for most of the students, we are proud and heartened by the quality of their work. A number of these projects have since won awards at conferences or are currently being written-up for publication. CONGRATULATIONS to everyone for your excellent work!

  • Alfred Ho Zheng Ting and Jeren Law Zheng Feng

Title of project: Tackling Long-Context Challenges in Grounding for the Evaluation of Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI): Multi-Agent Collaboration in ICU Settings

Award/achievements: Outstanding Poster at the AI Health World Summit 2025 

Advisors: Dr Jasmine Ong Chiat Ling, Dr Wang Aiwen and Dr Daniel Lim Yan Zheng

  • Alya Marsya Binte Azman and MP Abirami

Title of project: The Analysis of Understandability, Actionability, Accuracy and Completeness of Drug Information Generated by ChatGPT

Award/achievements: Virtual Poster Presentation at American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) 2024 Virtual Poster Symposium

Advisor: Dr Lisa Brennan

  • Brian Lee Seng Wee and Syn Young Kay Hazel

Title of project: Reimagining Pharmacy Processes and Services amidst Expanding Decentralised Care – A Qualitative Study

Award/achievements: Poster presentation at 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024; Manuscript pending submission; Poster presentation and Top 3 poster at 1st Hospital-at-Home Scientific Symposium

Advisors: Mr Lai Yi Feng, Dr Valerie Ng and Ms Crystal Chua

  • Clive Goh Jia Jun and Soh Jun Jie

Title of project: Hospital-at-Home Care in Singapore: A Review of Overseas Protocols and Guidelines to Support Curation of Local Implementation and Policy Strategies

Award/achievements: Poster presentation at the 1st Hospital-at-Home Asia Scientific Symposium 2024; Manuscript pending submission.

Advisors: Mr Lai Yi Feng, Dr Valerie Ng and Ms Crystal Chua

  • Darren Lim Jia Sheng and Chia Bing Ying

Title of project: Biologics discovery against infectious diseases

Award/achievements: Best Oral Presentation at 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024

Advisor: Dr Matthew Tay 

  • Goh Shaoying Dylan and Tan Tze Yang

Title of project: Hospital-at-Home Care in Singapore: An Exploration of Health System Partners’ State of Readiness, and supporting Policy and Implementation Strategies Essential to Support Scaling-Up Efforts

Award/achievements: Together with subtopic 2.8, both projects contributed to the larger implementation research agenda of Mobile Inpatient Care at Home (MIC@Home) scaling-up in Singapore. The research insights contributed to the curation of the care model’s Sandbox-to-Mainstream transition plan, which was eventually implemented in Apr 2024. The smooth mainstreaming of the care model and the innovative pilot implementation were recognised and awarded with the MOH PS(Health) Award and Public Service Transformation (Exemplary Innovation) Award respectively. Oral presentation at 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024; Oral presentation at the 1st Hospital-at-Home Asia Scientific Symposium 2024; Submitted manuscript for publication/under review

Advisors: Mr Lai Yi Feng, Dr Valerie Ng and Ms Crystal Chua

  • Joshua Ng and Edel Hakeem

Title of project: Defining competencies of pharmacists to contribute effectively in the era of HealthierSG – a GP/FP care gap analysis

Award/achievements: Selected as GOH posters at the 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024. GOH was Director-General of Health, Professor Kenneth Mak. 

Advisor: A/Prof Doreen Tan

  • Julian Ryan Tan and Siau Hwee Teng

Title of project: Revolutionising Clinical Pharmacy Practice in Primary Care in the Era of Healthier SG – Evaluation of the Roles of Clinical Pharmacist in Private Primary Care Setting through iRx Clinical Pharmacy

Award/achievements: Selected as GOH posters at the 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024. GOH was Director-General of Health, Professor Kenneth Mak. 

Advisor: Dr Wee Xue Ting and A/Prof Doreen Tan

  • Lam Weng Chung and Koh Wei Yuan

Title of project: Understanding The Impact and Challenges of The Pharmaceutical Industry’s Efforts Towards Achieving Net-Zero Healthcare: A Systematic Review

Award/achievements: Best Poster Presentation (Lam Weng Chung) for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Industrial Practices, and Regulatory Affairs Category; 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024

Advisor: Dr Goh Cheong Hian

    • Lee Jui Chin and Lim Lee Teng

    Title of project: Impact of Vitamin D Therapy on Cardiovascular Markers and Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease Population: A Systematic Review

    Award/achievements: Poster presentation at 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024

    Advisor: A/Prof Priscilla How

    • Low Yu Teng, Wong Huai Hai, Andrea Yeo En Ray, Tricia Tay, Toh Wen Qi, Ng Yi Xuan and Samantha Ong Yong Sze

    Title of project: Evaluation of a probiotic and complementary and alternative medicine digital resource suite for pharmacy education, and Development of a novel interactive digital resource suite for evidence-based information on probiotics and complementary and alternative medicines

    Award/achievements: Poster presentation at 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024

    Advisor: Dr Kevin Yap

    • Saiyara Makhnoon and Siti Nur Amirah Binte Amirruddin

    Title of project: iRight4Me Individualising Dual Antiplatelet Therapy (DAPT) to the Asian Population

    Award/achievements: Moderated Poster presented at the European Society of Cardiology Meeting, London, UK Aug 2024

    Advisors: A/Prof Doreen Tan and Mr Navin Dass

    • See Tho Win Hon and Eward Lim Wei Zheng

    Title of project: Hospital-at-Home Care in Singapore: An Exploration of Health System Partners’ State of Readiness, and supporting Policy and Implementation Strategies Essential to Support Scaling-Up Efforts

    Award/achievements: Together with subtopic 2.7, both projects contributed to the larger implementation research agenda of Mobile Inpatient Care at Home (MIC@Home) scaling-up in Singapore. The research insights contributed to the curation of the care model’s Sandbox-to-Mainstream transition plan, which was eventually implemented in Apr 2024. The smooth mainstreaming of the care model and the innovative pilot implementation were recognised and awarded with the MOH PS(Health) Award and Public Service Transformation (Exemplary Innovation) Award respectively. Abstract was selected for oral poster presentation at  33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024; Joint implementation research abstract was selected for oral presentation at the 1st Hospital-at-Home Asia Scientific Symposium 2024; Submitted manuscript for publication/under review

    Advisors: Mr Lai Yi Feng, Dr Valerie Ng and Ms Crystal Chua

    • Tan Jyshuan, Charlotte Loh, Tessa Chiam and Allison Seet

    Title of project: Pharmacy Students’ Ability to Assess Appropriate Antibiotic Use in the Management of Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infections in Primary Care

    Award/achievements: Accepted for poster presentation at International Allied Health Conference 2024 

    Advisor: A/Prof Christine Teng 

      • Tan Song Hern and Tan Qing Lin

      Title of project: Improving Medication Adherence in Atopic Dermatitis- Exploring Patient Preferences and Educational Impact of AI-Generated Pharmacist Videos

      Award/achievements: Scientific Competition (oral presentation) – Student Award Open Category (Undergraduate) – Merit Award, and Next Big idea (oral presentation) at Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress 2024, and poster presentation at 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024

      Advisor: Dr Pu Yuxi and Mr Benny Li

      • Vivien Tai Wen Ting , Oh Jun Jie, Yew Yik Weng

      Title of project: Understanding the association between atopic dermatitis patients’ medication beliefs and their topical medication adherence

      Award/achievements: Poster presentation at Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress 2024

      Advisor: Mr Benny Li

      • Zhang Hanyu and Jolene Chen Shu En

      Title of project: Improving Medication Adherence in Atopic Dermatitis-Exploring Different Modalities for Patient Education Beyond Conventional Approaches

      Award/achievements: Poster presentation at Singapore Health & Biomedical Congress 2024 and 33rd Singapore Pharmacy Congress, 2024 for poster titled “Understanding the online health information seeking behaviour and information and communication technology (ICT) preferences of Singapore population“

      Advisor: Mr Benny Li

      Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROPS)

      This programme allows undergraduates to participate in scientific research under the mentorship of academic staff members.

      Pharmacy students who have completed two semesters of study with a GPA > 3.0 are eligible for UROPS. Units obtained from UROPS will contribute towards the graduation requirement of 160 Units for Pharmacy major.

      For more details on UROPS,  please refer to the following link: https://www.science.nus.edu.sg/undergraduates/undergraduate-research/urops/

      Advisory Service:

      Students with problems or queries are encouraged to make appointments to see the academic advisor: Asst Prof Liu Boxiang (E-mail at boxiangliu@nus.edu.sg)

      NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) internship programme

      The NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) internship programme offers selected NUS undergraduate or post graduate students a unique opportunity in twelve leading entrepreneurial hotspots across the globe – Beijing, Israel, Lausanne, Munich, New York, SE Asia, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Stockholm and Toronto.

      For more details on NOC,  please refer to https://enterprise.nus.edu.sg/educate/nus-overseas-colleges/

      University Scholars Programme (USP)

      Refer to http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/about/overview

      Interprofessional Education @ NUS

      Interprofessional Education (IPE) provides a unique brand of education that prepares students in the healthcare programmes to be “collaborative-practice ready” so that they are better able to work effectively in an interprofessional care team to enhance the quality of care and improve patient outcomes. Interprofessional Education (IPE) @ NUS is delivered through:

      1. Interprofessional Core Curriculum (ICC)

      Enhanced Curricular components to reflect perspectives from all health professions planned and facilitated by the professors and lecturers of the health professional programmes (HPPs).

      2. Interprofessional Enrichment Activities (IEA)

      Student-led activities for students from 2 or more HPPs to further develop the core competencies of “collaborative practice-ready: professionals”.

      At NUS, five academic units namely the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the Department of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Dentistry and the Department of Social Work fully support the idea of incorporating IPE into their respective professional health programmes.

      For more information on IPE, please visit website: https://medicine.nus.edu.sg/nur/rapids/ipe.html

      “Fit Fun Fruit” is co-organized by Pharmacy and Dentistry students with the aim to reach out to the immigrant workers in Singapore.

      This is an Interprofessional Enrichment Activity (IEA) which promotes communication, teamwork, role and responsibilities among different healthcare students.

      View “Fit Fun Fruit” 2016 video: https://vimeo.com/180342679

      2024 Testimonials

      2023 Testimonials

      2022 Testimonials

       

      2021 Testimonials

           

      PECT/Internships

      Pre-Employment Clinical Training (PECT) I

      Johnson & Johnson Singapore

      AstraZeneca

      Watson’s Personal Care Stores

      Abbott Laboratories

      Baxter

      Career prospects for pharmacy graduates are abundant and diversified. Depending on your interests and ability, you may develop your career in patient care as well as non-patient care jobs.

      Jobs involving patient care:

      • Community Pharmacist
      • Home Care Pharmacist
      • Hospital Pharmacist e.g. Cardiology Pharmacist, Critical Care Pharmacist, Drug Information Pharmacist, Geriatric Pharmacist, Infectious Disease Pharmacist, Nutrition Support Pharmacist, Oncology Pharmacist, Paediatric Pharmacist, Psychiatric Pharmacist and Transplant Pharmacist
      • Academic Pharmacist (Clinical)


      Jobs that do not involve patient care:

      • Clinical Trial and Research Associate
      • Health Informatics Pharmacist
      • Medical Science Liaison
      • Medical Science Writer
      • Pharmacovigilance Pharmacist
      • Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing Representative
      • Academic Pharmacist (Research)
      • Regulatory Pharmacist
      • Research Pharmacist (Pharmacy Practice)
      • Research Associate (Pharmacology, Life Sciences)
      • Pharmacy Entrepreneur

      DIFFERENCES WITH OTHER PROGRAMMES

      Pharmacology is the branch of biomedical sciences that is concerned with the study of drug action, which exerts a biochemical and/or physiological effect, on the cell, tissue, organ, or organism.

      Pharmacy is a health profession where pharmacists are responsible to ensure people and patients get the best outcomes from their medicines. Pharmacology is an essential subject within the syllabus of the Pharmacy programme.

      Pharmaceutical sciences are fundamental to your practice as a pharmacist. Pharmacists are unique as healthcare professionals in having strong pharmaceutical sciences foundations.

      Pharmaceutical sciences belong to a branch of science that comprises a range of scientific subjects dealing with various aspects of discovery, development, formulation, manufacturing as well as the quality assurance of pharmaceutical substances. Some examples of subjects that are classified under pharmaceutical sciences include biopharmaceutics, biotechnology, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical technology, pharmacogenomics (stratified medicine) and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics.

      We also offer a four-year B.Sc. (Hons) degree programme majoring in Pharmaceutical Science. This degree provides deeper training on pharmaceutical sciences, but does not lead to a professional license to practise as a pharmacist in Singapore. If you are keen in the science of medicines and aspire to seek future employment in the pharmaceutical industry, you may consider this option. More information can be found in separate brochures and also on the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences website (https://pharmacy.nus.edu.sg/).

      PROGRAMME INFORMATION

      Pharmacists are registered healthcare professionals (registered with the Singapore Pharmacy Council) who are committed to ensuring the best outcomes from medication therapy through patient-centred care. Pharmacists do this by:

        • Educating and advising patients, caregivers and health professionals on the responsible use of medicines and medicine-related devices;
        • Working with the other health care professionals to ensure patients get the correct medicine at the correct dose at the correct time;
        • Helping patients adhere to their medication regimens;
        • Supporting adverse-event and medication-error reporting programmes in the interest of promoting patient safety;
        • Raising public awareness that more positive health outcomes and important cost savings can be achieved when patients, physicians and pharmacists collaborate in selecting, monitoring and adjusting medication therapy;
        • Deploying informatics within our healthcare system.

      Pharmacists are employed across every aspect of our healthcare system including our hospitals (acute and community), medical centres, intermediate and long-term care facilities, polyclinics and retail pharmacies. Pharmacists are also increasingly working beyond healthcare institutions, delivering pharmaceutical care services directly in the community (e.g. visiting Singaporeans in their homes to review if they are using their medicine optimally).

      By virtue of their training, pharmacists are also experts in the development and distribution of medicines and therefore discharge important leadership roles across the pharmaceutical industry (manufacturing and commercial) and government agencies whose remit includes access to, and the quality of medicines (e.g. ALPS, IHiS (Integrated Health Information Systems), HSA (Health Sciences Authority)).

      Reference: CENTENNIAL DECLARATION, Improving Global Health by Closing Gaps in the Development, Distribution, and Responsible Use of Medicines (FIP, 2012).

      All courses are integrated around specific themes rather than specific disciplines. This means that there is no course, for instance, on chemistry but rather, chemistry is integrated into courses in the programme so that the relevance of chemistry to your future practice as a pharmacist is explicit. Themes of Year 1 include professionalism, practice skills, foundational knowledge and finally, how to optimally manage medicines that are used for simple conditions of the skin and eyes. In Years 2 and 3, the themes of professionalism and skills are further developed. At the same time, you will learn about how medicines maintain health, prevent, treat and cure illnesses in all the other major physiological systems of the body (from the head to the heart). In your final year (Year 4), we bring all this learning together so that you can rise to the challenge of managing medicines for patients.

      Interprofessional education is essential in your journey to being a competent pharmacist as care is increasingly delivered in collaborative teams rather than by individual healthcare professionals. For these reasons you will undertake the Common Curriculum for Healthcare Professionals (CCHPE) in the first two years of your studies as part of the B.Pharm. (Hons.) programme. The CCHP comprises of five courses which are: (i) Socio-ecological Determinants of Health (Year 1), (ii) PP1: The Foundations of Health Professionalism (Year 1), Data Literacy for Healthcare (Year 1), PP2: Basic Skills in Health Professionalism (Year 2), and Digital Literacy for Healthcare (Year 2). The CCHPE is delivered through team-based learning so you will be assigned to a team of 8 students who are drawn from the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, the Faculty of Dentistry, and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.The CCHP sets the foundations for inter-professional education which will be further developed when you undertake clinical training in Year 3 and 4 of the B. Pharm. (Hons.) programme.

      In every year of the programme we integrate work-based learning (otherwise referred to as Pre-Employment Clinical Training) (PECT) with on- campus studies. This purposeful integration means your academic studies are always contextualised to real-world practice, which not only gives your learning greater meaning but also prepares you to be an independent practitioner. Your PECT begins in Year 1 when as part of an inter-professional team, you will visit the home of an elderly Singaporean citizen (Longitudinal Patient Experience). This supervised visit, debriefing and structured reflections will provide invaluable insights into what it means to be a patient, the reality of living with illness, and the immeasurable privilege of being the healthcare professional in whom such trust is placed. There are PECT rotations in each of the subsequent three years of the programme which culminates in two large rotations of 11 weeks where you will experience work-placed based learning in both patient care (e.g., polyclinics) and indirect patient care (e.g. biopharma) settings.

      In Year 3 and 4 of the programme, you will have the opportunity to generate new knowledge through the SCI-PhI (student-led Collaborative Innovative Pharmacy Inquiry) Project. This SCI-PhI Project is integrated into the world of pharmacy practice pharmaceutical science as the research questions you will be answering will be a real-world problem set by clinical practitioners and scientists who are affiliated with our department. As part of a team, you can apply your research skills in finding solutions to the problems and then presenting and defending those solutions to the clinical practitioners and
      scientists.

      In Year 4 of the programme, we develop your competencies in both leadership and health economics through the course Leading the Future of Pharmacy. Finally, you will undertake the course Integrated Management of the Multimorbid Patient which will integrate your pharmaceutical science and therapeutics from the previous three years of the programme so that you can be ready to encounter your first complex patient on graduation.

      In addition, there is also an experiential learning component in the programme. Pre-Employment Clinical Training I (PECT-I) takes place during Years 1 – 3 of the programme, where you will observe pharmacists at work in retail, polyclinic and hospital settings. After Year 3, you will undertake two 11-week rotations of full time PECT-II where you will be involved in building competence in a range of professional activities in a patient-fronting placement and the pharmaceutical industry.

      You may also expand your horizons by participating in other programmes offered by the University or Faculty e.g. e.g. NUS College Programme, University Town College Programme, NUS Overseas College Programme, Student Exchange Programme (in Summer), Study Trips for Engagement & EnRichment (STEER) and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme in Science (UROPS).

      The Pharmacy programme is a four-year professional programme. You will be admitted directly into the Pharmacy programme in the first year of study. At the end of the four years, graduates are conferred a professional degree in Pharmacy, while those who have demonstrated good academic performance over the four years will be awarded an honours professional degree in Pharmacy.

      Graduates with a Pharmacy degree from NUS may apply for registration with the Singapore Pharmacy Council (https://www.healthprofessionals.gov.sg/spc/becoming-a-pharmacist) upon the satisfactory completion of a further 30 weeks of pre-registration training. The in-course PECT-II and post-course workplace training will constitute the mandatory 12-month pre-registration training required for registration.

      Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Values

      • To develop understanding of pharmacy practice and the underpinning basic, applied and pharmaceutical sciences, skills, attitudes and values that will guide you for your lifelong career as a registered pharmacist.

      Ethics

      • To encourage you as a student and as a pharmacist to adhere to the highest standards of professional conduct, always giving top priority to serving the best interests of your patients and wider Singaporean society;
      • To support the confidentiality of patient information through diligent application of privacy standards and compliance with the law including the Personal Data Protection Act.

      Innovation

      • To foster innovative solutions in how to develop new sustainable services that promote the responsible use of medicines;
      • To lead on the use of healthcare informatics across our healthcare system in order to improve the quality and ensure the sustainability of our healthcare system.

      Leadership

      • To influence wider society by contributing to policy-making to ensure safe and sustainable systems for the development, control and responsible use of medicines in Singapore, the ASEAN region and globally.

      You are only able to practise as a pharmacist in Singapore if you have successfully completed the professional integrated degree in Pharmacy and are registered with the Singapore Pharmacy Council (https://www.healthprofessionals.gov.sg/spc). Therefore, the degree is a prerequisite for entry into the profession. The registration of pharmacists is governed by the Pharmacist Registration Act. Registered pharmacists are obligated to abide by the laws that govern pharmacy practice, and demonstrate good ethical and professional responsibilities (by adhering to the Code of Ethics) towards the care of patients.

      Yes. A pharmacist is a registered healthcare professional who is committed to ensuring the best outcomes from medication therapy through patient-centred care. Therefore, at all times, the behaviour of pharmacy students must justify the trust that the public places in the pharmacy profession, including when you are on supervised training (PECT-I and PECT-II) throughout the four years of the programme. This Fitness for Clinical Training is demonstrable through the acquisition of competency, good character and behaviour as well as the possession of good physical and mental health. Such requirements can go beyond the standard criteria for tertiary education, and they also take into consideration the ability to handle different aspects of the course including laboratory training, and industrial and clinical internships. We provide such guidelines for Fitness for Clinical Training at https://pharmacy.nus.edu.sg/study/undergraduate/bachelor-of-pharmacy/, with coverage similar to those released for other pharmacy programmes elsewhere in the world.

      In accordance with the Singapore Ministry of Health requirements, students enrolled in a healthcare professional programme must undergo health screening and vaccination requirements (including having completed all covid vaccinations). Knowing your health status will enable you to protect yourself and patients during your course of study, in particular when you embark on clinical training, which can be referred to as Pre-Employment Clinical Training (PECT). Refer to vaccination requirements in the website: https://pharmacy.nus.edu.sg/study/undergraduate/bachelor-of-pharmacy/.

      APPLICATION/ADMISSION

      You will require very good passes in Chemistry (H2) and in either Biology (H2) or Physics (H2) or Mathematics (H2) or Further Mathematics (H2) at ‘A’ Level (or equivalent) examinations. For information on the Indicative Grade Profile and Course Places for the Pharmacy Programme (Direct Admission) in Academic Year 2024/2025, please go to https://nus.edu.sg/oam/admissions/indicative-grade-profile. For information on application, please go to the NUS website and read the relevant application procedures for the respective groups of applicants (http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/apply-to-nus/application).

      We receive a large number of applications each year. Based on the admission exercise of the previous year, approximately 160 students are admitted into the programme.

      ‘A’ Level Biology (H2) (or the equivalent) is not a compulsory subject prerequisite for application to the Pharmacy programme in NUS. Therefore, prospective students may apply to read Pharmacy without ‘A’ Level Biology. However, ‘A’ Level Chemistry (H2) (or the equivalent) remains as the only compulsory prerequisite subject for entry to the Pharmacy programme.

      The Pharmacy programme is highly competitive and we receive a large number of applications each year. If you wish to appeal your application outcome, you may submit an appeal via the Applicant Portal during the designated online appeal period. Only applicants who have received an admission outcome for their applications are eligible to submit an appeal. For more information on the appeals process, please refer to the Office of Admissions (OAM) website: https://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/admissions/appeals.

      OTHER INFORMATION

      There are abundant student life opportunities for you to hone your talents and soft skills. These include NUS Pharmaceutical Society (NUSPS), a student-led organisation which comprises several sub-committees (e.g., media resource team, international relations) that work closely together with the mission to engage and empower the student body. By creating internship opportunities, organising career talks/seminars and field trips, NUSPS provides exposure to the diverse career tracks that are open to you upon graduation. NUSPS also promotes and raises public awareness of the pharmacy profession and the pharmaceutical sciences through numerous community outreach activities. You can contribute actively to NUSPS by serving in various committees and in the process, develop interpersonal, leadership and networking skills, amongst many others.

      You can also participate in other special activities/projects e.g., Pharmacy Youth Expedition Project (YEP), spend a year at one of the NUS Overseas Colleges programmes (https://enterprise.nus.edu.sg/education-programmes/nus-overseas-colleges/), or participate in overseas exchange programmes. These experiences will develop your entrepreneurial acumen and broaden your horizons.

      If you are interested in embarking on a research career, you can participate in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Science (UROPS) programme under the close supervision of experienced Pharmacy faculty members. These research opportunities are open to you as early as in Year 2. In Year 3, all students will undertake as part of a team the SCI-PhI (studentled Collaborative Innovative Pharmacy Inquiry) Project, and you and your team will have the opportunity to showcase and present your research work from SCI-PhI to employers and in local and even international conferences. 

      NUS aims to be a leading global university centred in Asia. Therefore, students enrolled in NUS will have an opportunity to participate in a range of global programmes that will enrich the students’ education through short learning stints overseas. Pharmacy students enrolled in Academic Year 2025/2026 and beyond will be able to participate in Student Exchange Programmes, Summer & Winter programmes, NUS Overseas Colleges programme or Study Trips for Engagement and Enrichment within the 4-year duration of the B.Pharm.(Hons) degree programme. Pharmacy students who are interested to read global programmes are encouraged to find out more details from the Programme Directors to work out study plans.

      We have embraced active learning in our integrated professional programme. Active learning is different from passive learning in that you are much more participatory in the learning process – for example, a lecture in which you sit, listen and learn is regarded as a passive learning, whereas in an Interactive Class (IC) you are expected to listen, respond to questions, and share your experiences and opinions.

      There are various types of active learning activities throughout our programme that suit a variety of learning styles. For example, ahead of an IC, you are directed to read preparatory material so that your lecturer can engage you in the class where higher forms of learning such as analysis, synthesis, application and critical thinking will take place. Or you can prepare at home or wherever is convenient to you by being directed to short, engaging e-learning units that your lecturer will post on our learning management system (CANVAS). For Collaborative Learning Workshops (CLW), you will be part of an assigned team that will engage in enquiry around a case study that is presented to you by a multidisciplinary team comprising of scientists and clinicians. This team-based approach to integrated learning is the signature pedagogy of the programme. During practicals, you can conduct hands-on experiments which will give you a deeper understanding of the concepts in ICs and CLWs. You can also try out the skills you have acquired, refine them and practice them through our series skills workshops.

      Yes, our professional pharmacy programme not only develops the competencies to be a pharmacist but it also develops transversal competencies that will give you the flexibility to pursue many careers. The specific transversal competencies which our programme develops and are valued by many different types of employers include communication skills, conflict resolution management skills, creativity, critical thinking ability, decision-making skills, healthcare informatics knowledge and skills, interpersonal relationship management, numeracy skills, self-directed learning skills, awareness in systems science and awareness in legislative regulation. 

      CAREER PROSPECTS

      Singapore’s healthcare needs will only increase with time. With the number of senior expected to double in 2030, many of us will live with chronic conditions such as diabetes, dementia and cancer which will require us to take greater than five medicines (polypharmacy). This will certainly mean a greater demand for pharmacists across every aspect of our healthcare system including our hospitals (acute and community), intermediate and long-term care facilities, polyclinics, and retail pharmacies. Pharmacists are also increasingly working outside healthcare institutions and delivering services directly in the community (e.g., visiting Singaporeans in their homes to review if they are using their medicine optimally).

      Pharmacists are also experts in the development and distribution of medicines and therefore discharge important leadership roles across the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies whose remit includes access to medicines and the quality of medicines.