Clinical Pharmacy Practice - MSc, PG Dip, PG Cert
Capitalising on over 25 years’ experience delivering flexible distance learning to support the continuing professional development (CPD) of practicing pharmacists, Keele’s Clinical Pharmacy Practice programme allows you to develop your clinical and professional knowledge and skills at a time, place and pace that suits you. You can tailor your study to your interests and educational needs, choosing from over 20 different modules covering skills-based and clinical topics. Designed for pharmacists working in any patient-facing sector, including hospital, community or GP practice, our academic offering embraces foundation level training through to advanced practice and ultimately your master’s qualification.
Month of entry
- Monthly intake for PG Cert and PG Dip (except August and December), January intake for MSc
Mode of study
- Online programme, Part time
Location
- Online
Subject area
- Pharmacy
Fees for 2026/27 academic year
-
Qualification and credits Duration Fee Home and International -
MSc (180 credits)3 years £4,400 (per year of study) Home and International
PG Dip (120 credits)2 years
£4,400 (per year of study)
Home and International -
PG Cert (60 credits)1 year
£4,400
Students on our monthly intake flexible pathway will pay 2026/27 fees throughout the 2026/27 academic year, until the new academic year starts in September 2027.
Fees
Duration of study
- Part time by distance learning over 1-5 years
This course is no longer accepting applications from international students for the 2026/27 academic year.
Why study Clinical Pharmacy Practice at Keele University?
About the course
From new scopes of practice and greater interprofessional collaboration, to changing regulations and service developments, the pharmacy profession is continually evolving to meet the desire for more efficient and effective patient care.
CPD has become crucial to ensure pharmacists - and the profession as a whole - are able to respond and adapt to rapidly changing healthcare systems and needs.
We believe our Clinical Pharmacy Practice (CPP) programme is one of the most flexible learning programmes on offer. Not only does it allow you to tailor your studies by choosing from over 20 different modules, but you can set your own timeframe for study, potentially dipping in and out of learning over five years or working your way up to the MSc in as little as three.
What's more, our CPP programme aims to equip you with the relevant knowledge and skills necessary to develop and extend your professional role - whatever the current level of your career.
Post-registration foundation training may, for example, entail building on your existing knowledge of disease states, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and therapeutics to enable you to apply this in a clinical setting. We offer clinical modules on Cardiovascular Disease, Infections, Respiratory Disease and Mental Health, for example.
Alternatively, you may wish to use the CPP programme to increase your confidence in your ability to contribute to patient care as part of the multidisciplinary healthcare team. Our skills-based modules include Leadership and Change Management, and Education Theory and Practice for Health Professionals, among others.
Students will be encouraged to develop problem-solving approaches to clinical practice: for instance, how to assess drug therapy for effectiveness, safety, compatibility, patient acceptability and cost to make effective, evidence-based interventions and optimise prescribing practice.
Depending on whether you work within the hospital sector, community pharmacy or primary care, you can select specialist modules focusing on pharmaceutical care in relation to Critical Care and Parenteral Nutrition, Hepatic Disease, or Women's Health.
The CPP programme provides a structured, yet highly flexible learning programme that will help you apply new knowledge and skills in daily clinical pharmacy practice. The written assessments for each module are designed to test the application of your learning to your professional practice. For example, you might critically evaluate your pharmaceutical care of a patient, plan a change to implement in your workplace, evaluate the effectiveness of your workplace team, or plan a learning event in your workplace.
Keele University has become known within the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector for delivering effective, highly flexible continuing professional development (CPD) and lifelong learning for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, paramedics and other health care professionals. Over 25 years more than 5,000 students have completed our academic programmes, which tie in with the relevant Royal College of Pharmacy's frameworks, such as the Advanced Pharmacy Framework or Prescribing Competency Framework (in the case of the IP module) and Post-registration Foundation Curriculum.
Capitalising on our strong links with the National Health Service (NHS) and other industry employers, we ensure that all of our courses are regularly reviewed by specialists in practice.
We also purposefully minimise the impact for your employer: you will not need to be released from work to study and do not need to attend the University in person, unless you choose to study the Independent Prescribing Course, which requires attendance at four on-campus study days and two online study days. Furthermore, all of the supervision, (with the exception of your designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) for the IP course) academic and personal support you need to succeed will be provided by the University.
Our CPP programme is structured around individual credit-bearing modules, you can accumulate postgraduate credits from every module you successfully complete. You will study flexibly to receive staged interim awards: the Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (60 credits), followed by the Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (60 credits). Once you have achieved Diploma level and have been awarded 120 postgraduate credits, you can register for the three additional modules that lead to the full MSc.
Recognition of Prior Pharmacy Postgraduate studies
As part of the ‘Recognition of Prior Learning' process, academic credits towards our Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (CPP) programme can be awarded to pharmacists who have passed:
- a Level 7 Independent Prescribing Course (credits awarded depend on the course studied)
- the CPPE Primary Care Pharmacy Education Pathway (PCPEP) (up to 20 credits)
- the Northern Ireland Centre for Pharmacy Learning and Development (NICPLD) Foundation Programme (60 credits).
For more details please email us at phab@keele.ac.uk
"I knew that I wanted to continue to develop and progress as a healthcare professional. I knew that the postgraduate diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice at Keele was the perfect course for me to enrol on due to the expertise and support that I had had during my undergraduate study."
Course structure
Recognising the needs of pharmacists and their workplace, the Clinical Pharmacy Practice programme has been developed to provide the most adaptable programme of study possible to develop your clinical and professional skills and practice. You will also be supported throughout by a dedicated and experienced team of academics and administrative staff.
The broad range of modules is structured to offer you a flexible and personalised approach to your study, enabling you to choose to study any one or more of over 25 available modules with a three to six-month timeframe to complete each module. These modules are suitable both for pharmacists in their post-registration training and those seeking to advance their career by meeting the relevant competencies advocated by the Royal College of Pharmacy.
There are a number of ways you can flexibly accumulate the academic credits required to achieve your master's qualification or one of two interim awards.
- The flexible, fully online pathway allows you to choose the modules that you study for the Certificate and Diploma awards. Depending on your personal and professional commitments, you can completed one or two modules at a time without having to restrict yourself to a set time period for the award. Instead, you have a minimum of three months and a maximum of six months to complete each module. Completion of 60 academic credits will lead to a Certificate award and 120 credits a Diploma.
- You can also choose to study the Independent Prescribing course (45 credits), which is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), as a standalone module or as part of your Certificate or Diploma studies, to achieve a Certificate/Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (Independent Prescribing). Please note that the Independent Prescribing course requires on-campus attendance at four study days here at Keele University and two synchronous online study days, the dates are published advance.
If you have completed the Independent Prescribing course (45 credits), you can study additional modules to the value of 15 credits to be awarded the Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (Independent Prescribing) or to the value of 75 credits to achieve the Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (Independent Prescribing). - Professional MSc – Once you have gained 120 academic credits and been awarded the Diploma (with or without Independent Prescribing), you can register for the MSc. This final study year centres on three compulsory core modules (60 credits): Introduction to Research Methods (15 credits); Research in Practice (15 credits); and Researching Professional Practice (30 credits).
What you will study
The module details given below are indicative, they are intended to provide you with an idea of the range of subjects that are taught to our current students. The modules that will be available for you to study in future years are prone to change as we regularly review our teaching to ensure that it is up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods, as well as student voice. The information presented is therefore not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules available in any given year.
Optional modules
The following modules are skills-based:
Advanced Practice Development (15 credits)
With a May and October start, this module includes: using competency frameworks to develop personal learning outcomes. Students focus on an area of their professional practice and with the support of an academic tutor develop their knowledge, skills, attitudes and competencies to demonstrate advanced professional practice in their chosen area.
Education Theory and Practice for Health Professionals (10 credits)
With an April start, this module includes: knowing your learners; designing a learning event; assessing your learners; learner support; and quality assurance and evaluation.
Evaluating Practice (10 credits)
Module content includes: an overview of research, audit, service evaluation and quality improvement; an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods including questionnaire design and sampling; and the key steps in designing an evaluation.
Foundation Practice Development (15 credits)
With a May and October start only, this module content includes: completing a learning needs assessment. Students will focus specific learning outcomes linked to their development needs and with the support of an academic tutor to develop their knowledge, skills, attitudes and competencies to demonstrate achievement of specific outcomes of the RPS Post-registration Foundation Curriculum.
Introduction to Hospital Clinical Pharmacy (10 credits)*
Module content includes: the structure of the NHS and a hospital organisation; the breadth of the hospital pharmacy service and the scope of the clinical pharmacy service within this; delivering pharmaceutical patient-centred care, including interpreting and utilising clinical information, medicines optimisation and reconciliation, effective communication and prioritisation.
Introduction to Public Health (10 credits)**
Module content includes: public health and public health policy; the role of the healthcare professional in promoting health; and theories and models of behaviour change.
Leadership and Change Management (10 credits)
Module content includes: skills required for effective leadership in the healthcare setting; effective communication skills including the use of tools and models to analyse your own and other’s communication; conflict management; an understanding of culture, power and politics of the organisation and how this impacts on the workings of the organisation; how to plan and manage the process of change within your practice.
Monitoring Therapy (10 credits)
Module content includes: common biochemical and haematological tests, and biomarkers, including pharmacogenomic biomarkers; adverse drug reactions (including the role of genetic factors) and reporting mechanisms; drug-drug interactions; pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics (including therapeutic drug monitoring) and pharmacogenomics.
Patient Centred Care and Medicines Optimisation (10 credits)*
Module content includes: pharmaceutical care, medicines optimisation and medicines management; patient centred care on admission and during an inpatient stay in secondary care; seamless care; and discharge planning.
Personal Effectiveness and Collaborative Working (10 credits)
This module is available from January to May. Module content includes: personal communication styles; organisational cultures: values, beliefs, rituals and ways of working; time management and prioritisation; influencing people and managing conflict; and understanding the place of your organisation within the local and wider NHS encompassing the wider network for patient care.
Quality in Healthcare and Evidence-Based Practice (10 credits)
Running from January to May, module content includes: quality improvement in the NHS; definition and components of clinical governance; evidence-based medicine/practice in prescribing and medicines optimisation; and a systematic approach to critical appraisal of published literature.
Rational Prescribing and Medicines Optimisation (10 credits)
Module content includes: rational prescribing and therapeutic decision making; the patient-prescriber partnership; consultation skills; shared decision-making, including deprescribing, within the context of medicines optimisation.
The following modules focus on clinical topics:
Cardiovascular Disease 1 (10 credits)
Module content includes: managing cardiovascular risk; dyslipidaemia; hypertension; and heart failure.
Cardiovascular Disease 2 (10 credits)
Module content includes: coronary heart disease; cardiac arrhythmias; stroke; and anticoagulation.
Central Nervous System Diseases (10 credits)
Module content includes: Epilepsy; Parkinson’s disease; multiple sclerosis; motor neurone disease (also know as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis); and myasthenia gravis.
Child Health (10 credits)
Module content includes: therapeutics in the early years; common childhood conditions; childhood infections and vaccinations; and neonatal and intensive paediatric medicine.
Critical Care and Parenteral Nutrition (10 credits)*
Module content includes: key pharmaceutical problems encountered, including acid-base disorders; individual body systems; management of sepsis; nutrition, enteral and parenteral; evidence-base for treatment.
Endocrine Disease (10 credits)
Module content includes: diabetes; thyroid disorders; Cushing's syndrome and Addison's disease.
Gastrointestinal Disease (10 credits)
Module content includes: Dyspepsia (including peptic ulcer disease); inflammatory bowel disease, other gastrointestinal conditions such as acute gastrointestinal bleeding.
Hepatic Disease (10 credits)*
Module content includes: investigating liver function; acute and chronic liver disease, their characteristic features, prognosis and treatment, including management of the classic complications; and drug selection and dosing in patients with liver disease.
Infections (10 credits)
Module content includes: infection control; antimicrobial stewardship and antimicrobial resistance; treatment of specific infections including urinary tract infections; respiratory tract infections; bone, skin and soft tissue infections; endocarditis; meningitis; tuberculosis; sepsis; antimicrobial prophylaxis and healthcare-associated infections.
Joint and Bone Disease (10 credits)
Module content includes: rheumatoid arthritis; osteoarthritis; gout; and osteoporosis.
Malignant Disease (10 credits)*
Module content includes: solid tumours (colon, breast, lung and prostate cancer) ; haematology (anaemias, leukaemias, multiple myeloma and lymphomas) ; and chemotherapy, safe use, accurate dosing and limitations.
Mental Health (10 credits)
Module content includes: dementia; affective disorders; and schizophrenia.
Renal Disease (10 credits)*,***
Module content includes: renal function tests and biochemical abnormalities; the causes of and management of acute and chronic renal failure; the use of renal replacement therapies; renal transplantation; and drug selection and dosing in patients with renal disease.
Respiratory Disease (10 credits)
Module content includes: asthma; and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Surgical (10 credits)*
Module content includes: peri-operative medication; antibacterial prophylaxis; thromboprophylaxis; and post-operative symptom control.
Women's Health (10 credits)
Module content includes: menstrual health (including pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), dysmenorrhoea, endometriosis, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) and heavy menstrual bleeding.
* intended for hospital sector applicants only.
** available for community pharmacy and primary care sector applicants only.
***available for those working in hospital and/or GP practice.
Compulsory modules
The following modules are compulsory modules for the Professional MSc programme. Once you have successfully completed the Diploma and achieved 120 postgraduate credits, you can enrol on the three compulsory modules below.
Introduction to Research Methods (15 credits)
This module introduces you to the principles of research and evaluation, giving you a greater understanding of a range of research methods, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. You will learn how to select the most appropriate research methods when researching and evaluating different aspects of practice and performance, together with the practical issues that can arise when using them.
Research in Practice (15 credits)
Building on the knowledge you have gained so far of research methods, this module prepares you to produce your own informed research proposal in your chosen field of professional practice or service. It provides deeper insight into the application of research methods to practice research, using existing literature to illustrate appropriate use and showing how to identify potential research projects. Taking account of the principles of research governance and ethics, you will learn how to design data collection tools for your research using appropriate technology for data analysis and management, and become familiar with the different methods and approaches for disseminating research findings.
Researching Professional Practice (30 credits)
To be able to start this module, you must have successfully completed the Introduction to Research Methods and Research in Practice modules and had your research proposal approved. Supported by an academic supervisor, you will then conduct research and evaluation into your chosen area of practice, policy or service, developing your comprehensive understanding and specialist expertise in doing so. This module will enable you to develop a comprehensive understanding and critical awareness of a chosen field of your professional practice, through research and enquiry that will inform the development of your professional practice/services.
"I have recently achieved my 2 year Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice, alongside having two young children and working as a community pharmacist branch manager three days a week. The course is challenging but extremely rewarding. The increased clinical knowledge has enabled me to deliver better patient care, and has given me increased confidence in making appropriate clinical recommendations to GPs, greatly improving my professional practice. I would highly recommend this course due to the ease of use and extent of material on the learning platform used to study the course, and the support offered. "
Entry requirements
The following section details our typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If you don't see your qualifications listed, please contact us to find out if we can accept your qualifications.
Typical offer
Please ensure that you read the full entry requirements by selecting your qualifications from the dropdown menu below. This will include any subject specific, GCSE/Level 2 Maths, and English language requirements you may need.
Please select your country from the drop-down list below for the full entry requirement information
UK
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Algeria
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Bahrain
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Bangladesh
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
We don’t accept degrees from certain universities in Bangladesh, please see our Bangladesh Country Page for more information.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Canada
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
China
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Egypt
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Ghana
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Hong Kong
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
India
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Kenya
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Kuwait
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Nepal
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Nigeria
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Oman
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Pakistan
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Qatar
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
South Africa
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Sri Lanka
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Turkey
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
UAE
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Uganda
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
USA
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
Zimbabwe
To gain admission to the Certificate and Diploma courses, you must be a pharmacist registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), or equivalent for pharmacists working overseas, have a degree at 2:2 or higher (or overseas equivalent) and be practising either full-time or part-time in a patient-facing role.
The Clinical Pharmacy Practice Programme without the Independent Prescribing module is available to international pharmacists.
It is also essential that you have the support of your workplace to access patient data, where necessary for course learning activities and assessment; please submit a completed Declaration of Support form with your application.
The equivalent of 100 hours of study per 10 credits will be required to complete your course.
You will also need: an English language qualification (see below)
English language requirements
All of our courses require an English language qualification or test. For most students, this requirement can be met with a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please see our English Language guidance pages for further details, including English language test information for international students. For those students who require an English language test, this course requires a test from Group D.
References
Normally, you will need to provide at least one academic reference to support your application unless you have been out of study longer than two years. If it has been more than two years since you last studied on a degree-level programme, you will normally need to provide an employment reference instead. For more information about Academic References, please see our Postgraduate how to apply web pages.
Personal Statement/Statement of Purpose
Please see our Postgraduate how to apply web pages for guidance on what to include in your personal statement.
Recognition of Prior Learning
The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a process which enables applicants to receive recognition and formal credit for learning acquired in the past through formal study or work and life experiences.
RPL can also be requested for admission onto the start of a programme in lieu of the admission requirements. For more information, see our Recognition of Prior Learning web pages.
General information
The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the typical offer which would be made to candidates, along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application. For international students, find out how we work with approved agents as part of our admissions process.
Postgraduate funding and scholarshipsFees, funding and scholarships
Fees
2026/27 academic year
For start dates between September 2026 and July 2027.
| Type of study | Fees (per year) |
|---|
| Qualification and credits | Duration | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Home and International - MSc (180 credits) |
3 years | £4,400 (per year of study) |
| Home and International PG Dip (120 credits) |
2 years |
£4,400 (per year of study) |
| Home and International - PG Cert (60 credits) |
1 year |
£4,400 |
Students on our monthly intake flexible pathway will pay 2026/27 fees throughout the 2026/27 academic year, until the new academic year starts in September 2027.
2027/28 academic year
For start dates between September 2027 and July 2028.
| Type of study | Fees (per year) |
|---|
| Qualification and credits | Duration | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Home and International - MSc (180 credits) |
3 years | £4,550 (per year of study) |
| Home and International PG Dip (120 credits) |
2 years |
£4,550 (per year of study) |
| Home and International - PG Cert (60 credits) |
1 year |
£4,550 |
Students on our monthly intake flexible pathway will pay 2027/28 fees throughout the 2027/28 academic year, until the new academic year starts in September 2028.
For continuing students, fees will increase annually by RPIX, with a maximum cap of 5% per year.
Funding
Whether you're continuing from undergraduate study or returning to education, our dedicated financial support team is here to help.
Please note, if your course offers a January start date, the January 2026 start date falls in the 2025/26 academic year. Please see the tuition fees archive for the 2025/26 fees.
Planning your funding
It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses and not all students are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in some cases, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our financial support team.
For continuing students, fees will increase annually by RPIX, with a maximum cap of 5% per year.
Scholarships
We know that understanding what support is available for postgraduate students is an important step in planning your future and we are committed to rewarding excellence and potential.
Visit our scholarships and bursaries webpage to find out more about our scholarships, including:
- Keele Global Scholarship – up to £5000 tuition fee discount for international students (2027/28)
- Keele Graduate Scholarship – up to £3000 tuition fee discount for home students (2027/28)
Terms and conditions apply.
Additional costs
There are no additional costs for this course. However, students may incur general expenses related to university study, such as for printing, textbooks and other materials. Students who undertake a placement may be responsible for additional costs, such as travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs. For further information, please refer to the additional costs information.
Teaching, learning and assessment
How you will be taught
The majority of the CPP modules are delivered entirely online. All of our online learning materials include learning materials based on up-to-date published literature with embedded activities to consolidate learning. These are updated annually, by the academic team and our extensive network of clinical practitioners working in practice. Any additional key changes in clinical practice that occur, post annual update, are added to the learning materials as they happen.
You will need to set aside around 100 hours of study for each 10-credit module, but remember that the online nature of our programme materials and the fact that a good proportion of the assessed work focuses on your daily practice means that you can integrate study and work. You can also choose when and where to study outside of working hours.
Keele University has extensive experience of designing programmes of study that are easily accessible and relevant to working healthcare professionals – our distance learning programmes have been running for over 25 years. Throughout your learning journey, from the moment you first consider how to meet your professional development needs, you will be fully supported by our team of experienced tutors. You'll also be invited to an online course induction. Additional evening seminars are open to all students to attend and, for example, have previously covered managing heart failure in practice, monitoring therapy in practice, and managing patients with diabetes in primary care.
You will be provided with pastoral and academic support from relevant members of staff. Should you progress to the MSc, you will also be assigned a supervisor at the beginning of the Research in Practice module who will support you in planning and undertaking your research. The CPP programme is also supported by our network of experienced, practicing hospital and primary care pharmacists.
How you will be assessed
Your assessment will be entirely by coursework, other than for the Independent Prescribing Programme where there is the additional requirement to undertake an in person assessment of your clinical and consultation skills.
The majority of our modules contain Practice Based Assignments (PBAs), which can include case evaluations and case discussions. These PBAs assess your knowledge, problem-solving skills, and data interpretation skills in relation to the application of knowledge to practice, patient care and medicines optimisation. They also assess your ability to critically appraise the literature and relate published theory to everyday practice.
Furthermore, where possible, your assignments will require you to draw directly from and apply your learning in your workplace, whether evaluating the treatment of real-life patient cases or critically reflecting on your learning and practice.
All the MSc modules assess your ability to critically appraise the literature and relate published theory to everyday practice and, for your final assessment, you will write a 10,000-word dissertation.
