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
Fees for 2026/27 academic year
-
Home and International - MSc (60 credits) £4,400 (per year of study)
Home and International - PG Dip (120 credits) £4,400 (per year of study)
Home and International - PG Cert (60 credits) £4,400
Students on our monthly intake flexible pathway will pay 2025/26 fees throughout the 2025/26 academic year, until the new academic year starts in September 2026.Fees in the 2025/26 academic year are as follows:
Home and International - MSc (60 credits) £4,250 (per year of study)
Home and International - PG Dip (120 credits) £4,250 (per year of study)
Home and International - PG Cert (60 credits) £4,250
Duration of study
- Part time by distance learning over 1-5 years. The Programme is flexible in that it allows you to finish your studies at one of three postgraduate levels - PgCert, PgDip, MSc.
This course is no longer accepting applications from international students for the 2025/26 academic year.
Why study Clinical Pharmacy Practice at Keele University?
Course summary
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 Pharmaceutical Society 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 Pharmaceutical Society.
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.
- 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).
Modules
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 Clinical Pharmacy Practice modules
You can choose which modules you study to achieve a Certificate in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (six modules to the value of 60 credits) or Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy Practice (an additional six modules to the value of a further 60 credits).
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).
The large number of modules which support post-registration foundation pharmacist training are also suitable to be studied by pharmacists at any stage of their training/career, who have an interest in developing their knowledge and skills in that particular area.
The list of modules below is intended as a guide. Please note that all modules are subject to change depending on demand and availability, some modules are also restricted depending on your workplace. Those marked with one asterisk (*) are intended for hospital sector applicants only, those marked with two asterisks (**) are available for community pharmacy and primary care sector applicants only and those with three asterisks (***) are available for those working in hospital and/or GP practice.
Modules to support foundation training
Skills-based modules
PHA-40049 Education Theory and Practice for Health Professionals (10 credits)
Module content includes: knowing your learners; designing a learning event; assessing your learners; learner support; and quality assurance and evaluation.
PHA-40147 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.
PHA-40159 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.
PHA-40053 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.
PHA-40167 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.
PHA-40188 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.
PHA-40145 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.
Clinical topics
PHA-40061 Cardiovascular Disease 1 (10 credits)
Module content includes: managing cardiovascular risk; dyslipidaemia; hypertension; and heart failure.
PHA-40067 Cardiovascular Disease 2 (10 credits)
Module content includes: coronary heart disease; cardiac arrhythmias; stroke; and anticoagulation.
PHA-40065 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.
PHA-40141 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.
PHA-40063 Endocrine Disease (10 credits)
Module content includes: diabetes; thyroid disorders; Cushing's syndrome and Addison's disease.
PHA-40062 Gastrointestinal Disease (10 credits)
Module content includes: Dyspepsia (including peptic ulcer disease); inflammatory bowel disease, other gastrointestinal conditions such as acute gastrointestinal bleeding.
PHA-40058 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.
PHA-40143 Joint and Bone Disease (10 credits)
Module content includes: rheumatoid arthritis; osteoarthritis; gout; and osteoporosis.
PHA-40055 Mental Health (10 credits)
Module content includes: dementia; affective disorders; and schizophrenia.
PHA-40051 Respiratory Disease (10 credits)
Module content includes: asthma; and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Modules to advance your practice
PHA-40073 Advanced Practice Development (15 credits) - May and October start only
Module content 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.
PHA-40066 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.
PHA-40068 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.
PHA-40056 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.
PHA-40052 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.
PHA-40050 Surgical (10 credits)*
Module content includes: peri-operative medication; antibacterial prophylaxis; thromboprophylaxis; and post-operative symptom control.
PHA-40153 Women's Health (10 credits)
Module content includes: menstrual health (including pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), dysmenorrhoea, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Core professional MSc modules
Once you have successfully completed the Diploma and achieved 120 postgraduate credits, you can enrol on the three compulsory modules required to graduate with an MSc.
PHA-40161 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.
PHA-40163 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.
PHA-40165 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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 fixed pathway of this programme is not available to those who are not resident and working in the UK. However, the CPD Plus flexible pathway to obtain a Clinical Pharmacy Practice award 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.
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Postgraduate funding and scholarships
Fees
Students on our monthly intake flexible pathway will pay 2025/26 fees throughout the 2025/26 academic year, until the new academic year starts in September 2026. These fees are as follows:
Home and International - MSc (60 credits) £4,250 (per year of study)
Home and International - PG Dip (120 credits) £4,250 (per year of study)
Home and International - PG Cert (60 credits) £4,250
Funding
Whether you're continuing from undergraduate study or returning to education, our dedicated financial support team is here to help.
We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our scholarships and bursaries webpage for more information.
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.
Additional costs
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 be invited to an online course induction, have the opportunity to network with other students on the course within your online modules. 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.
