Step into advanced pharmacy practice with programmes designed for working professionals who want to grow, specialise and make a meaningful impact in health.
Why study postgraduate Pharmacy?
Your research can take you deep into the evidence left by ancient societies. Current postgraduate research in Classics explores subjects such as slavery, gender, social relationships, political history and cultural heritage, drawing on sources including literature, law, inscriptions and material evidence. You will develop an in-depth understanding of your chosen aspect of the Classical world while strengthening your scholarly writing and argument.
Postgraduate Pharmacy at Otago is designed for pharmacists who want to expand their clinical scope, deepen their scientific expertise or take on leadership roles in health with confidence. You will deepen your understanding of medicines, explore how to optimise therapy and strengthen your ability to improve patient wellbeing.
Whether you want to advance your clinical practice, become a prescriber, influence medicines policy or explore pharmaceutical research, there is a programme that fits your goals. You will learn to ask sharper questions, work alongside other health professionals and contribute to discoveries that improve health in New Zealand and beyond.
Career opportunities
A postgraduate pharmacy qualification lets you step into advanced or specialised roles that build directly on your clinical experience. Many pharmacists use postgraduate study to extend their scope of practice and take on greater responsibility for patient care, while others move into research, policy, education, or leadership roles. Wherever your interests lie, postgraduate study is a way to formalise the expertise you are already developing in practice and open doors to opportunities that may not be accessible with an undergraduate qualification alone.
- Pharmacist prescribing – gaining the knowledge and skills required to prescribe medicines as part of a collaborative healthcare team
- Clinical pharmacy – leading and delivering advanced medicines management in hospital, primary care, or community settings
- Pharmacotherapy and pharmacy practice research – advancing the safe and effective use of medicines through clinical research, health services research, kaupapa Māori research, and studies of patient and whānau experiences
- Policy and regulation – contributing to medicines safety, access, regulation, and health policy decisions
- Academia and education – teaching, supervising, and mentoring the next generation of pharmacists
What it’s like to study at this level
Postgraduate pharmacy study is built around the reality of working life. Many programmes are online or in flexible formats, so you can keep practising while you study, applying what you learn directly to your day-to-day work.
Coursework moves beyond the foundations of your undergraduate degree into advanced clinical reasoning, therapeutics, medicines optimisation, and culturally safe care with a focus on health equity for Māori. If you're working towards prescribing, you'll build the clinical knowledge, culturally safe care, and legal understanding needed to prescribe safely and effectively within a collaborative health team, alongside doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.
Depending on your programme, you may also undertake a research project, dissertation, or thesis, working closely with academic supervisors who are active researchers and experienced clinicians. This gives you the chance to explore a question that matters to your own practice in real depth, rather than working through a generic curriculum.
Throughout your study, you'll collaborate with peers who are also practising pharmacists, bringing their own clinical experience into discussions and case studies. This peer learning, alongside expert supervision, means your study stays grounded in the realities of contemporary pharmacy practice, rather than abstract theory.
This is for you if ...
This level of study suits registered pharmacists ready to extend their scope of practice, particularly those working towards prescribing and wanting the legal authority and clinical confidence to prescribe within a collaborative health team. It also suits pharmacists drawn to clinical leadership, research, medicines policy, or teaching, who want to formalise expertise built through years of practice.
You don't need to be fresh out of your undergraduate degree — many postgraduate pharmacy students are mature, experienced professionals balancing study with ongoing practice. What matters most is curiosity, a strong grounding in medicines and patient care, and the motivation to take on more responsibility in how you care for patients.
Are you just starting uni?
Learn about studying Pharmacy as an undergraduate at Otago.
Advance your pharmacy career with Otago
Here you learn from world-leading researchers and experienced clinicians within a postgraduate community that supports your growth. Our online and flexible programmes are designed for working pharmacists who want to advance without stepping away from practice.
Postgraduate study also gives you the opportunity to build a strong professional and peer network, connecting with pharmacists from across Aotearoa who bring different experiences, practice settings, and perspectives. These relationships can become an important source of collaboration, support, and professional connection throughout your career.
You’ll benefit from modern facilities, strong mentorship and teaching shaped by active research. You’ll be part of a school that not only teaches pharmacy but also helps shape its future.
Choose a study option
Whether you are advancing your career with our specialised graduate qualifications or pursuing in-depth research and expertise through our postgraduate programmes, Otago is here to support your aspirations.
Postgraduate qualifications
Honours, masters’, PhDs, and other advanced degrees for graduates. Just one additional year of study will earn you a valuable postgraduate degree. Or perhaps you want the depth of a full year of research-only time during a master’s or to step up to a PhD.
Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacy (PGCertPharm)
A coursework programme, aimed at practising pharmacists wishing to extend their skills and knowledge, that can be completed in two years
Postgraduate Certificate in Pharmacist Prescribing (PGCertPharmPres)
A coursework programme, aimed at pharmacists already involved in patient care, that can be completed in two years by distance study
Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy (PGDipClinPharm)
A distance-taught, coursework programme for registered pharmacists that can be completed with full-time (one-year) or part-time study (maximum four years)
Master of Clinical Pharmacy (MClinPharm)
A primarily distance-taught, advanced degree for working registered pharmacists, requiring a significant supervised research project, culminating in a thesis.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Engage in original research leading to a doctoral thesis, supported by comprehensive academic and social networks
Ready to apply?
Take your expertise to the next level with advanced study.
Programme details
Compare programmes for this subject.
Papers
View a list of all related papers below.
PHCY papers
| Paper Code | Year | Title | Points | Teaching period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHCY210 | 2026, 2027 | Introduction to Pharmacy | 12 points | Semester 1 |
| PHCY211 | 2026, 2027 | Fundamental Pharmaceutical Science | 48 points | Semester 1 |
| PHCY220 | 2026, 2027 | Integrated Modules A | 60 points | Semester 2 |
| PHCY310 | 2026, 2027 | Integrated Modules B | 60 points | Semester 1 |
| PHCY320 | 2026, 2027 | Integrated Modules C | 60 points | Semester 2 |
| PHCY410 | 2026, 2027 | Elective Studies A | 15 points | Full Year |
| PHCY420 | 2026, 2027 | Pharmacy Practice Leadership and Management | 15 points | Full Year |
| PHCY430 | 2026, 2027 | Elective Studies B | 15 points | Full Year |
| PHCY431 | 2026, 2027 | Structured Practical Experiential Programme | 20 points | Full Year |
| PHCY432 | 2026, 2027 | Applied Pharmacotherapy and Patient Care | 55 points | Full Year |
| PHCY480 | 2026, 2027 | Honours Research Project | 36 points | 1st Non standard period (10 November 2025 - 7 November 2026), 1st Non standard period (9 November 2026 - 6 November 2027) |
| PHCY485 | 2026, 2027 | Applied Pharmacotherapy and Patient Care for Honours | 58 points | Full Year |
| PHCY510 | 2026, 2027 | Evidence-Based Practice | 30 points | Not offered in 2026, Not offered in 2027 |
| PHCY511 | 2026, 2027 | Patient-Centred Care | 30 points | Not offered in 2026, Not offered in 2027 |
| PHCY520 | 2026, 2027 | Applied patient-centred care | 30 points | Semester 1 (16 February 2026 - 17 June 2026), Semester 1 |
| PHCY521 | 2026, 2027 | Elective topics in patient-centred care | 30 points | Semester 2 |
| PHCY590 | 2026, 2027 | Dissertation | 60 points, 60 | Full Year, 1st Non standard period (1 March 2026 - 31 August 2026), 1st Non standard period (1 February 2026 - 31 July 2026), 2nd Non standard period (1 April 2026 - 30 September 2026), 2nd Non standard period (1 March 2026 - 31 August |
| PHCY621 | 2026, 2027 | Pharmacy Prescribing: Access and Equity | 30 points | Semester 1 (16 February 2026 - 17 June 2026), Semester 2, Semester 1 |
| PHCY622 | 2026, 2027 | Pharmacist Prescribing | 30 points | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
Contacts
School of Pharmacy
Tel +64 3 479 7271
Email pharmacy@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/pharmacy
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Regulations on this page are taken from the 2026 Calendar and supplementary material.
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