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Pharmacy MPharm Year Zero

Ideal for those who want to become a pharmacist but don’t have the relevant grades to directly study pharmacy at degree level, the initial year of this full time, five-year integrated MPharm with Year Zero course will teach you the core skills in chemistry, biology, mathematics, IT and communication needed when you progress to the Pharmacy MPharm (Hons) programme at DMU.

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Block teaching designed around you

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging.

Read more about block teaching

Overview

The initial year of this course is taught by DMUIC, which occupies a single, specially-designed site in the heart of the DMU campus. As a DMUIC student, you will have full access to all the university’s facilities including the library, gym, bookshop, cafes and computer labs. During this year, you will be taught in small class sizes by experienced tutors, receiving excellent academic teaching and superb support to ensure that you get all the help you need to succeed and progress to the Pharmacy MPharm (Hons) degree.

With a history of more than 100 years of pharmacy teaching experience, you will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with other health and social care experts. You will be taught by experienced tutors, receiving excellent academic teaching and support to ensure that you get all the help you need to succeed.  

The first year of this full-time, five-year course is ideal if you want to become a pharmacist, but do not have the relevant grades to study pharmacy at degree level. You will be taught the core skills in chemistry, biology, mathematics, IT and communication, providing you with the key requirements needed to study Pharmacy at DMU.

Once you have successfully completed the year zero stage of your degree at DMUIC and have met the criteria for continuation, you will continue studying directly with the university on our Pharmacy MPharm (Hons) degree - a course which has been accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Key features

  • Direct progression on to the professionally accredited Pharmacy MPharm(Hons) programme at DMU following successful completion of the Year Zero programme.
  • You will study a range of topics including human biology, cell biology, chemistry and biochemistry and their relevance to health and life sciences in the wider context, as well as communication skills.’  DMU has a history of more than 100 years of pharmacy teaching experience and provides the opportunity to work collaboratively with other future health and social care experts.
  • Learn from experienced tutors, who combine academic teaching excellence with high levels of support to help you succeed.
  • Our MPharm graduates have progressed on to rewarding and stimulating careers in all sectors of pharmacy, including major employers in community pharmacy, the NHS, primary care settings and the pharmaceutical industry.

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  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: B231

Start date: September

Duration: Five years integrated with Pharmacy MPharm (Hons)

Fees and funding: 

2025/26 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

 

Find out more about tuition fees and available funding.

 

Additional costs: You may incur additional costs for this programme, including the cost of travelling to and from project/placement locations.

How to apply

Submit a study-related enquiry

This course is available to UK students only. EU and International students may wish to consider our International Year Zero Pharmacy route through DMUIC. Find out more on the DMUIC website

 

Entry criteria

GCSEs

  • GCSEs at grade C/4 or above in Maths and English Language (or IELTS 6.5, with no element at lower than 6.0, or equivalent by the end of the YZ)

Plus one of the following:

A level

  • A minimum of 96 UCAS points from 3 A levels, including Biology or Chemistry at Grade C or above. If applicants have both Chemistry and Biology then one must be a grade C or above, and the other a grade D or below.

T Level

  • Pass in Science (C or above on the core)

BTEC

  • BTEC Extended Diploma in Applied Science - Merit/Merit/Merit

Applicants with chemistry A2 and BTEC National Diploma – Applied Science should consider applying for the MPharm 4 year course)

Access Course

  • Pass Access to Science HE diploma with equivalent to 96 tariff points, to include 15 level three chemistry or biology credits at merit

Applicants with 15 level three credits in chemistry and biology should consider applying for the MPharm 4 year course.

English Language and Maths GCSEs required as separate qualifications.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.5 overall is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

 

Interview: Yes

The interview will take the form of a structured discussion and will include numeracy questions as well as scenarios focusing on values and judgement. Interviews are currently being conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams.

Work experience: None required

Personal Statement selection criteria:

  • Clear communication skills, including good grammar and spelling
  • Information relevant to the course applied for
  • Interest in the course demonstrated with explanation and evidence

Non-academic requirements: 

Continuance on the YZ or IYZ MPharm programme is subject to annual completion of a self-declaration (from L3) and enhanced DBS (from L4 onwards). It is important that your self-declaration is completed by the end of teaching week 3 after enrolment on YZ or IYZ.

Once you progress to the MPharm you will need to complete your enhanced DBS application and self-declaration by end of teaching week 3 after enrolment, and self-declaration completed by end of teaching week 1 in years 2 to 4 at the latest.

Failure to engage with this process will result in a review of your continued registration, the normal outcome of which will be discontinuation of your registration from the YZ or IYZ MPharm programme. For international students a certificate of good conduct from your home country is required in lieu of a DBS check.

Please note: we do not normally accept applicants who have previously enrolled on a Pharmacy MPharm degree or a science foundation degree/ year zero in the UK.

UCAS Tariff changes

Students applying for courses starting in September will be made offers based on the latest UCAS Tariff.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

Accreditations

 

 

Year 0

  • Human Biology
  • Basic Microbiology
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Study Skills 1 - Introduction to DMU
  • Study Skills 2 - Information Technology & Numeracy
  • Study Skills 3 - Communication Skills
  • Cell Biology
  • Chemistry 1
  • Chemistry 2
  • Introductory Biochemistry

 

For more information on the modules available on the Pharmacy MPharm (Hons) degree programme, available upon successful completion of the Year Zero programme, please visit the Pharmacy MPharm (Hons) page.

View more detailed module information 

Note: Modules and delivery order may change for operational purposes. The university regularly reviews its courses. Course content and structure may change over time. 

You will be taught by experienced tutors, receiving excellent academic teaching and superb support to ensure that you get all the help you need to succeed.

Each module in your Year Zero programme of study has different methods of assessment related to what you are expected to learn (learning outcomes) on that particular module. This means that you should see a clear relationship between the learning outcomes in your module handbook and the assessment task you are being asked to do. 

Types of assessments:

Assessments come in three main forms:

  • Diagnostic assessment allows you and your tutors to see your strengths and weaknesses so you can focus your efforts more effectively (e.g. your tutor may ask you to complete a task in class which you can then ‘mark’ yourself and see where your strengths and areas for focus lie).
  • Formative assessment allows your tutors to give you feedback which you can use to improve (e.g. you may be asked to write a report for one of your earlier assignments). You will be a given a mark and feedback for this which you can then use to improve your report writing in a later assignment or exam question.
  • Summative assessment in which your grade or mark counts towards your final module mark (e.g. an exam at the end of a module).

In order to ensure that you can achieve your full potential, you will receive regular feedback on your assessed work. Feedback will be given in a variety of ways: written, verbal, audio-visual, email and so on. Feedback has one purpose - to assist you in reflecting upon and revising your work. If you do not act on feedback, or choose not to engage in the different feedback opportunities, your grades are likely to suffer.

For all assignments submitted on time, our aim is to mark and return your work within 20 working days. Your tutors will make every effort to ensure that this target is met.

Blackboard is the university’s Virtual Learning Environment. You will use Blackboard as an integral part of the teaching and learning experience throughout your time at DMU. Almost all of your modules will have a Blackboard site which module leaders will use to post information and exercises to supplement formal, face-to-face teaching. You will also submit work through Turnitin via the specific module Blackboard sites.

The Year Zero in Pharmacy has a continuation route onto the MPharm at DMU. Our MPharm is accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) - The Leicester School of Pharmacy’s most recent re-accreditation (2018) was for the full six year term with no conditions or recommendations; demonstrating the quality of our academic teaching and student experience. It is expected that students who start the MPharm from 2021-22 onwards will transfer to the new GPhC initial education and training standards in readiness for entering the fully implemented foundation training year with independent prescribing in the 2025-26 academic year.

 To continue on to the Pharmacy MPharm (Hons) degree, you must achieve 65% in both DMUICF025 Chemistry 1 and DMUICF026 Chemistry 2, and an overall average of 60% for the Pharmacy Year Zero programme. The number of formal reassessment opportunities on this programme is restricted to 2 per module.

Facilities and features

 
Placements
Placements
Placements
Placements
 

Facilities

Substantial investment in Health and Life Sciences has developed our teaching and learning facilities to help you develop your practical experience and theoretical knowledge beyond the classroom.

The 19th century Hawthorn Building has facilities designed to replicate current practice in health and life sciences, including contemporary analytical chemistry and formulation laboratories, audiology booths and nursing and midwifery clinical skills suites.

Purpose-built clinical skills areas allow you to apply theory to practice in a safe environment. You will receive guidance and support from staff, to ensure that your practical ability in the clinical skills suites is accurate.

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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Campus Centre

The home of De Montfort Students' Union (DSU), our Campus Centre offers a welcoming and lively hub for student life. Conveniently located at the heart of campus, it includes a convenience store, a Subway and a Starbucks. Here you can find the DSU-owned charitable accommodation service Sulets and DSU’s shop, SUpplies, selling art supplies, stationery and clothing, and printing and binding services. The building is also home to the DSU officer team. 

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Graduate careers

Once you have successfully completed the initial Year Zero programme and have met the criteria for continuation, you will progress on to our Pharmacy MPharm (Hons) degree - a course which has been accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).  

If you would like to continue to the Pharmacy MPharm (Hons) degree, you must achieve an overall average of 60 per cent for the Pharmacy Year Zero programme, with 65 per cent in chemistry core skills. The number of formal reassessment opportunities on this programme is restricted to two per module.

Our MPharm graduates progress on to rewarding and stimulating careers in all sectors of pharmacy, including major employers in community pharmacy, the NHS, primary care settings and the pharmaceutical industry.

Throughout your five years with us we will help you to enhance your employment opportunities by embedding transferable skills into the programme and exposing you to key employers and stakeholders through the bespoke Leicester School of Pharmacy careers events and mentoring scheme. 

 We also offer a range of postgraduate opportunities including:

Take your next steps

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