Update on the Accreditation of Pharmacy Degrees

The University of Galway has been approved to provide a new Master’s degree in pharmacy (MPharm), subject to some conditions being met. This follows the University’s involvement in an accreditation process undertaken by the PSI over recent months. The Council of the PSI accepted the recommendations of the accreditation team, whose report was considered at the Council meeting on Thursday, 24 April.   

Accreditation teams may recommend that accreditation is granted subject to conditions in instances where some of the accreditation standards remain to be met in full for the pharmacy programme but there is confidence that the conditions can be addressed in an agreed timeline.  An update on those conditions is expected to be provided to the PSI Council at its meeting in June. 

The PSI has been supporting the expansion of pharmacy programmes through our accreditation role, since the Government announced new healthcare places last year, including the potential for three new pharmacy programmes at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU), the South East Technological University (SETU), and the University of Galway.  

The PSI is currently engaged in an accreditation process with ATU and SETU. In addition, the PSI is also completing scheduled accreditation reviews with the current Schools of Pharmacy in Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. Accreditation reports are published on this website once approved by the PSI Council.   

Prospective students for MPharm programmes are encouraged to communicate with the relevant universities directly.