新-怀卡托大学-药学实践硕士课程简介

阅读：85次添加时间：2025-05-21 编辑： admin

Kia ora, greetings from Aotearoa New Zealand

Welcome to this special edition eUpdate for our valued partners across the globe.

We are excited to announce the introduction of our new Master of Pharmacy Practice for international students, launching in March 2026. This two-year programme is designed for international students with a background in the molecular sciences, offering advanced clinical training and a pathway to pharmacy registration in New Zealand. We are the first university in New Zealand to offer this programme.

The FAQ includes details on:

We’d appreciate you sharing this with your team and any prospective students. If you have any questions or need further information, feel free to get in touch.

Programme intake and length

2-year duration commencing March 2026 (A-Trimester). Only 1 intake per year.

First year programme fee:
NZD$45,050 (2026)
NZD$47,305 (2027)

English Language Requirements

Academic IELTS overall score of 7.0 (with no bands below 7.0)

Academic Entry Requirements

A bachelor’s degree with a major in one of the molecular sciences (Biochemistry, biomedical science, chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, pharmacology) achieving a B-grade average in your final year of study.

Campus Location

Hamilton (no option for Tauranga)

Why is the programme open to international students?

There are a large number of internationally trained pharmacists who want to seek registration in New Zealand, and do not meet the standards. This 2-year Masters gives them the skills needed, as well as an additional master’s level qualification. This programme layers on clinical practice. The practice of pharmacy in New Zealand is advanced compared to other countries, where pharmacy is limited to dispensing. International students will get advanced clinical training that is not available in their countries.

Application Steps

Applicants must meet and pass the selection process set by the Division of Health to be made an unconditional, full offer. This includes (in no specific order):

Personal Statement
Interview (more info below)
International Police clearance
Proof of meeting English language requirements
2 written references from either an employer or academic

What to expect during the interview?

The interview is scheduled for up to an hour, but most run 30-45 minutes. There are 2 or 3 "interviewers" - an academic, a practicing pharmacist and where possible a Māori academic. The structure of the interview is relatively free flowing, and asks the student about their prior studies (as students can have different entry degrees), where they have strengths and where they have areas that may need support, they are asked about why they have chosen Pharmacy, there are questions about Te Tiriti and cultural competence (it is fine if they have limited knowledge of this, particularly for international students, but it is an important part of clinical training in NZ).

There is the opportunity to ask the division questions. There is no clinical assessment component (i.e. we do not assess clinical reasoning etc, which some other health professional courses do).

What are some examples/types of placement location?

The first placement is a 1-week community placement, based in Hamilton, the second is a 2-week hospital placement at Waikato or Tauranga hospital. There is then a 3-week community (preferably rural placement), and experiential visits to marae, general practitioners’ clinics, industry etc. All of the placements are facilitated by us. There is some degree for us to factor in preferred geographical locations.

Practical session – Second trimester, is it up to the student to find a placement, what if they can’t find one? How far to travel? Hours to attend?

The University will have places for students to choose from. They can also request certain sites/areas, and the university may be able to accommodate that via contacts. The rural placements can be anywhere, however where there are commitments (i.e. children), the university can attempt to have places closer. The travel is variable. They will do a full 3 weeks on placement (40 hours per week).

Any timeline to finish the 375 hours of practice?

The placement hours are part of the course and so these are quite structured. The number of hours aligns with the course.

What if prospects completed a non-science degree? Are pathways available?

The university will consider a Graduate Diploma if there is a strong science component (i.e. chemistry, pharmacology, immunology etc). Grades are also important in assessing entrance.

What information is required for the personal statement and how long should it be?

Usually only a page, no fixed format, but most students will talk about why they want to do pharmacy, what they have been doing up until now, and any other factors that may help us decide on offering a place (some talk about clinical experience, desire to help people, views on equity/health, some may disclose backgrounds or challenges they have overcome).

What will timetable look like?

The division has a "static" timetable which means it is the same every week, with the exception of the last teaching week, which is "assessment week", we have no exams in the exam period as we use that time for placements. The general pattern is lectures in the mornings and labs in the afternoons.

Employment Opportunities

There is a worldwide shortage of pharmacists, and as such graduates should not struggle finding employment in New Zealand and Australia, and they will be able to work in most comparable countries. Waikato is the only NZ Masters level, which is really the international standard. Otago and Auckland only offer Bachelor’s, which does not meet many countries entry qual.

Will students get support from Waikato with the registration steps before graduation?

The University is not part of "registration" with the exception that we are accredited by the Pharmacy Council, which means that once our students graduate, they have a recognised qualification to enter the Intern Training Programme (ITP). Everything from that point is under the control of the Pharmacy Council and ITP provider.

Closing date for applications

Admission applications for March 2026 will close Tuesday 30^th September 2025 in order to ensure selection process can be completed and considering visa processing times.

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International Office
University of Waikato

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