Health
What can you do with a Pharmacy degree?
Quick answer
A Pharmacy degree commonly leads to roles such as foundation trainee pharmacist, hospital pharmacy technician (related path) and community pharmacist (after registration). Five years after graduating, Pharmacy graduates had median earnings of £43,900 (middle half: £28,000–£52,000), and 91.4% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy graduates is health and social work (35.7% of those in work).
Pharmacy is a professional MPharm-style path toward GPhC registration after foundation training. It is not a generic science BA. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £27,100
- Median pay after 5 years
- £43,900
- In work or study after 5 years
- 91.4%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 16 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Health and social work
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 2,080
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Pharmacy degree?
Graduates commonly start as foundation trainee pharmacist, hospital pharmacy technician (related path), community pharmacist (after registration) or medicines information assistant. Pharmacy also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Foundation trainee pharmacist
Completes supervised foundation training toward registration, not independent prescribing on day one.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- dispensing accuracy
- clinical screening
- GPhC standards
Hospital pharmacy technician (related path)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- aseptic support
- stock
- ward top-up
Search hospital pharmacy technician (related path) vacancies
Community pharmacist (after registration)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- medicines counselling
- responsible pharmacist duties
- locum rotas
Medicines information assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- enquiry logs
- references
- escalation
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Pharmacy graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy graduates in UK employment were health and social work (35.7%), wholesale and retail (25.3%) and professional, scientific and technical services (11.7%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was wholesale and retail (47.3%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Health and social work | 35.7% | £43,900 |
| Wholesale and retail | 25.3% | £48,700 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 11.7% | £45,400 |
| Administrative and support services | 4.3% | £33,700 |
| Education | 3.3% | £32,900 |
| Manufacturing | 2.3% | £36,600 |
| Public administration and defence | 2.3% | £45,000 |
| Information and communication | 2% | £41,700 |
Most common specific industries
- Hospital activities — 16.7% of graduates in work, median £47,400
- Retail sale of other goods in specialised stores — 15% of graduates in work, median £49,400
- Medical and dental practice activities — 10.3% of graduates in work, median £43,100
- Not known — 10.3% of graduates in work, median £31,700
- Other human health activities — 8% of graduates in work, median £13,900
- Retail sale in non-specialised stores — 6.3% of graduates in work, median £47,900
How much do Pharmacy graduates earn?
Official dataPharmacy graduates had median earnings of £27,100 one year after graduating and £43,900 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £27,100DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £16,800–£33,300 | 77.8% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £37,500DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £17,200–£49,200 | 90.4% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £43,900DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £28,000–£52,000 | 91.4% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £42,100DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £22,700–£54,200 | 87.9% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy graduates measured, University of East Anglia had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£50,300), followed by University of Nottingham (£48,300) and University of Bath (£47,900).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| University of East Anglia | £50,300 | 55 |
| University of Nottingham | £48,300 | 130 |
| University of Bath | £47,900 | 110 |
| Aston University | £47,400 | 90 |
| University of Reading | £47,100 | 85 |
| King's College London | £46,800 | 135 |
| University of Birmingham | £46,100 | 60 |
| Keele University | £45,400 | 75 |
| Newcastle University | £45,200 | 90 |
| University of Brighton | £45,000 | 80 |
Is Pharmacy the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You want medicines, law, and patient-facing counselling in one course.
- You accept a foundation year after the degree before registration.
- You like precision: doses, interactions, and records.
It may not suit you if
- You expected to register as a pharmacist on graduation day.
- You dislike law, calculations, or placements.
- You wanted a purely laboratory chemistry degree.
Interview questions for Pharmacy graduate roles
EditorialFoundation trainee and medicines-information interviews usually test safety, checking, and how you talk to patients or ward staff. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
A prescription looks unusual for this patient. What do you do before it leaves the pharmacy?
What it tests. You query. You do not ‘get it out the door’.
How would you counsel someone collecting a new inhaler in two minutes?
What it tests. Technique, safety net, and not drowning them in every side-effect.
Stock of a critical medicine is low. Who needs to know?
What it tests. Escalation and alternatives within your role.
A nurse phones for an unlicensed use. How do you handle the call?
What it tests. You check, document, and do not guess from memory.
Why might two strengths of the same drug be easy to mix up?
What it tests. Look-alike sound-alike risk, which checking exists to catch.
Course interviews. Some UK pharmacy courses interview applicants. The university sets the format. That admissions interview is separate from foundation trainee recruitment after the MPharm.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Pharmacy graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to pharmacy. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Foundation trainee pharmacist…
Prepare your application with pharmacist cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Pharmacy?
EditorialPharmacy technician apprenticeships are a different register and role from pharmacist training. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
We have not added verified programme records for this subject yet. Use the official university catalogue for current courses, fees and entry requirements.
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Planning to study Pharmacy in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
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Universities for Pharmacy in our index
31 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Pharmacy in the full university explorer.
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Pharmacy degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Pharmacy degree?
Common starting roles include foundation trainee pharmacist, hospital pharmacy technician (related path), community pharmacist (after registration) and medicines information assistant. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy graduates in work were health and social work (35.7%), wholesale and retail (25.3%) and professional, scientific and technical services (11.7%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Pharmacy graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Pharmacy graduates of £27,100 one year after graduating, £37,500 three years after graduating, £43,900 five years after graduating and £42,100 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is a Pharmacy degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 91.4% of Pharmacy graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £43,900. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Pharmacy 16 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy were at University of East Anglia (£50,300), University of Nottingham (£48,300) and University of Bath (£47,900). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Pharmacy in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.