Doctor of Philosophy / Master of Philosophy
PhD/MPhil Pharmacy Practice
Tackle the biggest challenges in biology, medicine and health in a world leading research environment, and prepare for your future career.
Year of entry: 2026
Duration: 3-4 Years PhD, 1-2 Years MPhil
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Overview
Programme overview
- Focus on clinical pharmacy, medication safety, health services research, and pharmacy education within healthcare settings.
- Become part of collaborative research groups within the , , and the , driving improvements in medication safety and health service delivery.
Visit our to start your journey.
Open days
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Contact details
- School/Faculty
- Contact name
- Doctoral Academy Admissions Team
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 275 5608
- FBMH.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- School/Faculty overview
-
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Programmes in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
We require applicants to hold, or be about to obtain, an Upper Second class Honours degree, or the equivalent qualification gained outside the UK, in a related subject area for entry to a PhD programme. A Lower Second class Honours degree may be considered if applicants also hold a Master's degree with a Merit classification.
English language
For applicants whose first language is not English, or if you have not studied recently in the UK, you must provide evidence of how you meet the English Language requirement.
We mainly accept IELTS or TOEFL tests. Please note IELTS and TOEFL are only valid for two years.Â
We require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 overall or TOEFL (iBT) 90. Each component of the English test should meet the minimum requirement of IELTS 5.5 in all components, TOEFL (iBT 22). For the writing component , we expect you to have achieved a minimum of 6.0 (IELTS).
The English language requirements are slightly higher for applicants wishing to undertake the Distance Learning programme. We require a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 overall, with a score of 6.5 or above in each component.
If your IELTS or TOEFL expires before the start of your programme, you will need to take another official English test before we can issue you with a CAS for your visa application. This is a requirement of UKVI.
For more information about English language tests see .
Please contact us at fbmh.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk for further information.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
Professional entry qualification
Postgraduate Research 91Ö±²¥ by Distance Learning
In addition to meeting the standard entry requirements, applicants wishing to study through Distance Learning will need to meet some additional requirements. If these requirements cannot be met, the Doctoral Academy reserves the right to reject any requests for Distance Learning, but this will not be associated with the academic assessment of an applicant (ie an academic offer for standard attendance can still be considered).
The Distance Learning PhD maximises flexibility and decreases the need for travel and actual presence on campus. It does not decrease the time and commitment required for serious and successful PGR study.  Distance Learning students must prove that they have the time, commitment, language ability and facilities available needed to work remotely. Â
As part of their application, students should demonstrate that they have:
- 2.5 days per week minimum study time (part-time students) or full-time hours (full-time students)
- Access to study sites and research participants
- If seconded from employment to undertake the programme - written approval and support from employer for study time
- Adherence to University and home environment ethics and research governance procedures
- Consistent computer and IT access
- Broadband connection: minimum downstream 2 Mb, upstream 256k
- up-to-date Windows/Mac software
- Webcam and microphone
Applicants should submit an online application form in the usual way, selecting Distance Learning as the form of study. Applicants will then be asked to complete the `DL proforma' which asks for further confirmation of meeting the above requirements, outlining the reasons for wishing to undertake the programme by DL and plans for attending the University as explained in the Teaching and Learning section of the Programme details page.
Fees and funding
Fees
Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2025 were as follows:
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PhD (full-time)
UK students (per annum): Standard £5,006, Low £11,500, Medium £17,500, High £23,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): Standard £27,000, Low £29,500, Medium £35,000, High £41,500 -
PhD (part-time)
UK students (per annum): Standard £2,503, Low £5,750, Medium £8,625, High £11,750
International, including EU, students (per annum): Standard £13,500, Low £14,750, Medium £17,500, High £20,755 -
PhD (full-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): Standard £5,006, Low £11,500, Medium £17,500, High £23,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): Standard £27,000, Low £29,500, Medium £35,000, High £41,500 -
PhD (part-time distance learning)
UK students (per annum): Standard £2,503, Low £5,750, Medium £8,625, High £11,750
International, including EU, students (per annum): Standard £13,500, Low £14,750, Medium £17,500, High £20,755
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Scholarships/sponsorships
In the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health we offer a wide range of fully funded studentships and scholarships covering postgraduate research tuition fees, research costs and an annual stipend for living costs.
Application and selection
How to apply
- and to discover a project you’re passionate about and check you meet eligibility criteria.
- Understand how your project is funded and, if it’s listed as self-funded, consider our or .
- about your suitability for their project or programme before you apply.
- Visit our page to find out more and ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission.
Visit our to find out more.
Advice to applicants
Before you start your application, you should:
- Discover more about the research area you’re interested in.
- or you'd like to apply for.
- and speak to them about your suitability for the project.
- Understand how your project is funded and, if you are applying for a self-funded project, consider how you plan on funding your project and discuss this with the listed supervisor.
If you already have your own funding:
- and contact the project supervisor to talk to them about your suitability for the project; OR
- Determine your own research project and title, in this research area and contact them to discuss potentially supervising your research.
Supporting documents
You'll also need to make sure you have the following documents before you start your application:
- Personal statement
- Certificates and transcripts
- CV
- Confirmation of funding (if you are self-funded)
- English language ability
- Names and details of two referees to support your application
Visit our to find out more about the information required for each of these supporting documents.
Any missing information may delay the processing of your application.
Application deadlines
The deadline for applying for postgraduate research in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health depends on when you intend to start your research and how your project is funded.
If you are applying for one of our funded programmes, please refer to the deadlines detailed on the .
If you’re applying for a project that isn’t part of one of these programmes, our final application deadlines are:
- January 2026 entry: Wednesday, 15 October 2025
- April 2026 entry: Thursday, 15 January 2026
- September 2026 entry: Tuesday, 15 June 2026
Programme details
Programme description
Our PhD/MPhil Pharmacy Practice programme enables you to undertake a that will improve the practise of pharmacy, the prescribing of medicines to optimise therapy and how patients take their medicines.
There are 3 working centres in which include the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies chaired by , Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety chaired by , and Prescribing and Patient Safety chaired by There is a lot of interplay between the centres so there is maximum impact to the patient and to the research.
We work with patient groups, prescribers, and pharmacists to gather the necessary information to conduct research, but also healthcare databases to maximise the study population size for robust results. We have a diverse skill base including clinical and community pharmacists, biostatisticians, epidemiologist, qualitative specialist researchers and health economists.
A research project is usually supervised by 2 co-supervisors that could be from different types of research backgrounds, but with this combination a unique and blended research experience is gained by the student. Research projects include pharmacoepidemiology studies, drug utilisation research, regulations, patient and medicines safety, organisational systems, transfer of care and disease specific research.
Our PhD research projects in Pharmacy Practice for international students primarily involve evaluation of practice and drug policy, pharmacoepidemiology using anonymous data, evaluating practice from already collected data or data collected by a third party or quantitative and qualitative analysis of national clinical data sets. These projects involve clinical knowledge and judgement and gaining skills in database management, analysis of large dataset and thematic analysis.
All of these projects do not involve the international professional student having direct contact with NHS patients. Unfortunately, the NHS regulations on clinical contact with patients (including medical notes) is very strict and reserved for UK registered pharmacists and practitioners.Therefore a PhD in Clinical Pharmacy is not available to students wanting to attend the University of Manchester for this programme of study.
Special features
Training and development
All of our postgraduate researchers attend the Doctoral Academy Training Programme delivered by the Researcher Development . The programme provides key transferable skills and equips our postgraduate researchers with the tools to progress beyond their research degree into influential positions within academia, industry and consultancy. The emphasis is on enhancing skills critical to developing early-stage researchers and professionals, whether they relate to effective communication, disseminating research findings and project management skills.
What our students say
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Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
Your postgraduate research degree will open up a range of career opportunities after you graduate. Find out more on the Careers Ìý±è²¹²µ±ð.
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