SETU accreditation for Master of Pharmacy
L-R, Dr Aisling Croke (MPSI), Lecturer in Pharmacy, SETU; Dr Claire Lennon, Head of Department of Pharmacy, SETU; Sarah Brown (MPSI); and Dearbhla Walsh (MPSI), both Lecturers in Pharmacy, SETU.
South East Technological University (SETU) has announced the official accreditation of its new five-year Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) programme by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI).
The announcement is a significant milestone for the University and supports the future of pharmacy education in Ireland.
Professor Veronica Campbell, President of SETU, welcomed the news, saying: “Accreditation of our MPharm programme represents a major step for SETU in expanding healthcare education and training in Ireland. Our provision of the programme will ensure that students across the southeast can pursue their studies regionally."
"More broadly, it allows our University to have a direct impact on the development of pharmacy in healthcare, community, and industry settings.," she said, before adding: “SETU’s MPharm supports the need for expansion of the national pharmacy workforce, as highlighted in reports by the PSI and the Irish Pharmacy Union.
"The establishment of our new Department of Pharmacy directly responds to these national, regional, and university imperatives. It also builds on SETU’s existing strengths in pharmaceutical science, bioscience, nursing and healthcare, teaching and research."
"I look forward seeing this great work come to life as we welcome students in the next academic year,” said Prof. Campbell, who acknowledged the HEA and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science (DHERIS) for their support in bringing the MPharm programme to fruition.
SETU’s Department of Pharmacy is located within the Faculty of Science and Computing, and it’s MPharm programme, course code SE525, was developed as part of the Higher Education Authority’s (HEA) capacity building programme, endorsed by Government, to directly act to address the national need for expansion in healthcare training.
Speaking on the announcement, Dr Claire Lennon, Head of Department of Pharmacy at SETU, said: “Our multidisciplinary cross-campus MPharm development team at SETU is very proud to have received Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland accreditation.
"The team has worked extremely hard to develop an innovative and impactful, future-focused MPharm programme."
"Pivotal to programme development has also been the collaborative input and support of our pharmacy professional advisory committee, and stakeholders from community, hospital, and industry pharmacy settings across the southeast," she said.
"This will ensure graduates meet the requirements of modern pharmacy practice and the skills needs of the sector, all the while maintaining a patient-centred focus," she added.
"We look forward to welcoming our first group of 40 students to the programme in 2026.”
The MPharm curriculum integrates science, professional practice, and research, and experiential placements throughout the programme, providing hands-on learning in real-world settings. Designed through extensive collaboration with academic, professional, and community stakeholders, graduates will be patient-centred, competent, and ready to meet the needs of an evolving profession. They will also develop their research capabilities, bolstering the research capacity of the Department to cross-collaborate with other disciplines, driving innovation in the region. For more information, visit https://www.setu.ie/courses/master-of-pharmacy-mpharm Related courses:
