Pharmacy (State Examination)

Three steps to your goal

The programme is divided into three sections:

Undergraduate studies

• 4 semesters (incl. clinical clerkship of 8 weeks)

• final examination: Erster Abschnitt der Pharmazeutischen Prüfung (first section of the Pharmaceutical Examination)

Graduate studies

• 4 semesters

• final examination: Zweiter Abschnitt der Pharmazeutischen Prüfung (second section of the Pharmaceutical Examination

Practical year

• 1 year

• final examination: Dritter Abschnitt der Pharmazeutischen Prüfung (third section of the Pharmaceutical Examination)

Those who have gained experience abroad and speak a foreign language are particularly sought after by the economy. Today, large companies operate globally, research projects are carried out in international teams and specialised literature is written in English. It is therefore important that you take advantage of your studies to gain experience abroad and to professionalise your foreign language skills.

Within the framework of our international university partnerships, we offer you many opportunities to study abroad:

• Europe: with universities in, for example, Scandinavia, Southern and Eastern Europe

• North America: with universities in the USA and Canada

• South America: with universities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico

• Asia: with universities in India, China, Japan and South Korea

Studying abroad [in German only]

Would you like to study natural sciences and get to know as many different disciplines as possible? If you are looking for versatile studies in the field of natural sciences, pharmacy is the right choice for you. Various disciplines play a role here, first and foremost of course chemistry with a strong focus on analytics.

Based on this profile, it is easy to define what skills you will need: An interest in natural sciences, already demonstrated by good grades in school, will have laid a firm foundation for further studies. In addition, you should have manual dexterity and be able to work with care and accuracy—these are indispensable requirements for laboratory work, where you must also handle hazardous substances, such as corrosive and toxic substances, in an appropriate and safe manner.

An apprenticeship as a pharmaceutical technician completed prior to your studies—as is often the case with many students—also lays a good foundation.

When considering whether this is the right training, it is not only the studies that you should take into account, but also your future profession. For example, if you want to work in a pharmacy, you need to have an interest in economic and legal topics as well as enjoy dealing with sick people and people seeking advice.

A degree in pharmacy leads to a variety of careers. The vast majority of graduates go on to work in a pharmacy: about 80 per cent work in community pharmacies. Hospital pharmacies are also sought after as a place of work; in this field of activity, further training to become a specialist pharmacist is widespread. In hospital pharmacies, the production of medicines on one’s own responsibility is an important part of the job, for example, the production of infusion solutions for individual patients in cancer therapy. The contact persons are doctors and nurses, i.e. medical experts, while in community pharmacies you will primarily be advising medical laypersons.

A doctorate is indispensable for a career in research and teaching at universities. Having a doctorate is also an advantage if you want to work in testing institutions or in the pharmaceutical industry. The latter offers jobs in the areas of research, development, production and licensing of pharmaceuticals. Pharmacists are also involved in the preparation of information material for pharmaceuticals. In health insurance companies, they are employed to check prescriptions and the accounting of pharmacies.

In addition, there are other occupational areas, for example in training and teaching (e.g. at teaching institutions for pharmaceutical technicians), in scientific editing or in the German armed forces.