Independent Prescribing for Pharmacists (Distance Learning)

Attendance mode

Entry year

Duration: 9 months
Start date: September, January
Location: Distance learning (Online)

Suitable for UK applications.

Overview

Learn to think like a prescriber

The University of Bradford’s prescribing courses are designed not just to help you prescribe legally, but to help you reason clearly, prescribe safely and justify your clinical decisions in practice. Our prescribing courses focus on critical thinking, reflective practice, inter-professional case discussion, and supervised learning directly linked to workplace experience.

What makes Bradford different?

Team-based learning

Our teaching includes lectures, workshops and team-based learning, to help you actively work through clinical cases and prescribing decisions rather than simply absorbing information. Team-Based Learning is a ‘flipped classroom’ approach to teaching which promotes collaboration around real-world prescribing problems that helps build your confidence, communication skills and clinical problem-solving.

Clinical reasoning in context

The course is well suited to pharmacists who want to strengthen how they assess clinical information, reflect on clinical risk, and make safe, defensible prescribing decisions within their scope of practice. This approach to learning and assessment is designed to help develop reflective and critical thinking skills, all essential components of a modern clinical practitioner.

Workplace-linked learning

Supervised prescribing practice is a formal part of the module, supported by a Designated Prescribing Practitioner, with academic learning linked directly to real practice.

Fees, finance and scholarships

Tuition fee

These fees are for entry during the 2025-2026 academic year (September 2025 - August 2026).

10 credits: £627
20 credits: £1254
30 credits: £1881
40 credits: £2508
Dissertation: £2714

Additional course costs

There may be additional costs that you may incur as a student. Though these are not essential to your programme of study you need to be aware of them as a student of the University. A list of the sort of costs you might expect can be found on our fees and finance section.

Funding your studies

It can be hard to know what financial help is available to you as a student.

See our fees and financial support section.

Postgraduate Master's Loan

If you live in England you may be able to apply for a special Government-funded Master's Loan to help pay your tuition fees and living costs. You don't have to pay the loan back until you're earning a certain amount of money.

Further information about the variety of options that can help fund your studies and maximise the money available to you is available on our funding your studies section.

Scholarships

Every year we award numerous non-repayable scholarships to UK, EU and international students on the basis of academic excellence, personal circumstances or economic hardship. For full details, visit our scholarships section.

Entry requirements

To apply for this module, you must:

hold professional registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland, and be in good standing with the regulator
have an identified area of clinical practice in which to develop independent prescribing practice. You must also have relevant clinical experience in that area
have support from a Designated Prescribing Practitioner (DPP), who will provide supervised practice opportunities
provide a current enhanced DBS check

Your learning journey

Pharmacy students can study this module at Level 7 (Master's) as a stand-alone module.

It may also be studied as part of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner programme or the Postgraduate Diploma in Foundation Pharmacy Practice.

By the end of the course, you will be better prepared to:

apply clinical reasoning principles to enable you to prescribe safely, competently and effectively within current legal and professional requirements
apply critical thinking to prescribing decisions in your clinical area
use supervised practice to strengthen real-world prescribing judgement
reflect on decisions and improve your practice over time

Teaching, learning and assessment

The theoretical component is delivered using a range of evidence-based teaching and learning strategies including lectures, workshops and team-based learning (TBL).

Inter-professional learning is promoted using student and lecturer generated case studies and event analyses.

You will be encouraged to share experiences and case examples generated through supervised practice.

The learning, teaching and assessment strategy has been designed to develop your skills as a reflective practitioner, critical thinker and to promote continued engagement in lifelong learning.

The teaching and learning strategies also recognise the diversity and prior education that different students bring to the classroom; this presents an opportunity for those differences to be used creatively to facilitate valuable inter-professional learning.

Supervised prescribing practice is a formal element of the learning and your competency development as a prescriber will be supported by a mentor throughout the programme.

The theoretical elements are directly linked to your supervised practice experience, facilitating educational coherence for you, your DPP, and your patients.

You will be assessed by demonstrating your understanding through reflective clinical case review writing, the development of a prescribing portfolio with evidence cross-referenced to the Royal College of Pharmacy competency framework for all prescribers, and completion of a clinical skills assessment.

The competency framework for all prescribers was developed by the Royal College of Pharmacy in 2016 and is used as the basis for prescribing practice development and assessment of competence by students working with a DPP.

Assessment is carried out jointly between the DPP and the teaching team. The nature of the assessments reflects the breadth of the curriculum and the understandable necessity to ensure robust assessment for fitness to practice purposes.

Each element of assessment must be passed to be deemed as having successfully achieved the programme and to qualify as an independent prescriber. Supplementary assessment on one occasion of any unsuccessful element(s) in the same mode is normally allowed.

Assessment includes:

reflective writing
a prescribing portfolio with evidence cross-referenced to the Royal College of Pharmacy's competency framework for all prescribers
a clinical skills assessment
*GPHC-mandated attendance requirements:
- 80% attendance of all study days
- 100% attendance of all clinical skills sessions

*Please be aware: when studying online, you will be required to have your webcam turned on during all online taught sessions to validate attendance.

Career prospects

We teach prescribing as a real clinical skill - not just an academic subject.

Our course is designed to help you become a confident, capable prescriber who can think critically, make safe decisions, and contribute at a higher level in modern healthcare.

Through our distinctive team-based learning approach, you will move beyond passive study and actively develop the clinical reasoning, judgement, and communication skills that employers value most.

You will learn through preparation, discussion, and realistic case-based problem solving, helping you think like a prescriber from day one.

The result is more than a qualification. It is a stronger professional profile, greater clinical confidence, and better preparation for the increasingly advanced roles pharmacists are taking across healthcare.

You will:

build confidence in real-world prescribing decisions
strengthen your clinical reasoning and professional judgement
develop skills that enhance your employability and career progression
prepare for a more advanced, patient-facing clinical future
learn in a dynamic, engaging environment that mirrors real practice

You will not simply study prescribing. You will develop the kind of clinical reasoning healthcare services increasingly need.

Career opportunities

The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability and this is an integral part of many programmes. Specialist support is available throughout the course from Career and Employability Services including help to find part-time work while studying, placements, vacation work and graduate vacancies. Students are encouraged to access this support at an early stage and to use the extensive resources on the careers section.

This is the current course information. Modules and course details may change, subject to the University's programme approval, monitoring and review procedures. The University reserves the right to alter or withdraw courses, services and facilities as described on our website without notice and to amend Ordinances, Regulations, fees and charges at any time. Students should enquire as to the up-to-date position when applying for their course of study.