As the accreditation authority for pharmacy education, the Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) welcomes the announcement from the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care, that graduates of an AQF Level 9 Masters Degree (Extended) course in Pharmacy, will be able to use the qualification title ‘Doctor of Pharmacy’.
This will apply from 1 January 2025 for pharmacy graduates, who have completed the course requirements.
This will allow graduates of such programs to use the title ‘Doctor’. This will provide the same recognition that other health professionals with Masters Extended degrees receive, such as physiotherapists, optometrists, and dentists.
The AQF defines a Master’s Degree (Extended) “to qualify individuals who apply an advanced body of knowledge in a range of contexts for professional practice and as a pathway for further learning”. The AQF defines this postgraduate degree as being awarded, following completion of a minimum of a 3-year of a Level 7 qualification, such that the volume of learning of a Master’s Degree (Extended) is typically 3–4 years following completion of a minimum of a 3-year Bachelor (Level 7) qualification.
APC Chair Professor Sarah Roberts-Thomson said, “We are pleased to see that the anomaly that did not previously allow Masters (Extended) programs, to now be able to use a title that has been available to other health professions.
“APC will continue to accredit programs of study for registration as a pharmacist which meet the APC Accreditation Standards and Performance Outcomes 2020 to meet the needs of the Australian community,” Prof Roberts-Thomson concluded.
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), allows Universities to self-accredit their degree standard to determine the AQF level of qualification. The APC does not assess the AQF level of a program. Currently APC accredits a range of programs including BPharm, BPharm (Hons) and MPharm programs.
The current list of APC Australian accredited pharmacy degree programs.
