Career prospects

Graduates of the single-cycle degree course in Pharmacy can enter the profession of pharmacist after obtaining the relevant professional qualification and registration and can perform professional activities in the various areas of competence and responsibility relating to pharmaceuticals and health products (cosmetics, supplements, herbal and nutraceutical products, medical and surgical aids, parapharmaceuticals, products for veterinary use) in the health, industrial and research fields.

Graduates of the single-cycle degree course in Pharmacy can take the State Examination for registration in Section A of the Professional Register of Chemists.

In the work context, the pharmacy graduate is:

1. the key, responsible figure for dispensing medicines as well as advice on the effective and safe use of medicines and health products and in assisting in correct self-medication;
2. the key, responsible figure in the ascertainment and certification of the quality, stability and safety of medicines, cosmetic products, food products, herbal products, medical devices and medical-surgical aids in quality-control laboratories;
3. the key, responsible figure in the preparation and control of medicines and health products in industry and in the procurement, preparation, control and storage of medicines and health products in pharmacies open to the public and hospitals;
4. the key, responsible figure in the storage, preservation and distribution of industrial medicines and health products in the wholesale trade;
5. the key, responsible figure in the field of pharmacovigilance, particularly in the knowledge of information channels on the adverse effects of medicines, health products and medical/surgical devices in use by the general public and in hospitals;
6. the figure of choice in pharmaceutical information and documentation and in contributing to institutional public health campaigns;
7. the figure of choice in research and study activities in the specific field of medicines and health products.

The main employment opportunities envisaged for Pharmacy graduates are:

• Public pharmacies (as manager or employee) or private pharmacies (as owner, manager or employee), parapharmacies and specific points of sale in retail outlets.
• Healthcare facilities of the National Health Service, both in hospitals (hospital pharmacies, nursing homes) and in community services (AUSLs) with service, production or supervision tasks for drugs and health products or with management roles, after acquiring a specialization diploma in Hospital Pharmacy.
• Government and private bodies responsible for providing control and accreditation services with respect to the production and distribution of drugs and health products.
• Small and medium-sized companies and multinational drug and health product industries (in the role of research, development, production, quality control, registration and scientific information manager).
• Wholesale distribution facilities for medicines.
• Public or private research organizations in the specific field of pharmaceuticals and health products (in the role of researcher or graduate technician).

Graduates who have acquired a sufficient number of ECTS credits in appropriate groups of scientific-disciplinary fields will be able to take part in the admission tests for secondary-education training courses.