Nottingham leads on pharmacy education with China

“In the UK, the role of the pharmacist is becoming increasingly integrated within the National Health Service, both prescribing as well as dispensing drugs, to take the burden off GPs and hospital doctors. China is becoming increasingly interested in the UK healthcare model and its pharmacy education, and we see great opportunities in working together,” explains Professor Clive Roberts, Head of the School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham.

This is the first time a Chinese university has developed a course of this kind with a UK university. There will be agreed curriculum criteria and standards between both institutions and all pharmacy teaching and exams will be in English – a first for TUTCM. At the end of the five-year programme, students will receive a Bachelor of Science from TUTCM.

“Our ranking and reputation for international pharmacy education, with well-established courses run at our Malaysia campus, make us a trusted partner, and we are very happy to link with TUTCM, a leading institution in China.” said Professor Roberts.

The new course, approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education, will recruit up to 30 high-quality applicants who will come to Nottingham in 2017 for their third and fourth years. Students will spend years one, two and five at TUTCM, with their final year in China taking place in a hospital environment.

While in the UK, students will complete their BSc in International Pharmacy and will gain a western perspective on medicine and drugs, clinical and commercial knowledge and patient safety from Nottingham experts.

“Innovation in education and research is central to our School philosophy and we are excited to work with TUTCM, with its expertise in traditional medicines. The new course presents a great opportunity for us to learn about potential new medicines and practices from China.” adds Professor Roberts.

Note: Established in 1958, Tianjin is one of the oldest and best regarded universities of traditional Chinese medicine. It has a teaching hospital, combining traditional Chinese and western medicine, specialising in Gynaecological treatments and a research centre for rare diseases. Tianjin is located approximately 140 KM south east of Beijing.

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of ‘Research Project of the Year’ at the THE Awards 2014. It is ranked in the world’s top one per cent of universities by the QS World University Rankings, and 8th in the UK by research power according to REF 2014.

The University of Nottingham in Malaysia (UNMC) is holding events throughout 2015 to celebrate 15 years as a pioneer of transnational education. Based in Semenyih, UNMC was established as the UK's first overseas campus in Malaysia and one of the first world-wide.

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