Automatic Credit Recognition and Fast-Track PharmD Education for international Pharmacy graduates

Degree type	Pharmacy PharmD
Duration of training	3 years
Language of tuition	English
Number of available places	48
The tuition fee for the academic year	8,400 EUR (4,400 EUR for the first and 4,000 EUR for the second semester)

Introduction

As part of our dedication to global educational collaboration and student diversity, we are introducing a special regulation for automatic credit recognition and advancement for international pharmacy degree holders. This new pathway is designed for international graduates holding bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from accredited international universities to join the third year of our faculty’s 5-year PharmD program, contingent upon passing an entrance examination and successful credit transfer of their previous studies.

Automatic Credit Recognition and Pathway towards PharmD:

Students admitted through this pathway will integrate with existing third-year (5th semester) student groups in the English language PharmD program at UP-FP and follow the standard curriculum for the remaining three years of the program. Upon fulfilling all academic and practical requirements, including the successful completion of necessary credits, professional practices, thesis defence, and state examinations, students will be awarded the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree by the University of Pécs. Graduates will be legally eligible to work as registered pharmacists in Hungary and within the European Union, supported by the EU's mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

Eligibility Criteria and prior transcript evaluation

To be eligible for this program, applicants must:

• Hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from an internationally accredited foreign (non-Hungarian) university program.
• Provide official transcripts of their undergraduate coursework. If the original documents are not in English, a certified translation is required.
• Apply, and successfully pass a complex entrance examination and an oral interview.

Written Entrance Examination and Oral Interview

The written entrance examination aims to evaluate the foundational knowledge of applicants in core pharmaceutical sciences, ensuring alignment with the competencies acquired by our students in the first two years of the PharmD program at UP. The examination will be a multiple-choice test, based on a question bank developed by course directors of the first two years of the PharmD curriculum. Following the written examination, candidates will participate in a one-on-one oral interview with faculty members, to assess the depth of the applicant's educational background, understanding of pharmaceutical concepts, their motivation for pursuing a PharmD degree, and their proficiency in English communication, especially their ability to articulate thoughts and concepts coherently in English. Results will be communicated to the applicants within four weeks of the oral examination date.

Admission and Application Timeline

Applicants are required to follow a standard admission procedure with key deadlines:

• May 1: Application deadline for all prospective students applying for automatic credit recognition and advancement pathway
• June 1-31: Written and oral examinations
• July 15: Final deadline for submitting diplomas, which is necessary for confirming eligibility to bypass the first two years and directly enter the third year of the program

Upon successful completion of the entrance exam and oral interview, along with meeting all other administrative requirements, candidates will be eligible to join the third year of our PharmD program. Accepted students will be required to complete “0 credit” courses not taken previously, such as Hungarian Pharmaceutical Terminology, Physical Education 1-4, and Professional Practice 1 if no equivalent courses have been completed previously. Students can separately submit requests to transfer further 3-5th year courses to potentially accelerate their progress, however, these applications must be supported by the respective subjects’ course directors and are subject to approval by the Credit Transfer Committee (CTC). Credits from the applicant's prior studies will be automatically transferred and recognized as equivalent to the first two years of the PharmD curriculum from the courses listed in the recommended curriculum on the Faculty’s website .

Mentorship and Support

Students admitted through the Automatic Credit Recognition and Advancement Pathway towards PharmD Program will be assigned a faculty mentor or peer to guide their academic and professional development throughout their tenure in the program.

Downloadable materials