Minister Lawless launches new Pharmacy programme
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From: Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
- Published on: 19 May 2025
- Last updated on: 21 May 2025
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless has formally launched the new Pharmacy programme (MPharm) at University of Galway to provide up to 75 new student places per year.
The new degree marks a significant milestone for healthcare education and is being funded as part of government investment in the expansion of higher education healthcare programmes. It is the first Master of Pharmacy programme in the west of Ireland.
Applications for the MPharm are now open through the CAO, with 45 places available for the first intake in September 2025. In subsequent years, the potential student intake will be 75 places a year.
Formally launching the opening of applications during a visit to University of Galway. Minister Lawless said:
“This new Master of Pharmacy programme at University of Galway represents a landmark development for the west of Ireland, for students, and for the future of healthcare education in this country.
“It shows how government investment in higher education is expanding opportunities for students and addressing workforce needs in our health service. By creating up to 75 new places a year, we are not only enhancing regional access to pharmacy education but also ensuring that communities across Ireland will benefit from a new generation of highly trained, innovative and patient-centred pharmacists.
"I want to commend University of Galway for their leadership and commitment to shaping the healthcare workforce of the future.”
Interim President of University of Galway, Professor Peter McHugh, said:
“The launch of the MPharm programme is a major milestone for the University, for the West of Ireland and for healthcare education nationally. By offering this unique programme in University of Galway, through research-led and transformative teaching and learning healthcare, we are contributing to government initiatives which are addressing the need for a highly skilled workforce that will have a lasting impact on patient care. We look forward to welcoming the first students in September.”
The MPharm degree is an integrated five-year programme which involves students beginning their studies as undergraduates and qualifying with a Master’s degree. The programme will equip graduates with the clinical, scientific and professional skills required for a modern healthcare environment.
It is one part of a major increase in healthcare courses announced last year, with RCSI commencing a new Bachelor of Dental Surgery in September 2025 under the same initiative. This course is also available on the CAO.
The University of Galway had a second programme progressed under this initiative. This Graduate Entry Medicine programme is due to commence in 2026 and it offers a four-year accelerated pathway into Medicine for graduates. The programme allows them to build on their prior academic achievements to become qualified medical professionals, with a focus on preparing them for careers in rural and remote medicine.
Other courses due to commence in 2026 include pharmacy programmes in Atlantic Technological University and South East Technological University, and a direct entry medicine programme in the University of Limerick.
Notes
The launch of the Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) at University of Galway is part of a major expansion of healthcare education announced by Government in October 2024, under Budget 2025.
The expansion includes new pharmacy programmes at three universities: University of Galway, which will commence in 2025, and Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and South East Technological University (SETU), which will commence in 2026. This will double the number of pharmacy training programmes in Ireland from three to six and, at full capacity, will provide over 150 additional pharmacy graduates per year.
University of Galway will also introduce a Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) programme with a dedicated Rural and Remote Medicine stream, aiming to address GP shortages in rural and underserved communities. Once fully rolled out, this initiative will deliver 48 additional medical graduates annually.
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has launched a new Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme with 20 new dentistry places per year for Irish/EEA students from 2025.
The University of Limerick (UL) will be introducing a Direct Entry Medicine programme to complement the existing Graduate Entry Medicine Programme.
These programmes are supported by a €130 million investment from the National Training Fund under Budget 2025. This is the largest-ever single investment in healthcare education in Ireland and follows recommendations from the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
The initiative targets critical workforce needs across healthcare disciplines—Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Veterinary—and is designed to enhance regional access to training while supporting long-term sustainability of Ireland’s health services.