Pharmacy represents one of the branches of medical studies. Medical studies bring together 5 branches “MMOPK”, for Medicine, Midwifery (midwifery), Odontology (dentist), Pharmacy and Physiotherapy. As with other branches, you have to go through a very demanding first year; but the profession of pharmacist makes students “dream” less: due to lack of visibility on its missions which are nevertheless very broad in pharmacies, in hospitals or even in the pharmaceutical industry or in the laboratory.
As the profession of pharmacist is currently neglected in France, obtaining your pharmacy diploma gives you good professional opportunities once you graduate.
What are pharmacy studies?
Pharmacy studies
, often abbreviated to “pharma studies” in common parlance, are higher studies allowing you to
become a pharmacist
, whether in a pharmacy (pharmacy), in a hospital, in an analysis laboratory, in industry, etc.
Pharmacy studies are followed at a university (UFR of Pharmaceutical Sciences or Faculty of Medicine), and may include an internship course. They have been largely modified by the reform of health studies having notably put an end to the
numerus clausus
at the start of the 2020 school year, but remain selective. Because if this
numerus clausus
(closed number of students) has been abolished, a minimum number of places open in the second year (
numerus apertus
) is now set each year. Without going below this
numerus apertus
,
each university can decide on the number of places allocated in the specialty
, in particular according to its reception capacities (size of the establishment, number of teachers, etc.).
Pharmacy studies
lead
to a
State diploma (DE) of doctor of pharmacy
. They
last from 6 to 10 years after the Baccalaureate
depending on the pharmacist you want to become. 6 years to become a community pharmacist (in a pharmacy) and 10 years to specialize (working in the pharmaceutical industry, or in hospitals).
How do pharmacy studies take place?
Pharma studies begin with the specific health access course (PASS) and the “health access” license (LAS), before continuing with three different study cycles.
The 1st year post-Bac: PASS or LAS
Since the 2020 reform on health studies, the first year common to health studies (PACES) has been replaced by the PASS and the LAS, which both allow access to a 2nd year in the MMOPK (Medicine, Midwifery) sectors. , Odontology, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy). You therefore have the choice between two routes:
The PASS (specific health access course)
, which takes place over two semesters of a year of study. Taught in universities with a training and research unit (UFR) in health, it provides a lot of teaching in this area, and little teaching outside of health (Law, Biology, Maths, Letters, etc.). The opposite is true for LAS.
The LAS (“health access” license)
is offered by certain universities, without them needing to be UFRs. It is therefore a 3-year License course, but which allows access to the first cycle of pharmacy studies after obtaining a License 1.
The year of PASS or LAS is validated by having the average. However, it is not enough for you to obtain the latter to be automatically taken at the pharmacy. A certain level of grades is required, which currently creates a glaring shortage of students in the pharmacy sector.
The first cycle of pharmacy studies: the DFGSP
The DFGSP (General Training Diploma in Pharmaceutical Sciences) corresponds to the 2nd and 3rd years of pharmacy studies and the 1st cycle of pharmaceutical studies. This is a diploma with the degree of License (Bac+3).
You truly enter your specialization as a pharmacy student
, including the planned teaching:
basic pharmacist techniques and actions;
biological, analytical and pharmacological sciences;
the life cycle of the drug and the pharmaceutical circuit;
of the certificate of training in emergency procedures and care (AFGSU).
The 2nd cycle of pharmacy studies: the DFASP
The DFASP (Advanced Training Diploma in Pharmaceutical Sciences) corresponds to the 4th and 5th years of pharmacy studies. This is a diploma with the grade of Master (Bac+5). As the name suggests, your knowledge is deepened over these two years. But
this 2nd cycle is also the opportunity to choose your professional project from the second semester of the 4th year
. This is when you choose between three routes:
Preparation for the Pharmacy sector (to practice in community pharmacy);
Preparation for the Industry and Research sector (pharmaceutical, cosmetic or agri-food industry, health agencies);
Preparation for internship (Hospital Pharmacy and Medical Biology sectors).
The 3rd and final cycle of pharmacy studies
After obtaining your DFASP,
the end of your pharmacy studies (and their duration) will depend on the path you chose during the 2nd cycle
.
The Pharmacy sector takes place over one year (short cycle) and is divided between pharmacy training and a 6-month internship in pharmacy.
The Industry and Research sector also ends in one year (short cycle), in principle via a Master 2 (commerce, communication, etc.) or a school (engineering or engineering school diploma). commerce, etc.). Here too, professional internships are planned.
The internship, which is accessible by competitive examination, requires 4 or 5 years after obtaining a Bac+5. These years of study are shared between courses and paid internships at the hospital. It takes 4 years of study for the General Hospital Pharmacy, Development and Safety of Health Products, General Biology, Molecular Medicine - Genetics - Pharmacology, Hematology - Immunology, Infectious Agents and Reproductive Biology courses. And 5 years of study only in Radiopharmacy.
The end of the internship is rewarded by obtaining a diploma of specialized studies (DES)
. Regardless of the path chosen, you will need to present and successfully complete a practical thesis in order to obtain your state diploma as a doctor of pharmacy.
How to access pharmacy studies?
Pharmacy studies are open to all baccalaureate holders, even if it is recommended that you obtain a
general baccalaureate with scientific specialties: physics-chemistry, life and earth sciences, mathematics
. You must then complete the PASS or the first year of LAS before entering the first cycle of pharmacy studies (Bac+2).
Your application for one of the two courses is made via the Parcoursup platform, which allows Terminale students and students wishing to change direction to register in the 1st year of higher education. It does not matter whether you have opted for a PASS or an LAS,
you must ensure that the chosen course will then allow you to present a pharmacy entry file after obtaining your Bac+1
(which is not the case of all PASS or LAS).
Access to a PASS or a 1st year of LAS is based on study of your file, including a Parcoursup cover letter. By opting for pharmacy studies, you will therefore both face a selection to enter this first bridging year, and to integrate the first cycle of pharmacy studies. Concerning the latter, some students decide to follow a private preparation course, often expensive, in parallel with their first year of university.
If you miss your year of the specific health access course, you can apply, once again on Parcoursup, for a first year of “health access” License. The latter can be doubled. A student who successfully completes his LAS 1 has the choice between applying for the first cycle of pharmacy studies and continuing in LAS 2 in another field provided for by the “health access” License (examples: Chemistry, Biology, etc.).
Where to study pharmacy in France?
In France,
around twenty higher education establishments allow you to follow pharmacy studies
. We can distinguish three main categories: UFR, Faculty of Pharmacy and other schools.
The UFR (University of Clermont Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand, of Reims Champagne-Ardenne in Reims, of Grenoble Alpes in La Tronche, of Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, of Burgundy in Dijon, of Franche-Comté in Besançon, as well as the Universities of Tours, Lille, Angers, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Rouen, Caen and Nantes).
The Faculties of Pharmacy (University of Poitiers, University of Strasbourg at the Illkirch-Graffenstaden campus, University of Paris-Saclay, University of Paris Cité, University of Lorraine in Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, University of Aix-Marseille in Marseille, University of Limoges, University of Toulouse III, University of Rennes).
Other schools: Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences at the Claude Bernard University - Lyon 1 (formerly the Faculty of Pharmacy of Lyon), and the Lyon military health school attached to the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
How much does pharmaceutical studies cost?
The first year in PASS and LAS, tuition fees are the same as for any other university degree: 170 euros for the year. By adding all the additional costs of studies: food, energy, accommodation, transport but above all tutoring and/or private preparation to help you prepare for the exams, the National Association of Medical Students of France (ANEMF) estimates that the average budget predictable for a medical student amounts to 19,300 euros for the first year in PASS and 16,500 euros in LAS (national average - in Paris and Ile-de-France the total can go up to 22,000 euros).
A real investment the first year, the following years are estimated according to the student unions between 2500 and 3500 euros. Scholarships are of course possible.
What are the career prospects for pharmacy studies?
The
opportunities for pharmacy studies
are therefore numerous and depend on the path you take and the duration of your studies. After 6 years of post-baccalaureate studies, most holders of the doctorate in pharmacy will work in pharmacies (around 90% of students), sometimes starting as an assistant pharmacist.
For those who wish to continue their studies and specialize: you must try "internship" - bac+10 course, and thus be able to access two possible branches of specialization:
Pharmacist careers in hospitals: practice or research and biological pharmacist
pharmacist professions in industry: industrial pharmacist, pharmacovigilance manager, etc.
In recent years, amid unions and students demonstrating for better working conditions and for a reform of the 3rd cycle of studies, pharmacy studies have not been very popular. However, while the government has recognized that there are improvements to be made to the 2020 reform on health studies, we can expect to see the implementation of measures in the future, in particular to facilitate the course in pharma. Otherwise, pharmacy closures will continue in France. Indeed, the pharmaceutical and midwifery sectors are particularly looking for students, and pharmacies need new pharmacists who are candidates for taking over their premises.