The Department of Pharmacy forms part of the Faculty of Medicine & Surgery at the University of Malta. The Faculty of Medicine & Surgery and the Department of Pharmacy were established in 1676 when the Council of the Order of the Knights of St John approved the Grandmaster's decision for the foundation of the faculty at the Sacra Infermeria (Holy Infirmary) in Valletta.
Curriculum developments to reflect contemporary changes in the practice of the profession have been ongoing. Recent events of note include the introduction of aspects of pharmacokinetics and clinical pharmacy in the 1970's; in 1985 the three year course programme was changed to a four-year course leading to the award of the degree of Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours). In 1995 the course was extended to a five-year progamme and re-structured to a two-cycle system leading to a Master of Pharmacy degree starting from 2012. In responding to the needs of pharmaceutical stakeholders, the Department launched a three-year programme leading to a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Pharmaceutical Technology in 2011.
With regards to post-graduate education, in the 1970's the Department had its first graduates reading for a Master of Philosophy degree [PDF], in the late 1990's the Doctor of Philosophy degree [PDF]programme was started. The postgraduate Master of Science in Pharmacy taught course launched in 2006 has now been re-dimensioned to focus on the areas of pharmaceutical and regulatory sciences with the MSc in Pharmaceutical and Regulatory Sciences as of 2019.
With an objective to provide an opportunity for pharmacists to undertake further studies to a doctoral level from a professional perspective, the Department developed a unique post-graduate programme leading to a Doctorate in Pharmacy course that focuses on clinical pharmacy and patient safety. The Doctorate programme launched in 2014, is offered in collaboration with the University of Illinois, Chicago.