The medical field covers several specializations and subfields, each with a well-defined role. The profession of pharmacist is essential to the medical field, and cannot function without the other. In the past, the main role of pharmacists was to check the medicines prescribed by the doctor and ensure their supply of the necessary medicines, but now the fundamental role is to advise patients about the dosage and administration of medicines, as well as their side effects.
How do you get to be a pharmacist?
The medical field covers several specializations and subfields, each with a well-defined role. The profession of pharmacist is essential to the medical field, and cannot function without the other. In the past, the main role of pharmacists was to check the medicines prescribed by the doctor and ensure their supply of the necessary medicines, but now the fundamental role is to advise patients about the dosage and administration of medicines, as well as their side effects.
What are the differences between Post-secondary School and Faculty of Pharmacy?
Those who graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy have the possibility to enroll in master’s studies and thus specialize in a certain branch, compared to those who have only completed post-secondary school. Another difference is in salary. Licensed nurses receive a higher amount of money than those with post-secondary medical school.
What will you study at the Faculty of Pharmacy?
In the first year of college, you will acquire the minimum knowledge that will be the basis for further training in the profession of pharmacy assistant. Regarding the meters, they are similar to those taught in post-secondary schools: chemistry, botany, physics, microbiology, biochemistry, pharmacognosy, drug control, etc.
After completing the courses both in a post-secondary school and in a faculty, you will have the title of “pharmacist”, but before practicing you will have to obtain the “Certificate of Member of the College of Pharmacists in Romania”, also issued by the College of Pharmacists. After you acquire this certificate, it will have to be approved annually in order to practice. But getting this document is a long way, and your interest is to choose an educational institution that will provide you with the necessary knowledge for a profession in the pharmaceutical field. I will leave you below some of the top Faculties of Pharmacy in Romania.
Faculties of Pharmacy in Romania
In Romania, in most major cities in the country there are numerous faculties of pharmacy or medicine and pharmacy, internationally recognized for modern methods and procedures used in teaching, plus dedicated and oriented teachers to offer you a pleasant academic path.
"Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași – Faculty of Pharmacy
The “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași is a higher education institution that was founded in 1879 as the “Faculty of Medicine”, and along the way it was completed by three more branches that complete the field of medical training.
The Faculty of Pharmacy was founded in 1913 and is organized according to modern principles. The faculty offers you the opportunity to follow bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, residency and continuing pharmaceutical training courses. In the bachelor’s program you will find the following specializations: “Pharmacy” lasting 5 years, “Pharmacy” (program in English) and “Medical Cosmetics and Cosmetic Product Technology”, which span a period of 3 years.,…….
"George Emil Palade" University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Târgu Mureș – Faculty of Pharmacy
“George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology (UMFST G.E. PALADE) was founded in 1945 and focuses on training and improving graduates and specialists in medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy, military medicine, kinesiotherapy, psychology, accounting, management, etc.
Our attention turns to the Faculty of Pharmacy which consists of bachelor’s, master’s degrees, doctoral studies and postgraduate training. For undergraduate studies you will find the specializations:
- Pharmacy (5 years) in Romanian and Hungarian – after completing the courses you will be able to design, test, manufacture, analyze and control medicines as a specialist;
- Medical cosmetics and cosmetic product technology (3 years) – you will acquire theoretical and practical knowledge about technology, chemistry and analysis of cosmetic products and skills necessary to carry out beauty maintenance procedures;
- Medical chemistry (3 years) – this specialization focuses on discovering, developing and interpreting how biological compounds act at the molecular level and in addition you will learn about management, marketing and administration of analytical laboratories;
- Technological chemistry (3 years) – deals with the design and elaboration of technical methods for obtaining chemical compounds, elaboration, optimization and validation of analysis methods, etc.;
- Pharmacy assistance with extension in Bistrița (3 years) – after completing your studies you will acquire skills that will help you execute and comply with the rules on storage and release of pharmaceutical products, you will be able to use legal principles in practice to solve specific problems of patients, etc.;
For the Master’s program you will find the fields of “Medical Biotechnology” in Hungarian and “Quality of Medicine, Food and Environment” with a study duration of 1 year. In addition, there are “Cosmetology and dermo-pharmacy” and “The drug from use to abuse. Pharmacovigilance and regulation” spanning 2 years.
All these programs can be followed in full-time education.
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"Ovidius" University of Constanța – Faculty of Pharmacy
“Ovidius” University of Constanța (UOC) is located on the Black Sea shore, being the largest institution in Southeastern Romania, including the Faculty of Pharmacy.
This faculty offers three study programs in the fields of “Medical Cosmetics and Cosmetic Product Technology” lasting 3 years and you will learn about techniques in the cosmetic, dermato-cosmetic and aesthetic fields. The second field, “Pharmaceutical” lasts 5 years and gives you knowledge about the analysis of control of drugs, cosmetics and substances, preparation of medicines, etc. and the specialization of “Pharmacy Assistance” with the duration of studies of 3 years. The form of education of those three specializations is full-time education.
For the admission test for the specialization “Pharmacy”, Romanian, EU, EEA and EC citizens will participate in a grid exam with 100 questions (50 – 11th grade anatomy / 50 – organic chemistry 10th and 11th grades), and the tie-breaking criteria are limited to the averages obtained at the baccalaureate exam or equivalent documents and the grade obtained at the baccalaureate exam, test – Language and literature Romanian for Romanian citizens, and for EU candidates marks from the Certificate of Language Proficiency – Romanian language.
Non-EU citizens will have as admission criteria the following documents: International Baccalaureate (IB) or General Certificate of Education (GCE) diploma and average marks from the exam (60% of the maximum mark depending on the grading system in that country).
"Dunărea de Jos" University of Galați – Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
“Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați is a state higher education institution, founded in 1948, being also the first institution that existed its activity in the Republic of Moldova.
This university includes several faculties, among which there is also the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy which is composed of numerous departments in which there is also the “Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences” with the bachelor’s study program with the specialization “Pharmacy” with full-time education.
University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova – Faculty of Pharmacy
The University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova is the only one of its kind in the Oltenia region, and consists of four faculties including the Faculty of Pharmacy. This faculty is equipped with halls and laboratories that ensure a good training of students, having the necessary resources.
The Faculty of Pharmacy is part of the undergraduate field of “Health” with the study programs “Pharmacy”, the form of full-time education and a study duration of 5 years where there are 51 disciplines and the “Pharmacy” program which consists of 4 disciplines. There is also the specialization of “Medical Cosmetics and Cosmetic Product Technology” with a duration of 3 years.
For the master’s program there are specializations “Pharmacology and Toxicology” and “Clinical laboratory techniques and drug analysis”, and for the annual residency program, the Ministry of Health prepares theoretical and practical courses for the specializations “Clinical Pharmacy”, “General Pharmacy” and “Medical-pharmaceutical laboratory analyzes” all lasting 3 years.
"Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Cluj-Napoca – Faculty of Pharmacy
“Iuliu Haţieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Cluj-Napoca (UMF CLUJ) is one of the most prestigious state higher education institutions in Romania with specializations in the medical field, offering the best training to its students. Within this institution there is the Faculty of Pharmacy which offers training in the fields of “Pharmacy” (5 years taught in Romanian and French), “Nutrition and dietetics” (3 years) and “Medical cosmetics and cosmetic product technology” (3 years), all of which are in the form of full-time education (IF).
Both Romanian citizens who graduated from high school and passed the baccalaureate exam, as well as citizens of EU Member States, states belonging to the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation can register for admission, with the same conditions as for Romanian citizens. For admission to Romanian courses for foreign nationals, they must present a document demonstrating language skills for Romanian language.
For master’s studies you will find the following specializations: “Cosmetology” (1 year), “Pharmacovigilance: monitoring drug safety” (1 year), “Pharmaceutical Industry” (2 years taught in English), “Nutrition and quality of life” (2 years) and “Drug and environmental toxicology” (1 year). Additionally, within this faculty you will also find doctoral programs, residency and continuing medical education.
"Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Bucharest – Faculty of Pharmacy
The “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Bucharest has been operating since 1857 and is the most prestigious institution offering training in medical and pharmaceutical specializations. It consists of 4 faculties that prepare their students for the demands of the labor market. There is within this university the Faculty of Pharmacy which is composed of two departments.
The “Department of Pharmacy I” offers training for fundamental sciences in which you will discover disciplines such as: Pharmaceutical Botany and Cell Biology, Analytical Chemistry and Physicochemical Methods of Analysis, Organic Chemistry, General and Inorganic Chemistry, Physical and Colloidal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Physics and Computer Science, Applied Mathematics and Biostatistics, General Microbiology and Pharmaceuticals and Physiology.
“Department of Pharmacy II” focuses on specialized sciences to deepen knowledge in various fields such as: Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Phytotherapy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Clinical Laboratory – Food Hygiene, Drug Control, Drug Industry and Pharmaceutical Biotechnologies, Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, Management, Pharmaceutical Marketing, Biochemistry and Toxicology.
The Faculty of Pharmacy also offers master’s, doctorate, residency and postgraduate study programs. For the residency program, you will find the fields of “General Pharmacy”, “Clinical Pharmacy”, “Pharmaceutical Laboratory” and “Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Industry”.
Tuition fees for pharmaceutical studies in Romania
If you have come this far, it is a good sign, it means that you are determined to pursue pharmaceutical studies in Romania, and now you give yourself another detail that will strengthen your decision much more.
Romania is the country that has the most affordable costs in Europe for those who want to study here. The costs for studying in the country differ depending on the chosen specialization, but our attention now turns to the Faculties of Pharmacy.
In the academic year 2023 – 2024, the school fees of the Faculties of Pharmacy were between 6,000 lei – 10,000 lei, for Romanian students, and for foreign students from EU and NON-EU countries are between 5,000 Euro – 8,500 Euro. In addition to these fees, the costs of participating in admission competitions are also added.
It is important to note that these fees differ depending on the university you will choose in Romania to study pharmacy, and the list of these costs may change annually.
Information about the profession of pharmacist
The profession of pharmacist comes with many tasks, daily appointments and various situations in which you will have to communicate with patients. The exact responsibilities are listed in the job description according to professional experience.
Below I will present you some of the qualities and risks of the job:
- Qualities and skills of a pharmacist: in addition to the theoretical information you will learn in college, you will need to develop communication skills, interpersonal and multitasking skills. You will need to have good accuracy when it comes to administering medicines, because the mistakes you will make will have consequences on patients, not just on you, and let’s not forget the scientific and mathematical skills that will help you in administering medicines (from dosage to creating a personalized treatment);
- The risks of a pharmacist: as a pharmacist you will meet every day with a large number of patients, each with different requirements, and your co-centering must always be at full capacity, because a small mistake can cost them the patient’s life and your job;
Our main interest is to provide you with the necessary help and to guide you to the faculty where you will be able to pursue pharmaceutical studies in Romania, depending on your needs and financial possibilities, providing you with general information about these institutions and about the pharmacy profession. .