Explore career options in pharmacy and pharmacology
Here you can find information on the types of careers and employment roles a pharmacy and pharmacology degree may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
Pharmacy graduates may work in many different fields to promote ‘Quality Use of Medicines’ (QUM). This includes discovery, laboratory testing, clinical trials, and establishing the safety of new medicines. Pharmacists also work with other health professionals, and the patient, to ensure that they are receiving the best results possible from their treatment. Pharmacy graduates can assist with clinical trials and are involved in applying to the government for licensing and funding of these medicines.
Career fields
- Hospitals—public and private
- Community pharmacies
- Drug discovery and development
- Pharmacy ownership
- Pharmaceutical regulation
- Pharmaceutical sales and marketing
- Clinical trials
- CSIRO and other research institutes
- Pharmacovigilance
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing
- Health and medical research
- Public health programs
- Government departments
- Self-employed
Employment roles
- Pharmacy graduate
- Intern pharmacist
- Pharmacist
- Scientific/technical officer
- Regulatory affairs assistant
- Clinical trials coordinator
- Medical product specialist
- Research and development technician
- Pharmaceutical sales representative
- Policy and project officer
- Research and development chemist
- Technical sales representative
Occupation snapshot
Employed
38,800
Annual growth
1,600
Weekly earnings
$2,071
Part-time share
27%
This data is based on the occupation profile for pharmacists—retail and pharmacists—hospital, retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skill Australia website July 2024.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies and career resources can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- GradConnection
- Australian Public Service recruitment
- Careers at CSIRO
- Ethical Jobs
- Kelly Services
- New South Wales Government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- Research Career Jobs (Australia and New Zealand)
- Science People
- Seek pharmacy roles for graduates
- Your World Healthcare
Resources
- Pharmaceutical Defence Ltd is a non-profit organisation that supports pharmacists through provision of professional indemnity insurance, advice and guidance, and is free to students
- My Health Career: Pharmacy
- Discover More: Ask Your Pharmacist
Pharmacy graduate career snapshot
Griffith University Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science graduate Lisa Hill is leading medication automation at Tugun Satellite Hospital.
“The digitisation and automation of medication management is making a massive impact on the way health professionals can provide care,” Mrs Hill said.
“Without so much manual management and paperwork to do, staff can concentrate on providing care to patients."
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
- Pharmacy Guild of Australia
- Professionals Pharmacists Australia
- Australian College of Pharmacy
- Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80CP as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and is committed to promoting decent work and economic growth, advancing the principles of responsible and sustainable consumption and production, and advocating for peace, justice, and resilient institutional frameworks.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Similar career options
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.