London Met is one of only four universities in the UK and Ireland to receive accreditation, which highlights that its courses meet the high standards of the APS.
Date: 8 October 2021
London Met’s Pharmaceutical Sciences degrees have recently been accredited by The Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS), making it one of only four universities in the UK and Ireland to gain accreditation.
As part of the accreditation process, representatives from the APS met with a panel of students to gain insight into their studies here.
The APS noted that, "Students described an environment in which staff were readily accessible, providing excellent personal support. All were absolutely supportive of the staff and the advice and mentoring they had received.
"Several staff were repeatedly referenced for the support they had provided and we wondered if that might reflect a particular responsibility carried by those staff; the teaching staff session showed it was more probably a school-wide culture of support.
"All module options are available and students are assisted in their selection with consideration given to their intended career path."
They made particular mention of the importance of the Foundation Year option in enabling students to develop, then work toward their ambitions; saying it "clearly served an important purpose in enabling students to transition to science."
Aleema Iqbal, Pharmaceutical Science and Drug Delivery Systems MSc graduate, said, "This accreditation is not just good for the university but for the students, as it provides them with the assurance that they are getting a high-quality education and that the degree has met a gold standard.
Dr Bhaven Patel, Senior Lecturer in Organic Chemistry and Course Leader for the University’s Pharmaceutical Science BSc, said: "Achieving accreditation gives assurance to students and employers that the course meets the high standards required by the Academy and that these standards will be maintained throughout the 5-year period of accreditation.
"We’re delighted to have achieved accreditation for our courses from the APS, which as only the fourth institution in the country to do so, is no mean feat."
Dr Elizabeth Opara, Head of the School of Science said, "The accreditation of our Pharmaceutical Sciences courses is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of our staff to create courses which are robust and future focused, to support our students to pursue a number of different career options.
"Our courses work closely with local industry, professional, statutory and regulatory bodies, and with our alumni to introduce current students to the wide range of employment opportunities on offer. I was especially heartened to hear that the APS found the students they met ‘were fully engaged, and genuinely proud of their institution and subject choice.’"
