[German pharmacy degree course: an international comparison].

Abstract

While a pharmacy degree in Germany uses a state examination system, they are divided into three university education systems worldwide: Master of Science (MSc), Master of Pharmacy (MPharm), and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). The educational content of the German pharmacy degree and state examination is dictated by the "Approbationsordnung für Apotheker" (AAppO) and focuses on pharmaceutical sciences. Shaped by the Bologna Process, the MSc is an academic degree that focuses on advanced studies and research in a specific area of pharmaceutical sciences or related fields. The MPharm and PharmD degrees, which have become established in the Anglo-American region, offer primarily clinical training to prepare pharmacists for complex tasks in an interdisciplinary team. New technologies, scientific progress, and global challenges have an important influence on the content of pharmacist education, which is taken on board at very different speeds. While in many countries the subject-specific content and the achievement of uniformly defined competencies are ensured by accreditation bodies, the course content in countries like Germany does not allow any greater scope for redesign, which is due to rigid legal frameworks and educational policy fragmentation. Although the pharmacy degree is a highly qualifying process, there is an urgent need for European curricula to be more in line with the expectations of a modern pharmacist role profile. This narrative review examines the different university education systems and the driving factors for the further development of the pharmaceutical curriculum.