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The pharmacy programmes are among the oldest and most prestigious programmes at Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU). The Faculty of Pharmacy obtained the status of a separate faculty over six decades ago and currently offers a full range of pharmacy studies at all levels and is positioning itself as the best choice for pursuing higher education in pharmacy. 

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Being a pharmacist means representing a multidisciplinary speciality with a huge potential, to become a healthcare professional with broad knowledge, interests and a desire to help patients.

Prof. Dace Bandere, Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy

Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals who work for pharmaceutical companies, wholesale pharmacies, research institutions, drugstores and hospitals. Fundamental knowledge of pharmaceuticals, their origin, research, impact on human organism, intake, manufacturing and distribution, rooted in human anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and pharmacological chemistry, likewise dosage form and pharmacy law studies allow pharmacists to bridge the gap between the patient and the medical practitioner in a professional and efficient manner. Pharmacy is a very dynamic profession: scientific achievements and innovation will motivate you to enhance your competences and skills throughout your professional life. The quality of the professional advice given by a pharmacist depends on his professional erudition. Nevertheless, a professional pharmacist is characterised not only by his professional knowledge but also by his interpersonal qualities, attitude and willingness to help.

To foster professional advancement opportunities, the students of the Faculty of Pharmacy actively participate in students’ professional organizations and develop contacts with other students, for example, the Latvian Pharmaceutical Students Association.

Studies

Pharmacists’ knowledge and effective medication counselling may solve multiple issues faced by patients and practitioners, as the pharmacist is a medication expert. The rapid development and change of medications makes the presence of a pharmacist at every distribution stage a compulsory requirement – at pharmaceutical companies, wholesale pharmacies, drugstores and clinics.

RSU Faculty of Pharmacy offers professional five-year full-time pharmacy studies. Part time studies are available for the graduates of the 1st Riga Medical College holding the qualification of an Assistant Pharmacist. The degree in pharmacy awarded by RSU is equivalent to the master’s degree and the diploma meets the qualification requirements set out in the Directive 2005/36/EC “On the Recognition of Professional Qualifications”. The graduates of the study programme may practice pharmacy and proceed with their competence building by enrolling in the doctoral study programme Pharmacy, the professional study programme Clinical Pharmacy or the 2nd level professional study programme Industrial Pharmacy.

Study programmes

Undergraduate study programmes

admission

Research

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Created in BioRender. Bandere, D. (2023) BioRender.com/j78v646

History

The Pharmacy Department of the University of Latvia at the Faculty of Chemistry was established in 1919. The initiators and the developers of the curriculum were Masters’ of Pharmacy Eduards Zariņš (1876–1947), Eduards Svirlovskis (1874–1949) and the pharmacist Mārtiņš Pusbarnieks (1880–1952). The pharmacist Dāvis Blūmentāls (1871–1937) and the Masters of Pharmacy Jānis Kupcis (1871–1936) and Jānis Maizīte (1883–1950) joined them as the teaching staff. During the first period of independence (1918-1940) the pharmaceutical education in Latvia rested on the shoulders of the graduates of Tartu University Jānis Maizīte, Jānis Kupcis, Eduards Zariņš and Eduards Svirlovskis - reputable scientific workers, pharmacists with decades of teaching experience at Russia’s universities, with rich practice at European pharmaceutical institutions and executive experience in holding pharmacy related positions. The created higher education system in pharmacy was one of the best in Europe.

Over the years, the Faculty of Pharmacy has been an integral part of Rīga Medical Institute, the Medical Academy of Latvia and to this day - Rīga Stradiņš University.