Studying Pharmacy in Korea: Does a Pharmaceutical Science or Biotech Degree Lead to a Pharmacist Licence?

If you want to study a subject connected with medicines in Korea, start with one question: do you want a pharmacist licence, or do you want to study a particular area of pharmaceutical or biological research? Those goals require different comparisons. Similar department names are not enough to identify the right route.

Start with the licensing requirements

Article 3 of Korea’s Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, effective 8 October 2026, specifies accreditation, a pharmacy bachelor’s degree and the national examination for the domestic route. It also addresses accreditation at admission. A university admission offer and a pharmacist licence are separate milestones. Read Article 3.

Ask the university for the exact qualification awarded and how that particular programme relates to licensing. Then separately check whether its international admissions route accepts applicants with your educational background for the intended semester. Do not treat an English department title as an answer to either question.

Compare the questions, not just the programme names

Kyung Hee University’s College of Pharmacy lists its six-year pharmacy programme and pharmaceutical sciences department separately. A shared college name does not identify the particular programme or qualification you are choosing. See its undergraduate programme listing.

This is a decision worksheet, not a ranking of careers. Complete it for each shortlisted course before comparing scholarships or tuition. A lower price does not resolve a mismatch between the course and your intended qualification.

If you already studied pharmacy outside Korea

The foreign-qualification route requires graduation from a foreign pharmacy university meeting recognition standards, a foreign pharmacist licence, and passing both the preliminary and national pharmacist examinations. The ministry’s school-recognition, examination and licensing procedure should be reviewed separately from a Korean postgraduate application. See the ministry’s procedure.

Prepare a compact record of your institution’s official name, campus, degree title, entry and graduation years, and whether you hold a pharmacist licence abroad. These details make the question much more precise than “Can a graduate from my country work as a pharmacist?” Check the annual examination announcement for the applicable documents and submission schedule.

An illustrative example: two applicants, two enquiries

Applicant A has a biology bachelor’s degree and wants to investigate how medicines are developed. A should compare research themes, laboratory teaching, prerequisite subjects and the areas available for supervision. Applicant B has a foreign pharmacy degree and pharmacist licence and wants to pursue Korean licensing. B first needs to organise the school, qualification and licence information relevant to that review.

Both applicants might search for “pharmacy graduate school in Korea,” but sending them the same university list would hide their different starting points. Neither should choose a course before stating the outcome they actually want.

Build a shortlist in five steps

1. Write a concrete goal: Korean pharmacist licensing, or a named area you want to study or research.

2. List your current degree and professional licence separately. If you are still studying, include your expected completion date.

3. Record each candidate programme’s exact award, level and teaching language. Keep the official programme page beside the entry.

4. Check the intended intake’s international admissions criteria, prerequisite subjects and application calendar.

5. Collect unanswered questions for the admissions office rather than filling gaps from a similar programme elsewhere.

Keep the answers in one table. Useful headings are “confirmed by the institution,” “document still needed,” and “question awaiting a reply.” This also helps when a family member or adviser is comparing options with you: everyone can see which conclusion came from a formal requirement and which point is still being investigated.

For a focused GEA enquiry, send your present major, qualification, licence status and intended work or research goal. We can help organise the education options and the questions that need to be checked before you select a programme. Start a study consultation.

Basis: the Act effective 8 October 2026 and ministry guidance updated on 6 October 2026.

• Compare major courses with actual career tasks

Sources checked: 27 October 2026 · GEA