History of the college

Pre 1960

The Victorian College of Pharmacy was established in 1881 as the school of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria. That society had itself been founded in 1857 by early immigrant British pharmacists to control and develop the professional aspects of pharmacy in the rapidly developing colony. The college was founded on similar lines to those existing at the London School of Pharmacy, which in turn was owned and operated by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

The college was initially established in the Melbourne Technological Museum, moved to Fitzroy for a short period, and was ultimately housed in the County Court building at 360 Swanston Street, Melbourne. The Pharmaceutical Society had purchased the building in 1882 and had carried out adequate renovations to commence classes at that site in 1884.

The first classes were established under an apprenticeship system which involved attendance at the college for tuition in chemistry, botany, materia medica and pharmacy. Students could enter the course at any date and pursue an independent course of study leading to a registration examination conducted by the Pharmacy Board of Victoria. A compulsory syllabus was formalised within the Medical Act 1915 and subsequently led to a four-year apprenticeship and study requirement for registration.

1960-1970

In 1960 great changes took place in pharmacy education. The college, still as the School of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria, moved to new premises in Parkville. In the same year the Pharmacy Board approved a full-time three-year course in pharmacy and abandoned the apprenticeship system of training.

The college affiliated with the Victoria Institute of Colleges in 1966 and was granted permission to award the Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in 1967. The college thus became the first non-university school in Australia to offer a Bachelors degree. A Master of Pharmacy degree followed in 1970.

Prior to 1967 the college had been run as a private institution. It was funded primarily from student fees with some government assistance and the generosity of benefactors. In 1967, by an agreement between the Federal and State governments, the college received its first appreciable government financial assistance which supplemented student fees.

1970-1980

In 1974 the Federal Government abolished fees in tertiary institutions and took over full responsibility for funding post-secondary education.

The Swanston Street building and the original development at Parkville were funded by the Pharmaceutical Society through the generosity of its members, the pharmaceutical industry and various benefactors. A new laboratory block on the Parkville site, called the Manning Building, was opened in 1971. Although built from government funds, it was furnished and equipped by the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria by way of an appeal to its members and to the pharmaceutical and allied industries.

In accordance with Government requirements, the college became an independent organisation in 1977. It became a company limited by guarantee, the Victorian College of Pharmacy Ltd, and operated under the Companies Act. The academic activities of the college were governed by the Medical Act, the Pharmacists Act and the Victoria Institute of Colleges Act.

1980-1990

Through the repeal of the Victoria Institute of Colleges Act in 1980 the college was then accountable to the Victorian Post-Secondary Education Commission and required to operate in accordance with the Post-Secondary Education Act 1978. In 1984 the college became a ‘declared institution’ and was able to accredit its full range of courses through a process similar to that adopted by universities.

A major restructuring commenced in 1988 in the wake of the Commonwealth Government’s white paper on higher education. Essentially the so-called binary system of having separate but parallel sectors of universities and colleges of advanced education was abolished. Several of the larger institutions of higher education were upgraded to university status. Smaller colleges such as the Victorian College of Pharmacy were encouraged to amalgamate with larger institutions. A new unified national system of higher education emerged.

Initially the college explored the possibility of a link with the University of Melbourne, through affiliation in 1988 and a heads of agreement in 1989. Amalgamation negotiations between the two institutions broke down in 1990, however, in the face of unresolved difficulties.

Later in 1990 discussions were commenced with Monash University. An affiliations agreement and heads of agreement were entered into as the first steps towards amalgamation.

1990-2000

Government approval was given to the merger with Monash University in 1990. The assets and liabilities of the Victorian College of Pharmacy (Monash University) Ltd were transferred to Monash University on 1 July 1992. This was achieved by the successful passage through the Victorian Parliament of the Monash University (Pharmacy College) Act 1992. The college was managed by an Interim Management Committee pending the liquidation of the college company being completed and pending the making of appropriate legislation by the Monash University Council.

In December 1992 and February 1993 the Victorian College of Pharmacy Statute and Regulations were made by the university Council. This legislation established the college as the equivalent of a faculty of Monash University and provided for its academic affairs to be governed a college board chaired by the dean. New regulations to govern the Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy degrees were approved by the College Board late in 1994 and made by the university Council early in 1995.

In 1994, the honours degree of the Bachelor of Pharmacy was commenced as a direct entry into the college’s graduate research programs and a revised and retitled Graduate Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy was introduced in 1995. The College Board also redesignated the college’s three schools into four departments of Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Biology and Pharmacology, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice.

Planning commenced in 1995 for extension of the Bachelor of Pharmacy course to four years, in line with practice overseas and with moves being made in other states. University approval was granted for the four-year course in 1996, for introduction in 1997. Approval was also granted for the Master in Computational Chemistry degree in 1997 and a joint Bachelor of Pharmacy/Bachelor of Commerce degree program to commence in 1998. 1996 also saw the redesignation of the honours degree of Bachelor of Pharmacy and Master of Pharmacy as the honours degree of Pharmaceutical Science and Master of Pharmaceutical Science respectively.

A new wing was added to the Sissons Building in 1996 as well as a new suite of six tutorial rooms marking the first major building activity on campus since the Manning Building was completed in 1971. This work was completed by extensive landscaping in 1998 which greatly enhanced the amenity of the campus.

2000-2006

The year 2000 saw the commencement of the new three year Bachelor of Formulation Science course at the college, bringing the total student population at the Parkville campus to around 650. At the end of the year, the first cohort of 135 students completed the new four year pharmacy program.

In 2003 the college introduced the new three year Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry, the first year of which is studied on Monash’s Clayton campus.

2005 saw many new developments at the college. Two new Chairs were established; Professor Michael Dooley became the first Professor of Clinical Pharmacy, a position he holds jointly with the Directorship of Pharmacy at Bayside Health, and Professor Barrie Finnin became the first Chair of Formulation Science in Australia.

Construction began in July 2005 on the college’s new building. The Minister for Innovation and State and Regional Development, Mr John Brumby, launched construction to accommodate biotechnology research and innovation to greatly enhance the world-class standing of the college's research into drug discovery and delivery. The redevelopment will also include an upgrade of the Manning Building, an extension of the C L Butchers library and the establishment of a new simulated clinical practice teaching facility. It is also hoped that part of the redevelopment will include the opening of a pharmacy museum at the college to house the PDL collection and further pharmacy archival materials which are not currently on display

Construction of the new building, the first phase of a major expansion of the campus, is due for completion in 2007.