Monash University, Parkville campus

Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, previously known as The Victorian College of Pharmacy, is one of the oldest educational institutions in Australia. It was founded in 1881 as the School of the Pharmaceutical Society of Victoria (now Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Victoria branch). After being housed in various places in Melbourne, it moved to its present location in 1960. The move to Parkville was largely funded by the massive private donation of £25,000 by David Cossar.[8] At the time, this was the largest single donation to a pharmacy school in Australian history.[9] In its early years, the college was essentially run as a private institution, with the majority of its funding coming from tuition fees and the donations of benefactors. In 1967, the college reached an agreement with the federal and state governments for it to receive government financial assistance. In 1974, fees for tertiary education in Australia were abolished, meaning that funding for the college began to be sourced primarily from the federal government.

After the introduction of the unified national system of higher education in 1988, known as the Dawkins reforms, it was clear that the college had to combine with a university. Negotiations were started with University of Melbourne, which was seen as the obvious partner, given their close proximity. However, these negotiations collapsed in 1990. The college then began discussions with Monash University, which were successful. The transfer was finalised on 1 July 1992 and became the Faculty of Pharmacy of Monash University. It celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2006. In August 2008, the Victorian College of Pharmacy underwent a name change to reflect its position within Monash, to the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.[10]

• John Kruse (1882–1885)
• Cuthbert Blackett (1886) (acting)
• Alfred H. Jackson (1886–1889)
• Sidney Plowman (1890–1891)
• A.T.S. 'Stan' Sissons (1920–1962)
• Nigel Manning (1963–1978)
• Geoffrey Vaughan (1979–1987)
• Robert Burnet (1987) (acting)
• Colin Raper (1987) (acting)
• Tom R. Watson (1988–1991)
• Colin Chapman (1991–2006)
• Bill Charman (2007–2019)
• Arthur Christopoulos (2019–)

In teaching, the campus now incorporates:

• Department of Medicinal Chemistry
• Department of Pharmaceutical Biology and Pharmacology
• Department of Pharmaceutics
• Department of Pharmacy Practice

The Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) was set up in 2008 to focus on the research aspects within the faculty. The research activities are based on four key discipline-based themes including:

• Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Action
• Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation
• Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics
• Drug Discovery Biology
• Centre for Medicine Use and Safety

The campus's alumni includes graduates who have become well known in fields outside of science, including many politicians and senior public servants,[11] and national leaders such as Weary Dunlop.

• History of the Victorian College of Pharmacy
• Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences web site

• Janette Bomford, Victorian College of Pharmacy: 125 years of history, 1881-2006
• H.V. Feehan, Birth of the Victorian College of Pharmacy
• Louise Gray and Karen Stephens, Victorian College of Pharmacy: 125 stories for 125 years, 1881-2006
• Geoffrey Hutton, The Victorian College of Pharmacy: an observer's view
• Victorian College of Pharmacy, The Search for a partner : a history of the amalgamation of the Victorian College of Pharmacy and Monash University

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