This study reports on the perceptions of recent graduates of their undergraduate pharmacy course. Questionnaires were sent to 952 graduates undertaking their preregistration training in the period 1992–3. Of the total response of 695 (73 per cent), 55 per cent were in community pharmacy, 38 per cent in hospital and the remainder in various joint posts. Their opinions on the usefulness of course topics indicated that pharmacognosy and some topics within pharmaceutical chemistry were significantly regarded as of little use (P<0.05), while the vocationally‐oriented topics were the most useful. The only topics thought to require significantly more extensive teaching (P<0.05) were responding to symptoms and clinical pharmacy. Pharmacognosy and some topics within pharmaceutical chemistry were considered to require less teaching. The remainder were considered to be given sufficient time. Problem‐solving, and small group tutorials and seminars were considered very useful forms of learning by 73 per cent and 63 per cent of respondents, respectively. Clinically‐oriented topics were considered significantly beneficial (P<0.05) and useful for inclusion within the new four‐year framework.The study suggests that changes in course design should not include undergraduate specialisation, the graduates' branch of pharmacy having no influence on their opinion of the usefulness of clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice topics. It also suggests that some science‐based topics need to be made more relevant to pharmacy and that clinical and practice‐based topics should have a major role in an ex
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