Community Pharmacists' Intention and Motivation to Pursue a Master's Degree in Pharmaceutical Marketing

Background: The pharmaceutical industry plays a major role in healthcare by improving health outcomes, fostering innovation, and ensuring the availability of essential medicines available to a wide population. As the pharmaceutical market develops in view of the Vision 2030 framework, it is imperative for community pharmacists to diversify their expertise in Saudi Arabia. Objective: This study investigated the motivations, perceived facilitators, and barriers that affect community pharmacists in Saudi Arabia in pursuing a postgraduate degree in pharmaceutical marketing. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 194 community pharmacy professionals in Saudi Arabia between March and October 2024. Data were gathered via a structured questionnaire regarding pharmacists’ demographics, motivations, perceived facilitating factors, and obstacles to obtaining a master’s degree in pharmaceutical marketing. The data were analyzed in IBM’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) using descriptive statistics. Results: In total, 194 participants expressed interest in a master’s degree in pharmaceutical marketing, with 73.5% motivated by professional advancement, 75.2% by salary increase, and 72.6% by job stability. Flexibility in work schedules (59.3%) and the availability of scholarships (57.5%), coupled with accelerated degree programs and online course options, emerged as important facilitating factors. Significant barriers were program cost (51.3%), lack of time (57.1%), and tight work schedules (51.8%), together with lack of local programs and proximity to retirement. Conclusion: The study shows that Saudi community pharmacists have a significant interest in pursuing pharmaceutical marketing at the higher education level, mainly for professional advancement and financial benefits. To increase enrollment, it is essential to address barriers, particularly those related to financial and logistical constraints. These findings are beneficial to policymakers, education institutions, and industry stakeholders to facilitate the development of targeted programs that meet the evolving needs of the pharmacy workforce in Saudi Arabia in alignment with the Vision 2030 objectives.