Overview

The Pharm.D. program extends over six years of study with a total of 201 credits to complete, including two years of pre-pharmacy followed by four professional years (P1, P2, P3 and P4) of pharmacy education.

The P4 curriculum applies only to Pharm.D. students. It encompasses all the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) that include nine clerkship rotations of which four are required and five are electives for a total of 1,440 hours. The four required APPEs are conducted in the United States or its territories or possessions (District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands). All APPEs are conducted after students have successfully completed all didactic, laboratory and practical (IPPEs) course work during the first three professional years.

Admission Requirements

The Pharm.D. degree is given in both the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

Applicants to the professional year 4 (P4) leading to the Pharm.D. degree must apply within two years of completing professional year 3 (P3) in an ACPE-accredited program. They must complete an application form for admission into the P4 year. Application forms are obtained from the Student Affairs Office at the School of Pharmacy and must be completed and submitted with all required documents before December 15. Incomplete applications and any application received after the deadline will not be processed.

To be eligible for applying to admission into the P4 year, students must fulfill all of the following conditions during their professional pharmacy years:

• Complete all professional pharmacy courses with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5;
• Pass all courses of the professional pharmacy program with a minimum letter grade C;
• Have no more than three course repeats, whether these repeats were of the same course or different courses (Note: a course withdrawal noted “WF” is counted as repeat); and
• Not received more than one official academic warning.

Evaluation criteria for admission into the professional program are based on:

• GPA of courses related to the professional pharmacy program courses;
• Performance on an interview conducted during the admissions process;
• Cumulative internal evaluation by SOP faculty who were directly involved in teaching the applicant;
• Three recommendation letters (attached to the application);
• Number of repeated courses (R), withdrawal (WF), and failed courses (F); and
• Number of official academic warnings

The School Admissions Committee reviews applications and conducts interviews at the end of the fall semester of the P3 year. Student acceptance into the P4 year remains pending until successful completion of all P3 courses. A student may not carry any course from the pharmacy professional program to the P4 year. Admission to the P4 year takes place in the fall semester of each academic year. The P4 year has a capacity to accommodate 25 to 30 students each academic year.

Graduation Requirements

The Pharm.D. program extends over six years of study with a total of 201 credits to complete, including two years of pre-pharmacy followed by four professional years (P1, P2, P3 and P4) of pharmacy education.

A student must pass all P4 courses with a minimum letter grade of C to be able to graduate, based on:

Program Requirements

Required Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (12 credits)

• PHA670 / Ambulatory Care (3 cr.)
• PHA671 / Community Pharmacy (3 cr.)
• PHA672 / Hospital/Health System Pharmacy (3 cr.)
• PHA670 / Inpatient/Acute Care General Medicine (3 cr.)

Elective Pharmacy Practice Experiences (15 credits)

Students are required to take 5 elective rotations. They can choose from the following topics:

• PHA650 / Academic Teaching (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Cardiology/Coronary Care Unit (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Critical Care (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Emergency Medicine (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Endocrinology (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Family Medicine (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Academic (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Infectious Disease (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Industrial Pharmacy (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Internal Medicine (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Nephrology (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Neurology (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Obstetrics/Gynecology (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Oncology (Inpatient) (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Oncology (Outpatient) (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Pediatrics (3 cr.)
• PHA650 / Regulatory Affairs (3 cr.)

Career Opportunities

Pharm.D. graduates find employment in a variety of settings after graduation, including:

• Hospital & other institutional settings
• Pharmaceutical Marketing & Industrial Pharmacy
• Academic Pharmacy
• Community Pharmacy
• Pharmacy Consulting                            

Pharm.D. graduates also pursue further advanced studies, such as:

• Pharmacy Residency
• Master of Science (Public Health)
• MBA
• Ph.D.
• Other (Medical Research Diploma)