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 rotations, four of which 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

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 1. 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 for 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 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (15 credits)

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

• PHA 650A / Academic Teaching (3cr.)
• PHA 650B / Cardiology/CCU (3cr.)
• PHA 650C / Critical Care (3cr.)
• PHA 650D / Discharge Medication Counseling (3cr.)
• PHA 650E / Emergency Medicine (3cr.)
• PHA 650F / Endocrinology (3cr.)
• PHA 650G / Industrial Pharmacy (3cr.)
• PHA 650H / Infectious Diseases (3cr.)
• PHA 650I / Internal Medicine I (3cr.)
• PHA 650K / Nephrology (3cr.)
• PHA 650L / Neurology (3cr.)
• PHA 650M / Obstetrics and Gynecology (3cr.)
• PHA 650N / Oncology (3cr.)
• PHA 650O / Pediatrics (3cr.)
• PHA 650P / Primary Care (3cr.)
• PHA 650Q / Regulatory Affairs (3cr.)
• PHA 650 R / Ambulatory Care (Makhzoumi Foundation)  (3cr.)
• PHA 650 S / Internal Medicine II (3cr.)

Career Opportunities

Graduates find employment in a variety of settings after graduation, including:

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

Graduates also pursue further advanced studies, such as:

• Pharmacy Residencies
• Pharmacy Fellowship
• Master of Science (MS)
• Master of Public Health (MPH)
• Master of Business and Administration (MBA)
• Ph.D. (generally following a Master degree)
• Other: Masters programs, Diplomas (e.g., research)