Overview
The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree is awarded after successful completion of four years of professional study. Two years (62 semester credits) of pre-professional education is required for admission, followed by four years of professional studies. The curriculum is designed such that courses integrate information, building upon one another, and encompass both didactic and experiential learning. An integrated course model will be used to provide the foundations of drug actions. In this model, physiology, medicinal chemistry, and pharmacology are integrated to allow the student to see a broad view of how the physiochemical properties of medications interact with human physiology. The courses will be taught by system (i.e., cardiovascular, neurological, renal, etc.). Medications and human physiology pertinent to each system will be team-taught by faculty in their respective areas. Starting in the second year, an integrated course will be used to provide the foundations of the application of drug therapy to disease. Also taught by system (i.e., cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, etc.), the pathophysiology and application of drug therapy will be team-taught by faculty in their respective areas. Running throughout the first three years of the curriculum will be professional courses intended to provide the student with an opportunity to integrate and apply information and to work in small groups inter-professionally to complete projects and assignments, develop critical thinking skills, and foster collaboration. These courses will also provide early laboratory work in compounding and an opportunity for further development of both verbal and written skills. The curriculum also provides students with a broad range of introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences over the last three years of the professional curriculum. These experiences are student-centered, activity-based, outcome-oriented and they are designed to develop attitudes, values, and skills that foster the effective delivery of pharmaceutical care.