Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Students with a solid science foundation who are interested in pharmaceutical research can pursue a Master of Science in pharmaceutical sciences while also working toward completion of a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmDMSPS). Designed to meet the rapidly growing need for highly trained individuals working to develop new treatments and improve patient outcomes, this program increases marketability in the pharmaceutical industry and prepares students for additional training in pharmaceutical sciences and other related fields. Students in the concurrent program take 144 credit hours in the PharmD program and 20 credit hours in the MSPS program for a total of 164 credit hours. Students accepted into the concurrent program will need to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in graduate courses. Students placed on pharmacy academic probation will be required to pause their concurrent degree studies until they successfully remediate pharmacy courses and return to non-probation status. Students who fail to meet the master's progression criteria must meet with the master's program director to discuss a retention and remediation plan. The School of Pharmacy will also be involved in the discussion of the progression status of the concurrent degree studies. Based on the timeline, students may be unable to complete the concurrent degree.

Prior to applying for the concurrent program, applicants must obtain approval from the Office of Professional and Student Affairs in the School of Pharmacy. The PharmD student may be admitted into the concurrent program after the completion of at least the first professional year. Applications for the Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences program must be submitted to the Graduate School by March 15. The selection of accepted concurrent PharmD/MSPS students will be competitive based on available resources. Only PharmD students with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in the PharmD program (or with the approval of the MSPS program director) and in good academic standing are eligible to apply for the concurrent program.To be considered for admission to the PharmD program in the School of Pharmacy, candidates must:Complete the pre-pharmacy curriculum by the end of the spring term prior to planned enrollment in the School of Pharmacy.All courses listed in the pre-pharmacy curriculum must be completed with a grade of C or better.Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) in both pre-pharmacy curriculum grade point average and pre-pharmacy science and mathematics grade point average.