Doctor of Pharmacy Accelerated PharmD
Worcester/Manchester, NH
For students who aspire to become practicing pharmacists and have completed their preprofessional coursework at an accredited college or university, this year-round, full-time, 34-month program provides an intensive professional course of study leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences School of Pharmacy-Worcester/Manchester is one of only a handful of institutions in the country that offers this type of accelerated PharmD program.
The program educates students to become critical thinkers and responsible health care professionals. Graduates are eligible to sit for board examinations and become licensed pharmacists. Some states require accumulation of intern hours as well.
Two years of classroom and laboratory coursework must be completed in residence at MCPHS-Worcester/Manchester. Courses are delivered primarily at the Worcester campus and simultaneously telecast via videoconferencing technology with interactive connectivity at the Manchester campus.
Clinical Rotations
Professional Experience Program (PEP)
Ten months of off-campus clinical rotations in the Professional Experience program (PEP) are an essential component of the Accelerated PharmD program. In a wide range of pharmacy settings, students learn to make decisions based on their professional knowledge and judgment. Students apply classroom learning, develop skills in a practice setting, and network with established clinical practitioners.
Clinical rotations may be scheduled at some distance from the campus. This is necessary to provide a range of diverse learning experiences and to ensure availability and quality of clinical rotation sites.
Graduates are well prepared to pursue a wide range of career opportunities. For example:- Pharmacist in a community or institutional setting
- Clinical pharmacist, designing and implementing medication therapy regimens
- Pharmacy administration in a hospital or chain
- Pharmacy administration in government, managed care, or the insurance industry
- Post-graduate residency or fellowship
- Graduate program leading to advanced degree
Specialty Track: Community Pharmacy Entrepreneurship program
The Community Pharmacy Entrepreneurship Program is offered on the Worcester, MA campus only.
Students can take an optional specialty track in community entrepreneurship within the accelerated PharmD program, which prepares
students to successfully and profitably operate a community pharmacy.
This track, which combines classroom learning and experiential education, was developed, in conjunction with AmerisourceBergen to foster student interest in community pharmacy management and ownership. All courses required for this track count toward fulfillment of requirements for the PharmD degree.
Preprofessional courses
Successful completion of the following coursework is required for admission to the PharmD accelerated program.
Preprofessional Course Descriptions 
| Required | Semester hours |
|---|---|
| Biology (General and Human) (with Laboratory) | 8 |
| Microbiology (with Laboratory) | 3 |
| Chemistry (General) (with Laboratory) | 8 |
| Chemistry (Organic) (with Laboratory) | 8 |
| English Composition | 6 |
| Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Introduction to History and Political Science | 3 |
| Calculus | 3 |
| Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| Physics (with Laboratory) | 3 |
| Economics (Macro,Micro, or General) | 3 |
| Mathematics or Computer Science | 3 |
| Total for required preprofessional courses | 57 |
| Elective | Semester hours |
|---|---|
| Humanities | 3 |
| Social Sciences | 3 |
| Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| Total for required preprofessional electives | 9 |
- Total preprofessional credits: 66 s.h.
Other clarifying information
Prerequisites (as indicated above) must have been completed at a regionally accredited college or university. Math and lab science courses must be completed no more than ten years prior to the anticipated date of matriculation to MCPHS. Students must receive a C or better for a course to be transferable. Preference is given to applicants who have completed pre-requisite courses at 4-year colleges or universities. Though a bachelor’s degree is not required, most applicants will have a BA or BS before starting the program.If prerequisite coursework was completed more than ten years ago:
An exception to the ten-year rule for courses successfully completed may be considered on a case-by-case basis. A letter of request may be made to the PharmD Program Admission Committee in care of the campus admission office. The formal letter MUST include when and where the course was taken, the grade received in the course, and the rationale for requesting the exception. A current resume and copies of transcripts supporting your argument must be included.
Please note that we believe student success in the program is dependent upon current working knowledge of the courses with a 10-year time limit. Exceptions to the rule are likely to be rare.