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Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) — Direct Entry

Location: Boston
Start Term: Fall, Spring

As a pharmacist, you are part of patients’ daily lives and pivotal healthcare moments. This program educates students to become practicing pharmacists, critical thinkers and responsible healthcare professionals.

This full-time, six-year direct entry Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program includes a two-year pre-professional phase that combines the liberal arts, communications, and basic sciences followed by a four-year professional phase that focuses on the pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice. And, because the program is direct-entry, you don't need to reapply at the end of the pre-professional phase. You’ll have the opportunity to work alongside professional experts through clinical experiences in our immersive laboratories and through clinical rotations covering inpatient medicine, institutional pharmacy, ambulatory care, and community pharmacy at more than 1,000 partners across the country.

Freshman applicants may view the admission requirements on our Undergraduate Applicants page.  

Students with 12 or more college credits may transfer in to the first or second year of the program depending on availability of seats. Courses must have been completed at a regionally accredited college or university with a grade of C or better for transfer. Math and science courses taken more than ten years prior to the anticipated date of matriculation to MCPHS will not be accepted.

While there are no specific required courses for entry into the first year of our program, the admission committee will look for success in any math and science courses you have already taken. If you complete any of the non-math/non-science courses listed below, you may receive transfer credit and your first year course load may be lighter. However, due to the block registration nature of MCPHS programs, entering the first year of the program with transfer credits will not change the total length of your program. Courses, other than elective courses, may not be moved forward in your schedule. All students transferring in to the first year of the PharmD program must complete all math and science courses at MCPHS and therefore may need to repeat courses previously completed.

Required courses for entry into Year II:

  • General Biology I & II with lab(8 credits)
  • General Chemistry I & II with lab (8 credits)
  • Calculus I & II (6 credits)
  • Expository Writing I & II (6 credits)
  • American Culture, Identity, and Public Life (3 credits) (Acceptable substitutions include Introduction to Sociology or upper-level sociology course)

Required courses for entry into Year III:

  • Organic Chemistry I with lab (4 credits)
  • Organic Chemistry II (3 credits)
  • Microbiology with lab (4 credits)
  • Statistics (3 credits) (Acceptable substitutions include Basic Statistics, Biostatistics, Psychological Statistics, Economic Statistics)
  • Physics (3 credits if calculus-based or 6 credits if algebra-based)
  • American Culture, Identity, and Public Life (3 credits) (Acceptable substitutions include Introduction to Sociology)
  • Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
  • Interpersonal Communications for Health Professionals (3 credits) (Acceptable substitutions includes Introduction to Speech)
  • Macroeconomics (3 credits)

At least two courses from the following Distribution Elective categories:

  • Humanities elective (3 credits) (Acceptable courses include Literature, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Ethics, Religious Studies, Select Fine Arts, Advanced Level Languages)
  • Behavioral Science elective (3 credits) (Acceptable courses include any upper level psychology course)
  • Social Science elective (3 credits) (Acceptable courses include History, Political Science/Government, Anthropology, Upper-level Sociology, American Studies, Women Studies, Ethnic Studies, Geography, Economics)
COURSE TITLE SEMESTER HOURS

Year I-Fall
BIO 151 Biology I: Cellular and Molecular Biology 3
CHE 131 Chemical Principles I (w/ lab) 4
ITM 101 Introduction to the Major 1
LIB 111 Expository Writing I 3
MAT 150*/151 Precalculus* OR Calculus I 3
TOTAL 14
 * If placed in Precalculus, this course will replace 3 semester hours of general elective credit during Year II. 

Year I-Spring
BIO 152 Biology II: Biology of Organisms (w/lab) 4
CHE 132 Chemical Principles II (w/lab) 4
LIB 112 Expository Writing II 3
LIB 120 Introduction to Psychology OR
LIB 133 American Culture, Identity,and Public Life 3
MAT 151/152* Calculus I OR Calculus II* 3
TOTAL 17
 * Students must complete MAT 152 prior to progression into PHY 270 Foundations of Physics I

Year II-Fall
BIO 255** Medical Microbiology (w/lab)** 4
CHE 231 Organic Chemistry I (w/lab) 4
LIB 120/133 Introduction to Psychology OR
American Culture, Identity & Public Life 		3
PHY 270** Foundations of Physics I** 3
PSB 210** Macroeconomics** 3
Distribution Elective 3
TOTAL 20

Year II-Spring
CHE 232 Organic Chemistry II 3
LIB 220** Introduction to Interpersonal Communication for Health Professionals** 3
MAT 261** Statistics 3
PHY 270** Foundations of Physics I 3
PSB 210** Macroeconomics** 3
Distribution Elective 3
TOTAL 18

** Students will be block registered for their required courses in Year II. These courses may be taken either semester. 

Professional years III-VI

COURSE TITLE SEMESTER HOURS

Year III (First Professional Year)-Fall
PPB 325 Introduction to Practice Management I (w/lab) 3
PSB 328 Physiology/Pathophysiology I 4
PSB 331 Biochemistry I 3
PSB 340 Pharmaceutics I 4
PSB 343L Pharmaceutics Laboratory I 1
PSB 320**** Introduction to Healthcare Delivery OR Distribution Elective 3
TOTAL 18

Year III (First Professional Year)-Spring
PSB 329 Physiology/Pathophysiology II 4
PSB 332 Biochemistry II 3
PPB 335 Introduction to Practice Management II (w/lab) 2
PSB 341 Pharmaceutics II 3
PSB 344L Pharmaceutics Laboratory II 1
PSB 424 Research Methods in Pharmacoepidemiology 2
PSB 320**** Introduction to Healthcare Delivery OR Distribution Elective 3
TOTAL 18
 **** These courses may be taken either semester.

Year IV (Second Professional Year)-Fall
PPB 419 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience I 2
PPB 485 Drug Literature Evaluation 3
PSB 441 Medicinal Chemistry I 3
PSB 451 Pharmacology I 4
PPB 445 Therapeutics I 3
PSB 450 Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 3
TOTAL 18

Year IV (Second Professional Year)-Spring
PPB 414 Virology and Anti-infectives 4
PPB 446 Therapeutics II 3
PSB 430 Pharmacokinetics I 3
PSB 442 Medicinal Chemistry II 3
PSB 454 Pharmacology II 4
TOTAL 17

Year V (Third Professional Year)-Fall
LIB 512 Healthcare Ethics OR Professional Elective ***** 3
PPB 519 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience II 1
PPB 502 OTC Drugs/Self Care 3
PPB 545 Advanced Practice Management I (w/lab) 3
PPB 555 Advanced Therapeutics I 4
PPB 551 Advanced Therapeutics Seminar I 1
PSB 432 Pharmacokinetics II 3
TOTAL 18

Year V (Third Professional Year)-Spring
LIB 512 Healthcare Ethics OR Professional Elective ***** 3
PPB 546 Advanced Practice Management II (w/lab) 4
PPB 552 Advanced Therapeutics Seminar II 1
PPB 556 Advanced Therapeutics II 4
PSB 411 Pharmacy Law 3
Professional elective 3
TOTAL 18
 ***** May be taken either semester.

Year VI (Fourth Professional Year)
PPBC 601 - 606 Advanced Pharmacy Experience Program Rotations 36
NAPLEX Review Modules: 1 to 4 0
TOTAL 36

Total credits to complete degree*: 206

Sixth Year

(Fourth Professional Year)

During the final year of study, PharmD students earn 36 credit hours by completing 36 weeks of advanced experiential rotations. The rotations start as early as May and run consecutively through late November or December. The rotations resume in January and finish in May.

Students are required to complete rotations in Inpatient Medicine, Institutional Pharmacy Practice, Ambulatory Care, and Community Pharmacy Practice. Additionally, students complete two elective rotations from areas such as administration, cardiology, community practice, critical care medicine, drug information, emergency medicine, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, nephrology, oncology/hematology, obstetrics/gynecology, pediatrics, poison information, and psychiatry.

Elective rotations chosen by the student are reviewed by the coordinators of experiential education to determine whether the rotations provide appropriate emphasis and balance to the student's overall program.  Scheduling of the rotations is completed by the Office of Experiential Education and may be modified at the discretion of the coordinator(s).

For students participating in the 5-Year Accelerated PharmD Pathway, please click here to review your curriculum. 

 

Our students learn from faculty who are leaders in their fields and are committed to the success of each student. Discover our full list of PharmD faculty. 

Students in the Boston PharmD program may elect to apply for the 5-Year Accelerated PharmD Pathway and complete the professional phase of their degree in three years (instead of four) by transferring to the Worcester or Manchester campus after the initial two years of pre-professional study in Boston. Interested students are eligible to apply in the spring of the second year of the program, provided they have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and submit an internal application of intent. (Students with these qualifications will receive a guaranteed interview at the campus of their choice).

The five-year pathway features a year-round, concentrated curriculum in the professional phase. Upon transferring to the Worcester or Manchester campus, students will enroll in eight classes during the Fall P1 year and complete the PharmD curriculum in a total of 8 semesters that include two summer terms. The transfer process is seamless— MCPHS ‐ Boston students will maintain their existing scholarships.

The Doctor of Pharmacy Honors Program offers highly motivated and academically talented students the opportunity to pursue their professional interests and advance their skills and talents beyond the level possible in the standard PharmD curriculum.

Honors students will:

  • Participate in small class seminars with peers that foster the development and improvement of research and presentation skills
  • Work closely with faculty members during seminars and research activities
  • Be matched with an individual faculty research mentor
  • Conduct a research project under the supervision of their research mentor in Pharmaceutical, Clinical, or Pharmaceutical Business and Administrative Sciences

Benefits:

  • Enhanced professional and career advancement
  • Gain research and presentation skills through seminars and their research project, which help students become stronger professional candidates in their academic and professional pursuits
  • Close working relationships with faculty and their research mentor, which have the potential for work that may be presented at conferences or published
  • Honors designation at graduation with completion of all program requirements

School of Pharmacy-Boston

The School of Pharmacy – Boston (SOP-B) is committed to the development and delivery of quality programs that prepare a culturally diverse student body to become qualified practitioners of patient-centered care, services and research in the pharmaceutical professions while maintaining a multidisciplinary environment conducive to excellence in teaching, scholarship and professional advancement.

Strategic Plan

The School of Pharmacy – Boston undertakes planning and evaluation in order to accomplish and improve the achievement of its mission. Long-term planning objectives are articulated in the School of Pharmacy Boston Strategic Plan. 

CATEGORY VALUE
Number of degrees conferred 330
On-time graduation rate 81%
Graduates entering post-graduate training (Residency or Fellowship) 14.2%
Graduates employed at graduation 80.9%
First time pass rate on 2015 NAPLEX 88.2%

MCPHS University – Boston School of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60602-5109; tel.: 312.664.3575, 800.533.3606; fax: 312.664.4652, website: www.acpe-accredit.org.

 

Get an insider’s perspective

Amanda Robinson PharmD '19, Professor Jennifer Prisco, Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy, Allison Lombardi, Senior Assistant Director of Admission.

Professor Jennifer Prisco, Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy, Allison Lombardi, Senior Assistant Director of Admission, and Amanda Robinson, PharmD share what makes the PharmD program so unique.

Watch