Location: Boston Start Term: Fall
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 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 lock-step 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.
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.
Year I-Fall
Year II-Fall
Year II-Spring
** Students will be block registered for their required courses in Year II. These courses may be taken either semester.
Professional years III-VI
Year III (First Professional Year)-Fall
Year III (First Professional Year)-Spring
Year IV (Second Professional Year)-Fall
Year IV (Second Professional Year)-Spring
Year V (Third Professional Year)-Fall
Year V (Third Professional Year)-Spring
Year VI (Fourth Professional Year)
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.
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.
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.
The MCPHS Pharmaceutical Career Exploration Stipend recipient shares insight into his professional journey.
Experience our innovative Pharmacy Lab, where students learn and practice skills in a simulated real-life pharmacy environment.
