Welcome to the PharmD Program

White coats and name tags will be ordered for each student by the department. White coat sizes should be based on blazers or jackets that you wear over other clothing. Please contact Holly Baker, School of Pharmacy, at holly.baker@mcphs.edu to place your order.

MCPHS has established technology guidelines for all new students.

The Accelerated PharmD Program uses electronic testing (ExamSoft/Examplify) for all courses and for administering the Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment (PCOA) exam. All students are required to bring a laptop (Mac or PC) meeting the minimum specifications linked below in order for you to be able to sit for your exams and take the PCOA. When referring to the minimum specifications, take note of the requirements mentioning ExamID and ExamMonitor which require your electronic device to be equipped with a webcam and microphone. Please also note that, if fall classes are held remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions, a desktop computer may be used in place of the aforementioned laptop if it is properly equipped to use ExamID and ExamMonitor.

Each student will be required to purchase a privacy screen or privacy filter that fits their device.

PC Requirements

Mac Requirements

The Office of Experiential Education will play an important role during your time here as we guide you through the rotation process during your P2 and P3 years. We’ve put together a brief presentation to introduce you to our office and to give you an overview of what to expect in your experiential rotations. In order to access the presentation, you will need to self-enroll in the Wor/Man Introduction to Experiential Education course on Blackboard. Download instructions on how to self enroll.

During the fall semester, all incoming pharmacy students will be enrolled in Service and Care in the Community. This course is based on an educational method in which the participants connect knowledge and theory to practice. They do this by combining community service work with reflection, in a structured learning environment. This course is based on the conviction that providing service and care is critically important for anyone aspiring to become a member of a healthcare profession.

As part of the course, students will engage in weekly class discussions and will have opportunities to perform service work in the community*, collaborate on group research projects*, and facilitate class-led discussions.

More information about this program will be available on late summer. Please return to this site at that time to complete a brief survey and for further information.

Please direct related questions to Carrie Graham at carrie.graham@mcphs.edu.

*Dependent upon COVID requirements/restrictions

The Fall 2021 schedule will be available this summer – please check back periodically.

The MCPHS University bookstore on the Boston campus is able to sell and rent textbooks to students. Shipping is free to students ordering course material.

The Fall 2021 book list will be available this summer – please check back periodically.

The MCPHS School of Pharmacy –Worcester/Manchester (SOP-W/M) is pleased to highlight the availability of a PharmD Ramp-up Program for the Class of 2024. The program will start on August 23 and will continue through August 31, 2021.

The goal of the program is to review and emphasize key baseline content understanding that is required in specific coursework during the first professional year of the SOP-W/M PharmD program.

The Ramp-up Program includes sessions on the following topics. These sessions will be offered via remote delivery at specific dates and times.

• Biostatistics
• Medical Terminology
• Pharmaceutical Calculations
• Pharmaceutical Science/Chemistry

Download the PharmD Ramp-Up Program schedule.

In the first year of your PharmD program, Biostatistics will be introduced as part of the Drug Literature Evaluation and Informatics course series. Beyond these courses, Biostatistics concepts will continue to be applied and emphasized throughout the didactic and experiential coursework. A solid foundation in Biostatistics will be an expectation in the second and third years of your program.

A solid understanding of Medical Terminology will be of assistance in all of the coursework of your PharmD program. Instructors will use this terminology regularly and expect students to be familiar with such terminology.

Pharmaceutical Calculations will familiarize students with the math concepts that will be required for success in the two math-heavy courses in the PharmD program. Those courses include Pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics/Biopharmaceutics.

Pharmaceutical Science and Chemistry concepts serve as a foundation for the understanding of advanced concepts in your Pharmaceutical Sciences coursework, including courses such as Pharmaceutical Biochemistry, Physiology/Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology/Medicinal Chemistry/Toxicology. These topic areas are the cornerstone course series in the PharmD program.

Although participation in this program is optional, it is highly encouraged. We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity.