WELCOME TO THE PHARMD PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The PharmD program graduates high-quality professional pharmacy practitioners possessing the pharmacotherapeutic knowledge, professional abilities and expertise, and social cognizance to provide the highest standards in pharmacy care, patient-specific drug therapy, drug therapy information dissemina tion, and the knowledge to educate others about the manner in which drug therapy optimizes health care outcomes meeting or surpassing that as required by the Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 18 / Friday, January 28, 2005 / Rules and Regulations for Medication Therapy Management.
The College of Pharmacy is fully accredited by the American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) under the guidelines effective July 1, 2007. The Professional Pharmacy curriculum meets the educational requirements of the University of Utah Graduate School (UU General Catalog - Grad School Regulations & Information) and meets the educational requirements for licensure nationally as well as in the State of Utah (Guideline 9.1 and Utah DOPL Utah 2007 Rx Practice Act 58-17b & Rules R156-17b).
Why Choose A Career In Pharmacy?
“The PharmD program represents a collaborative effort of the four academic departments of the College of Pharmacy, i.e., the departments of Medicinal Chemistry, Molecular Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Pharmacotherapy.”
Advising Appointments
College of Pharmacy Informational Tour
Ryan Boyack, Development Director of the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, takes us through a quick look at what makes our college unique to the students that come here.
Frequently Asked Questions
We do not require that you have a Bachelor’s degree to enter our program. Students entering the program without a bachelor's degree will need to complete the general education courses required by their undergraduate institution.
Starting this admissions cycle (2021-2022), we will no longer be requiring the PCAT. Those who have already taken the PCAT may include it in their application, but it will neither positively or negatively effect the outcome of one's application.
- There are plenty of things that you can to strengthen your application. Some of the options include: pharmacy shadowing experience, getting your pharmacy tech license, finding new volunteer activities, participating in some sort of club leadership, getting involved with your universities Pre-Pharmacy club, and many more.
- As you prepare to apply, you can contact our Pre-Pharmacy advisor Kamryn Shepherd to set up an appointment to discuss your plans moving forward.
If you are taking courses from an accredited university, they will most likely transfer over. You can make sure by checking your course description and comparing it to the University of Utah’s course description.
- We currently offer a Dean’s Top-Ten Scholarship for applicants who rank in the top-ten of our applicant pool after interviews
- A new scholarship is available to the 10 highest ranked out-of-state students in the top 50% of the applicant pool which will allow cover the difference between nonresident and resident tuition and fees during the first year in the PharmD program.
- Additionally, there are scholarships available to top students who submit their applications early in the cycle. These are offered on a case-by-case basis.
- Throughout your time in our program, there are various opportunities to receive more scholarships. Those are made available to the students each year. To learn more about scholarships, visit our Financial Aid page.
Your First Year-Free award consists of three separate contributions to pay tuition. The first is scholarship funding from one or more of the College of Pharmacy’s generous donors. The second is fellowship funding from the College itself for this program. The last contribution comes from the University of Utah’s Tuition Benefit Program (TBP).
The TBP is available for graduate students meeting the requirements of the program. You will be eligible for this program as a Graduate Fellow by virtue of the scholarship/fellowship funding from the other two contributions and will be enrolled in the program by the College. The program does have a few other requirements you will need to meet for Fall and Spring semesters in order to have this portion of your tuition paid:
- Maintain full-time enrollment status;
- Maintain a 3.0 GPA; and
- Maintain good academic standing.
We allow you to take a course up to three times. Although, we will take the highest course grade from your first or second attempt.
Yes, and most of our students do! We recommend that students do not work more than 15-20 hours a week, as this is a rigorous program and commitment. You will also have opportunities to work and learn in a variety of pharmacy settings as a pharmacy intern.
The goal of the PharmD program is to develop individuals into excellent pharmacists who provide leadership in their organizations and service to their community. Experiences outside the classroom are essential to becoming this type of pharmacist and include employment (in and out of healthcare), leadership roles, service/volunteer activities. While not required healthcare and pharmacy related experience is highly recommended, and will strengthen your application. Consistent and long-term commitment to service is the preferred form of volunteerism. Leadership in multiple arenas is welcome and encouraged. Be sure to list all your paid work experience, volunteer, or extracurricular experiences in the Experiences section of your PharmCAS application, not just pharmacy or healthcare related experience.
- Pharmacy, healthcare and work experience
- Pharmacy or healthcare experience isn't required, but is preferred and will strengthen your application.
- Approximately half of each incoming class has experience as a pharmacy technician.
- Pharmacy experience also includes shadowing or interviewing practicing pharmacists.
- Include all employment experiences in your application.
- Community service / volunteer experience
- Focus on helping people and creating positive change demonstrates the ideal traits of a pharmacist who can provide service to their community after graduation.
- Demonstrated commitment to community service and volunteerism is to key to a strong application.
- Long term commitment to a cause and consistency is preferred.
- Please list all service/volunteer experience on your PharmCAS application.
- Leadership experience
- Leadership centers on working with others to accomplish shared goals and comes from a variety of life experiences and roles including but not limited to work, student organizations, volunteer work, school, home, etc.
- Leadership experience should be noted in the Leadership section of your PharmCAS application and, in addition, can be expressed in your personal statement.
- Research experience
- Professional or academic experience in employment or undergraduate settings is encouraged and reflects a commitment to discovering new knowledge.
- Research publications can be uploaded to your PharmCAS application as supplemental information.
Please contact the advising office to discuss your experience section in order to strengthen your application. The committee takes a holistic approach in review of files so including all the experience listed above with improve your application.
Here at the University of Utah, we are proud supporters of research, and many of our faculty members are currently working on their own projects. We invite interested students to get involved in this research by participating in programs, like P-SURF. This program allows students to get a hands on experience, and jumpstart their research opportunities.
Currently, we have returned to mostly in person classes, with a small selection of courses being offered online. While we are no longer navigating the COVID-19 pandemic we encourage all of our students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, all students are encouraged to continue to follow best health practices and are welcome to wear a mask if they prefer, or are feeling ill.
