Professional Curriculum

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.

The curriculum begins with a strong foundation in the basic, pharmaceutical, and clinical sciences with introductory practice experiences, culminating with a wide variety of advanced experiential opportunities and seminar presentations.  This strong basic science background emphasizing the clinical sciences fully prepares our graduates to understand new scientific and biomedical knowledge and develops their pharmacy mastery to optimize pharmaceutical care to the benefit of the patient and healthcare practice and outcomes.

A number of courses in the curriculum emphasize written and oral communication skills.  Medication and patient safety, cultural competence, health literacy, health care disparities, ethical and social responsibilities, and other competencies needed to work as a member of an interprofessional team are woven throughout the curriculum in didactic and experiential course work.

The curriculum also provides the background and experiences that help develop abilities for lifelong learning.  Our graduates are more apt to update their skills and implement changes in practice to benefit their charges, in addition to succeeding as accomplished, caring, and innovative practitioners.