Pharmaceutical Schools
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for pharmacists will increase by 17 percent from 2008 through 2018. In order to enter the field, students must earn a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from an accredited school of pharmacy. Through a combination of classroom-based lectures and hands-on experience in clinical settings, these schools prepare students for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam, the required test for pharmacist licensing in the United States.
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University of California at San Francisco
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In 2008, U.S. News and World Report rated the University of California at San Francisco as the best pharmacy school in the United States. The public university's pharmacy program has a highly-selective admissions policy; less than nine percent of those who apply each year receive an invitation to enroll, according to the university's website. Although a bachelor's degree is not required for admission to the Pharm.D. program provided students have undergraduate-level coursework experience in sciences and mathematics, having a baccalaureate degree greatly improves the chances of admission. The Pharm.D. program features clinical rotations throughout all four years of study and requires students to specialize in general pharmacy, pharmacy and public health, or pharmaceutical research. More than 99 percent of students who graduate from the program pass the required pharmacy licensing exams on their first try.
University of California at San Francisco
1700 4th St.
San Francisco, CA 94143
415-476-1947
pharmacy.ucsf.edu
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is 25 miles west of Raleigh on a suburban, 729-acre campus. The university's Eshelman School of Pharmacy received the second-place ranking among all pharmacy schools in the United States in 2008 from U.S. News and World Report. Only 550 professional pharmacy students attend classes at the school, and each year less than 20 percent of applicants receive admission to the program. The Pharm.D. program features 10 months of clinical rotations at a variety of facilities, including community pharmacies, inpatient wards, outpatient care centers, specialty hospitals and in specialty fields like chemotherapy. In addition, students receive training in the school's specialized Skills Lab, which simulates actual pharmacy settings.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
CB #7360
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7360
919-966-9429
pharmacy.unc.edu -
University of Minnesota
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Located both in Minneapolis and Duluth, the University of Minnesota is a public institution and the recipient of the third-place ranking among all pharmacy schools in the United States from U.S. News and World Report as of 2008. The university admits around 20 percent of all applicants into its Pharm.D. program, enrolling approximately 197 students per year between its two campuses, according to the college's website. Locations for clinical settings include acute care hospitals, retail pharmacies, government agencies and outpatient care centers. In addition to clinical placements, the program emphasizes the importance of research for pharmacy students and provides students in the program an opportunity to complete a research paper prior to graduation. Alternately, students can elect to study pharmacy leadership and complete a thesis on the subject.
University of Minnesota
308 Harvard St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612-624-9490
pharmacy.umn.edu
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