Program Overview

---

Doctor of Pharmacy at the Medical College of Wisconsin

The Medical College of Wisconsin's Pharmacy School offers an innovative model of pharmacy education, helping to develop a pipeline of new, world-class pharmacists for Wisconsin. This program aims to ensure that high-quality healthcare continues for future generations in both urban and rural communities throughout the state.

MCW's Innovative PharmD Program

The program features:

• 3-Year Program
• Experiential Education
• Academic Medical Center Partnerships
• Interprofessional Education
• Small Class Size

3-Year Program

MCW's Pharmacy School is one of the few pharmacy schools in the country offering a 3-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree. This is ideal for those interested in pursuing a residency program one year sooner than their counterparts at other institutions or eager to begin practicing immediately after graduation with certificates in hand for point-of-care testing, medication therapy management, and immunization training.

Experiential Education

Students complete a total of 2240 clinical practice hours at community pharmacies, academic and community hospitals, and ambulatory care settings. Clinical experience begins in the second quarter of the first year and continues weekly. Advanced clinical experiences in the third and final year of the PharmD program take students out of the classroom and immerse them in the practice setting full-time.

Academic Medical Center Partnerships

The Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy is located on a premier academic medical center: the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center. Partnerships with Froedtert, Children's Wisconsin, and the Zablocki VA Medical Center provide access to top-ranked, state-of-the-art practice settings.

Interprofessional Education

MCW pharmacy students begin interprofessional education during their very first session, interacting with students from 12 different healthcare professions throughout the 3-year curriculum. Students engage in more than 200 hours of interprofessional collaborative experiences, gaining experience providing team-based care, which contributes to better outcomes for patients.

Small Class Size

In addition to small class sizes and meaningful mentorship opportunities with renowned faculty, MCW Pharmacy School students find a supportive, approachable, and innovative learning environment. The educational experience blends more than a century of rich medical education traditions with cutting-edge educational technologies and team-based learning models in a 21st-century pharmacy school curriculum.

Curriculum Schedule and Catalog

The educational experience is designed to prepare students to fulfill all aspects of the expanding role of the pharmacist. The curriculum includes extensive training on administering vaccines, basic medical tests, and other patient care services, so students can contribute effectively and efficiently to meeting the needs of patients and the community.

Academic Concentrations

MCW Pharmacy School students may pursue an academic concentration to enhance their subject knowledge, satisfy an intellectual interest, or increase their experience in a specific field of pharmacy. Available concentrations include:

• Research: Exposes student pharmacists to the fundamentals of research and positions them as highly competitive candidates for formal post-graduate training.
• Population Health: Exposes student pharmacists to the fundamentals of population-based health management and positions them as highly competitive interdisciplinary providers of culturally competent direct patient care and service for underserved communities.
• Specialized Pharmacy Practice: Recognizes student pharmacist professionals who have developed skills in an area of specialized pharmacy practice.
• Entrepreneurship & Leadership: Prepares student pharmacists for a future career in pharmacy leadership or administration in a variety of settings, including independent pharmacy and health-systems pharmacy.