Program Overview

Doctor of Pharmacy, PharmD

The Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program provides professional education in a number of areas, including pharmaceutical technology, biopharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry and natural products, pharmaceutical socioeconomics, pharmacotherapy, patient care, clinical and hospital pharmacy, and aspects of biotechnology. Graduates of the program are qualified to take examinations required for licensure as a pharmacist.

Prerequisite Coursework

The program is preceded by at least two years of pre-pharmacy study in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa or an accredited community or liberal arts college in the United States or Canada. During pre-pharmacy study, students complete the prerequisites for admission to the PharmD program.

Prerequisites for Admission

Applicants to the PharmD program must have completed the following college-level work with a C-minus or higher:

• Rhetoric: RHET:1030 Rhetoric: Writing and Communication (4-5 hours) or 6 hours of transfer credit in English composition and rhetoric and 3 hours in speech
• Biochemistry: BMB:3110 Biochemistry (3 hours)
• General Biology: BIOL:1411 Foundations of Biology (4 hours) and BIOL:1412 Diversity of Form and Function (4 hours)
• General Chemistry: CHEM:1110 Principles of Chemistry I (4 hours) and CHEM:1120 Principles of Chemistry II (4 hours)
• Human Anatomy: ACB:3110 Principles of Human Anatomy (3 hours)
• Human Physiology: HHP:2400 Fundamentals of Human Physiology (3 hours)
• Mathematics: MATH:1460 Calculus for the Biological Sciences (4 hours) or 3-4 hours of a satisfactory differential and integral calculus course
• Microbiology: One of the following - MICR:2157 General Microbiology (3 hours) or MICR:3164 Microbiology and Human Health (4 hours)
• Organic Chemistry: CHEM:2210 Organic Chemistry I (3 hours) and CHEM:2220 Organic Chemistry II (3 hours)
• Physics: PHYS:1400 Basic Physics (3-4 hours) or one year of high school physics or one semester of college-level physics with or without a lab
• Statistics: 3 hours of statistics equivalent to STAT:1020 or higher
• Liberal Arts/UI GE CLAS Core Electives: At least 16 hours, 6 hours of which must be in the social sciences

Professional Curriculum

The PharmD degree requires four years of full-time study in the following coursework, including at least 10 hours of professional electives.

First Year, Fall

• PHAR:8130 Foundations of Pharmacy Practice I (4 hours)
• PHAR:8131 Engagement: Professional Skills and Values (1 hour)
• PHAR:8133 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience Career Exploration (fall or spring) (1 hour)
• PHAR:8134 Foundations of Health Services (3 hours)
• PHAR:8135 Health Information Retrieval and Informatics (3 hours)
• PHAR:8136 Foundations of Pharmaceutical Sciences (6 hours)
• PHAR:8152 Fundamentals of Compounding (1 hour)

First Year, Spring

• PHAR:8133 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience Career Exploration (fall or spring) (1 hour)
• PHAR:8140 Foundations of Pharmacy Practice II (4 hours)
• PHAR:8148 Pharmacokinetics and Dose Optimization (2 hours)
• PHAR:8149 Foundations of Pharmacology and Toxicology (3 hours)
• PHAR:8150 Foundations of Health, Wellness, and Disease (2 hours)
• PHAR:8151 Clinical Investigation I: Research Question, Study Design, and Methods (3 hours)
• PHAR:8153 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Dermatology and Sensory (2 hours)

Second Year, Fall

• PHAR:8207 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences Community (may be taken in a different semester) (3 hours)
• PHAR:8209 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences Hospital (may be taken in a different semester) (3 hours)
• PHAR:8250 Applications of Pharmacy Practice I (2 hours)
• PHAR:8254 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Endocrine (3 hours)
• PHAR:8256 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Renal, Fluids, and Electrolytes (2 hours)
• PHAR:8260 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Cardiovascular (4 hours)
• PHAR:8276 Clinical Investigation II: Advanced Methods and Literature Interpretation (2 hours)

Second Year, Spring

• PHAR:8207 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences Community (may be taken in a different semester) (3 hours)
• PHAR:8209 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences Hospital (may be taken in a different semester) (3 hours)
• PHAR:8261 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Neurology and Psychiatry (4 hours)
• PHAR:8263 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Infectious Diseases (4 hours)
• PHAR:8265 Applications of Pharmacy Practice II (2 hours)
• PHAR:8275 Advanced Health Services (2 hours)

Third Year, Fall

• PHAR:8301 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience Clinical (1 hour)
• PHAR:8352 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Musculoskeletal (4 hours)
• PHAR:8370 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Respiratory and Allergy (2 hours)
• PHAR:8372 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Gastroenterology and Nutrition (3 hours)
• PHAR:8374 Applications of Pharmacy Practice III (2 hours)

Third Year, Spring

• PHAR:8132 Continuing Professional Development (1 hour)
• PHAR:8353 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Genitourinary and Reproductive (2 hours)
• PHAR:8371 Integrated Pharmacotherapy: Oncology and Hematology (2 hours)
• PHAR:8378 Pharmacy Law and Ethics (2 hours)
• PHAR:8384 Applications of Pharmacy Practice IV (1 hour)

Professional Electives

PharmD students must complete at least 10 hours of didactic professional electives in College of Pharmacy courses (prefix PHAR) numbered 8501–8799 before progressing to advanced pharmacy practice experiences.

Fourth Year

During the fourth year, students must complete eight advanced pharmacy practice experiences. All students must complete the first four rotations in the following list (24 hours); the remaining advanced pharmacy practice experiences may be selected by each student from a variety of patient-care and non-patient care opportunities.

• PHAR:9401 Ambulatory Care Rotation (6 hours)
• PHAR:9404 Community Clinical Rotation (6 hours)
• PHAR:9410 Hospital Pharmacy Rotation (6 hours)
• PHAR:9413 Acute Care Medicine Rotation (6 hours)
• Four additional rotations from these categories:
  • PHAR:9450 Elective: Patient Care Rotation (6 hours)
  • PHAR:9451 Elective: Non-Patient Care Rotation (taken up to two times) (6 hours)

Combined Programs

The College of Pharmacy offers combined degree programs:

• PharmD/MPH: The combined Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Public Health program requires 42 hours of graduate credit in addition to the requirements of the PharmD degree.
• PharmD/MS in Informatics (Health Informatics Subprogram): The combined degree program requires the completion of 34 hours beyond the bachelor's degree.

Financial Support

The College of Pharmacy awards scholarships to student pharmacists through a variety of awards, totaling over $1 million annually. Around half of the student body receives a scholarship.

Career Advancement

College of Pharmacy graduates enjoy a high placement rate in jobs, pharmacy residencies, or additional educational programs. Graduates commonly choose to practice in a community pharmacy or a hospital setting, but many also hold positions in government, home health care, consulting, clinical pharmacy, managed care facilities, higher education, the pharmaceutical industry, private businesses, and more.