PharmD Program at MSU
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and Missouri State University (MSU) in Springfield, Mo., have entered into an agreement that will allow students on the Springfield campus to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UMKC. View the full press release.
PharmD Program Questions and Answers
When will the program start at MSU?
The pharmacy program is slated to start in fall, 2011. Pre-requisite college course work would have been done prior to this date.
Is there any question or concern about the start date or the program coming to MSU?
Yes. The start date of 2011 is contingent upon receiving some ongoing funding from the Missouri Legislature, which will be considered in the 2010 legislative session.
What is the structure of the PharmD program?
The UMKC School of Pharmacy faculty have approved a major curricular change for the Pharm.D. program. The Doctor of Pharmacy program will shift from a 1-5 program to a 2-4 program. This will require applicants after the 2010 admitting year to complete two years of pre-requisite course work rather than one. Qualified applicants admitted to the Pharm.D. program will then complete a 4 year Pharm.D. curriculum after entry in order to meet graduation requirements.
What this means for applicants to the UMKC program is that the School of Pharmacy will admit the last 1-5 Pharm.D. class in Fall 2010. After 2010 students admitted to the Pharm.D program will be required to successfully complete a 4 year program, to include at least one summer, to receive the degree. The School of Pharmacy will not admit Pharm.D. students on the UMKC or MU Columbia satellite campuses in Fall 2011. The first 4 year Pharm.D. class admitted to UMKC and to the MU satellite programs will be in Fall 2012. Specific information regarding changes in admission criteria, pre-requisites and curriculum will be available later this year.
Will the complete pharmacy program be offered at MSU?
The entire program will be available in Springfield. Classes will be taught in various modes, such as the traditional on-campus mode or by distance learning (ITV or online). Please be aware, however, that the last year of the program is experiential. Students will be on rotations and may or may not be in the Springfield area. Some students do rotations in other states or other cities (other than KC or Columbia).
Will the PharmD program in Springfield be a MSU degree?
No. The degree will be conferred by UMKC
How does the admission process work?
The UMKC website ( http://pharmacy.umkc.edu/ ) outlines the admission process. Remember, this is a UMKC degree and admission is made into the UMKC Pharmacy program. That program is currently offered both in Kansas City and in Columbia. When the program becomes available in Springfield, students that apply may check which location they wish to study in: KC, Columbia, or Springfield. They will also have the option of checking that any location will be acceptable.
If I am an MSU student or already have a degree from MSU, will I be automatically accepted into the PharmD program?
No. Admission into the UMKC pharmacy program is a highly selective process. Not everyone who applies will be admitted.
Can a person take pre-requisite courses at MSU, and if so how?
Yes, a student can do pre-requisite coursework at MSU either by being admitted to MSU in a specified major or admitted as an undeclared student. This process will not be difficult!
What happens if I already have taken some courses that are part of the pharmacy program and/or I already have a bachelor’s degree that includes some of those required courses?
Students accepted into pharmacy that have already taken some of the required or elective courses in the program can petition for those courses to “count” and not be a required repeat. This is done on a course-by-course basis.
A formal petition can be done if the course was completed no more than four years prior to acceptance into pharmacy, OR the content has been regularly utilized by the student in their work. No decision is automatic. It requires a review and decision.
If a course is accepted and thus not required by the student, this means that student has fewer required credits to take. However, the student:
- will not be accelerated in the pharmacy program; the length of the program will remain the same.
- still pays full fees for the pharmacy program.
- still must enroll in 12 hours as minimum in each semester of the program. Hence, students will often enroll for an elective pharmacy course that would normally be taken during a later semester. Likewise, some will enroll in more electives OR some with extensive backgrounds will even work on another degree program (such as the MBA) as they do the pharmacy program.
If I am just starting college, what major should I declare to be best prepared for the collaborative MSU/UMKC pharmacy program?
This question does not have an absolute answer, and one could even remain in the undeclared major category. However, a number of the important pre-requisite courses for pharmacy are in the sciences. Recommended majors would include Chemistry, Biology, and Cell and Molecular Biology, but these are certainly not the only majors that one might consider. Carefully review the pre-requisite requirements for eligibility for the pharmacy program. These can be found at the UMKC website. (http://pharmacy.umkc.edu/)
Can I get answers to specific questions about the program from admission counselors at UMKC?
Yes. One person to contact is Wayne Brown, Associate Dean of Pharmacy. His phone is 816-235-2406 and e-mail is brownw@umkc.edu. Another contact is Shelly Janasz, Director of Student Affairs, at 816-235-2400 or sjanasz@umkc.edu.
Who can I contact at MSU if I have additional questions?
At MSU, contact Frank Einhellig, Dean of the Graduate College. His phone is 417-836-5335 and email is frankeinhellig@missouristate.edu.