• Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Program
  • General Requirements for a Pharm.D. Degree
  • Immunization Requirement
  • Internship Requirement
  • Texas Board of Pharmacy State Registration
• Admission to the Professional Pharm.D. Program
  • International Students
  • Transfer Students

Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Program

The curriculum for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree includes a minimum 212 semester hours of college work, 140 semester hours of which must be pharmacy courses or the equivalent. The Pharm.D. program is a full-time program including some summers. Students with course credit for non-pharmacy courses similar to those courses in the professional program may petition for equivalency credit. Refer to the Graduate and Professional Studies catalog for more information about the program and regulations.

Students must complete six hours in pharmacy elective courses. Three of the six pharmacy elective hours may be satisfied by completion of a special problems course (PHAR 5198, 5298, or 5398), which involves a research project with a faculty member in the College of Pharmacy.

Pharmacy students are required to comply with all changes in the curriculum made subsequent to the year in which they matriculated. Deletions and additions of courses will be of approximately equal credit so that no student will have an overall appreciable increase of total credits required for graduation.

The college requires at least four years in residence in the professional program at the College of Pharmacy for graduation. Students transferring from another school or college into the professional program are required to complete at least the last 30 semester hours of pharmacy and related work in residence at the University of Houston.

General Requirements for a Pharm.D. Degree

Students are required to meet the general requirements for a baccalaureate degree, including completion of university core curriculum requirements. See the Academic Regulations and Degree Requirements section of this catalog for details.

Immunization Requirement

All applicants accepted into the University of Houston College of Pharmacy program must present proof of adequate immunization against rubeola (common measles), rubella (German measles), mumps, varicella (chicken pox), and tetanus prior to beginning the first professional year.

The Hepatitis B immunization series must be initiated prior to the beginning of the first professional year and completed by January 31 of the second semester of the first professional year.

A negative TB skin test or chest clearance must be documented no sooner than three months prior to beginning the fall semester and thereafter the documentation must be provided annually to the University of Houston College of Pharmacy Admissions Office.

Internship Requirement

Under the Texas State Board of Pharmacy Rules and Regulations, a pharmacy student is required to register as a student pharmacist-intern prior to performing student internship duties and only after successfully completing at least 30 credit hours of coursework towards a professional degree in pharmacy. The agreement for registration requires a student to reveal personal history (i.e. conviction of a felony or any misdemeanor other than a minor traffic violation).

For more information, contact the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, William P. Hobby Building, Suite 3-600, 333 Guadalupe, Box 21, Austin, Texas 78701-3942.

State Exam/Licensing

Students graduating with the Doctor of Pharmacy degree are eligible to sit for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and the Jurisprudence Exam. Contact the Board of Pharmacy of the state for which you are applying for licensure. The address and phone number to the Texas State Board of Pharmacy is to William P. Hobby Building, Tower 3, Suite 600, 333 Guadalupe St., Austin, Texas 78701-3942, 512-305-8000. Web site: www.tsbp.state.tx.us.

To download the MAPLEX Candidates Review Guide, to to www.nabp.net

Admission to the Professional Pharm.D. Program

All application material and admission inquiries for the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program should be addressed to:

University of Houston
Office of Admissions
College of Pharmacy
122 Science & Research Building 2
Houston, TX 77204-5000

Internet address: pharmacy.uh.edu/fs/pharmd/admissions.php

Admission to the professional Pharm.D. program may be achieved by three methods:

1. Upon satisfactory completion of the pre-pharmacy program at either the University of Houston or another accredited college, students must submit an application for admission to the professional program directly to the college.
2. Students who complete at least 30 credit hours of the pre-pharmacy program with a minimum 3.50 grade point average will be considered for early acceptance into the professional program. Students must successfully complete all remaining pre-pharmacy requirements with sufficiently high grades in all courses; submit scores from the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT); submit two reference forms, one from a registered pharmacist and one from a professor, academic advisor or committee; and have a satisfactory personal interview, a writing skills evaluation, and a teamwork assessment before being given formal admission.

All students must submit the completed application packet by the application deadline: February 15. Applicants should ensure that official transcripts of all previous academic work, including the University of Houston, are enclosed with the application. The college must receive applications by February 15 from those students who wish to enter in the fall semester. The Pharm.D. application is available online from September 15 through February 15 at this Web site pharmacy.uh.edu/fs/pharmd/admissions.php

For formal application to the professional program all applicants must:

1. complete all math and science courses by June 1 prior to the anticipated fall enrollment. All remaining prerequisite coursework must be completed prior to enrollment into the fall class; however, students may apply for admission while in the process of completing the prerequisite coursework.
2. Report PCAT scores.
3. Submit two reference forms, one from a U.S. registered pharmacist and the other from a college or university professor, academic advisor or committee.

In deciding on admission to the professional program, the Admissions and Progression Committee will evaluate many factors including grades earned in pre-pharmacy courses, particularly in science and math, PCAT scores, reference forms, the results of a personal interview, writing and teamwork skills evaluation, if administered by the college, and a list of the applicant's community service, honors, awards, and extracurricular activities.

International Students

International students applying for admission to the Pharm.D. professional program must contact the college's Academic Advisor, University of Houston, College of Pharmacy, 122 Science & Research Bldg 2, Houston, TX 77204-5000 or visit pharmacy.uh.edu/fs/pharmd/int_student.php.

Transfer Students

For the Pharm.D. Program: Students who take their pre-pharmacy work at other institutions should meet the curriculum requirements for pre-pharmacy as outlined in this section of the catalog. Students are encouraged to consult the assistant dean for academic and student affairs or Pharm.D. academic advisor of the college they are attending for assistance in selecting courses at other institutions. For information on scheduling an appointment with a Pharm.D. academic advisor, see this Web site pharmacy.uh.edu/fs/pharmd/advising.php. The College of Pharmacy will determine the number of transferable credits according to regulations and policies existing at the time of the student's enrollment. It should be emphasized that university regulations limit acceptance of hours from a community college to 66 semester hours.