Degrees Offered: College of Pharmacy

Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)

 

 

Admission Requirements

Admission to the professional pharmacy program may be achieved by one of three methods:

  1. Upon satisfactory completion of the pre-pharmacy program at either the University of Houston or another accredited college, students must submit to the College an application to the professional program, scores from the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT); and submission of three letters of recommendation/evaluation, one from an advisor, committee, or professor and one from a U.S.A. registered pharmacist. The third letter allows the applicant flexibility and can be from an employer, supervisor, pharmacist or academic reference.  Applicants must complete all prepharmacy prerequisite coursework prior to enrolling. An applicant may be in the process of completing the prerequisite coursework and still apply. Visit the Lamar University-UH Cooperative Pre-Pharmacy Program website.

  2. Students, who complete the first year of the pre-pharmacy program with a minimum 3.00 grade point average, will be considered for early acceptance into the professional pharmacy program. Students must successfully complete all remaining pre-pharmacy requirements with sufficiently high grades in all science and mathematics courses, submit PCAT scores, and have a satisfactory personal interview and writing evaluation before being given formal admission.

  3. Students admitted to the university directly from high school with the objective of entering the professional pharmacy program will be considered for early acceptance into that program if they provide evidence of high SAT or ACT scores and rank in the upper half of their high school graduating class. Students must successfully complete the pre-pharmacy program with sufficiently high grades in all science and mathematics courses, take the PCAT, and have a satisfactory personal interview and writing evaluation before being given formal admission.

Students must submit the completed application packet by the application deadline: January 15. Early application submission is encouraged. Applicants should ensure that official transcripts of all previous academic work are enclosed with the application. The college must receive applications by February 15 from students who wish to enter in the fall semester. In deciding on admission to the professional program, the Admissions and Progression Committee will carefully evaluate grades earned in pre-pharmacy courses, scores on the PCAT, letters of recommendation, the results of a personal interview, teamwork assessment, and profile assessment, and a list of the applicant's community service, honors, awards, and extracurricular activities.

Rationale

All students admitted into the University of Houston College of Pharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy program are required to participate in pharmacy practice experiences for graduation. Many hospitals and other health care organizations operating under the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) are requiring criminal background checks and/or drug screenings for all individuals who have direct contact with patients, including pharmacy students placed in early/introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) and/or advanced clinical pharmacy practice experience (APPE) assignments at these sites. As a result of these requirements, a student with disqualifying criminal conviction(s) and/or drug screening results may be prevented from undertaking clinical rotations that are required to complete the pharmacy program at the University of Houston.

Academic Policies for the Pharm.D. Professional Program

Health Insurance 

All students admitted into the Doctor of Pharmacy program are requi4red to carry and maintain health insurance coverage while enrolled in the program. The UH College of Pharmacy does not endorse any specific carrier and student can either purchase health insurance through the University of Houston or provide proof of comparable insurance through an outside provider. Students must maintain health insurance coverage by a policy that meets or exceeds the coverage provide by the student health insurance offered through the University of Houston.

Immunization

Pharmacy students are enrolled in health-related courses that involve patient contact; therefore, they must comply with the immunization requirements outlined in Title 25, health Services, Chapter 97, Section 97.61.97.72 of the Texas Administrative Code and must be current as part of their admission requirements and continued enrollment. Specifically, the following immunizations are required: tetanus/diphtheria within the past 10 years, rubeola (common measles), rubella (German measles), mumps, and varicella (chicken pox). Although not required of pharmacy students by Title 25, the college requires the following immunizations: Hepatitis B, a negative TB skin test or chest x-ray and influenza. The negative TB test and influenza immunization test are required annually.

International Students

International students or those students who wish to receive academic credit from a school/university outside of the U.S.A. must obtain an international transcript evaluation from the University of Houston. Guidelines for obtaining the University evaluation.

Transfer Students

Students who take their pre-pharmacy course requirements at other institutions should meet the curriculum requirements for pre-pharmacy as outlined in this section of the catalog. Students are encouraged to consult an academic adviser/counselor or seek other assistance at the college they are attending for assistance in selecting courses meeting the pre-pharmacy curriculum. 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.

Educational Program

Students entering the pharmacy professional program must 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. Also visit the Pharmacy website.

Degree Requirements

The curriculum for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree includes a minimum 212 semester hours of college work, 139 semester hours of which must be pharmacy courses or the equivalent. Students with course credit for non-pharmacy courses similar to those courses in the professional program may petition for equivalency credit. The degree plan for the Pharm.D. program is shown below under the Pharmacy Course of Study.
Students must complete three approved pharmacy elective courses greater than 6 credit hours. Three of the six pharmacy elective hours may be satisfied by completion of a special problems course (PHAR 5197, 5297, 5397). Any student may participate in a Special Topics course if they are in good academic standing in the College and have approval of a faculty member who will supervise their work. Approval is gained through completion of the Undergraduate General Petition form. To participate in a Special Topics course the student must submit a proposal of the work that will be undertaken in this course to the faculty member at the start of the course and must submit a report at the end of the course indicating their accomplishments in the course. A copy of these reports will be placed in the student's academic file. The student cannot be paid for the activities involved in the Special Topics course.


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 of pharmacy are required to complete at least the last 25% of semester hours of pharmacy and related work in residence at the University of Houston.If 25% includes a fraction of a semester hour, the requirement must be rounded up to the nearest whole number of semester hours.

Pharm.D. Curriculum

The Pharm.D. degree requires completion of a core curriculum. In accordance with senate Bill 148 passed by the 75th Texas Legislature in 1997 and with the recommendations and rules issued by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, specifically, Chapter 4, Subchapter B of the Rules and Regulations.

The University of Houston core curriculum guidelines offer a specific outline for the Pharm.D. degree plan at the University of Houston, including unique core requirements. Further information on core eligibility and on courses that satisfy core curriculum requirements can be obtained by consulting the core curriculum website.

Please contact an advisor if you have any questions about your degree requirements, or to obtain information about college advising appointments. You may send an email to prepharmacyadvising@uh.edu

The specific prepharmacy curriculum required by the college is:

Preprofessional First Year 

Fall Semester Hours
BIOL 1361 Introduction to Biological Science I 3
BIOL 1161 Biology I Laboratory 1
CHEM 1331 Fundamentals of Chemistry I 3
CHEM 1111 Fundamentals of Chemistry I Laboratory 1
ENGL 1303 Freshman Composition I 3
1377 The U.S. to 1877 or equivalent 3
Math 1431 Calculus I 4
Total 18
Spring Semester Hours
BIOL 1362 Introduction to Biological Science II 3
BIOL 1162 Biology Laboratory II 1
CHEM 1332 Fundamentals of Chemistry II 3
CHEM 1112 Fundamentals of Chemistry II Laboratory 1
ENGL 1304 First Year Writing II
 3
HIST 1378 The U.S. since 1877 or equivalent 3
MATH 2311 Introduction to Statistical Analysis 3
Humanities Core Course 3
Total 20

 Second Year

Fall Semester Hours
CHEM 3331 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry II 3
CHEM 3221 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry II Laboratory 2
POLS 1336 U.S. and Texas Constitution and Politics, or equivalent 3
PHYS 1301 Intro. General Physics or one year of high school physics 3
Select one of the following:
PSYC 1300 or SOC 1300		 3
Performing/Visual Arts 3
Total 17
Spring Semester Hours
BIOL 3332 Elementary Microbiology 3
BIOL 3132 Elementary Microbiology Laboratory 1
CHEM 3332 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry II 2
CHEM 3222 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry Laboratory 3
POLS 1337 U.S. Government: Congress, President and Courts or equivalent 3
COMM 1332 Fundamentals of Public Speaking 3
Writing in the Disciplines 3
Total 18

Core Curriculum

Core Curriculum Requirements Hours
Communication 6
Mathematics 3
Mathematics/Reasoning 3
U.S. History 6
American Government 6
Humanities 3
Visual/Performing Arts 3
Natural Sciences 6
Writing in the Disciplines 6


Students are expected to have completed pre-pharmacy studies in Pharmacy.

Professional First Year

Fall Semester Hours

PHAR 4172 Pharmacy Calculators I

 2

PHAR 4270 Pharmacy Practice I

 2
PHAR 4400 Cellular Life Sciences I 4
PHAR 4320 Organ Systems Life Sciences I 3
PHAR 4330 Pharmaceutics I 3
Total 13
Spring Semester Hours

PHAR 4134 Medical Functional Group Analysis

1

PHAR 4260 Pharmacy Management I

   2
PHAR 4271 Pharmacy Practice II 2
PHAR 4301 Cellular Life Sciences II 3
PHAR 4421 Organ Systems Life Sciences II 4
PHAR 4331 Pharmaceutics II 3
PHAR 4251 Pharmacy Skills Program II 2
Total 17

Second Year

Fall Semester Hours
PHAR 5261 Pharmacy Management II 2
PHAR 5402 Pharmacology I 4
PHAR 5302 Medicinal Chemistry I 3
PHAR 5332 Pharmacokinetics 3
PHAR 5254 IPPE I and Professional Development 2
Total 14
Spring Semester Hours
PHAR 5373 Pharmacy Practice IV 3
PHAR 5403 Pharmacology II 4
PHAR 5155Pharmacy Skills Program IV 2

PHAR 5203 Medicinal Chemistry II

 2

PHAR 5222 Toxicology

1

PHAR 5280 Therapeutics I

2
Total 14
Summer Semester Hours
PHAR 5493 Introductory Community Pharmacy IPPW 4
Approved Pharmacy Electives 6
Total 10

Third Year

Fall Semester Hours
PHAR 5274 Pharmacy Practice V 2
PHAR 5480 Physical Assessment\Anatomy 4
PHAR 5581 Therapeutics II 5
PHAR 5256 Pharmacy Skills Program V 2
Total 13
Spring Semester Hours
PHAR 5582 Therapeutics III 5
PHAR 5275 Pharmacy Practice VI 2
PHAR 5374 Pharmacy Law and Ethics 3
PHAR 5257 IPPE II & Professional Development 2
PHAR 5362 Pharmacy Management II 3
Total 15

 Fourth Year

Summer/Fall/Spring Semesters Hours
PHAR 5690 Internal Medicine 6
PHAR 5692 Advanced Hospital Pharmacy 6
PHAR 5693 Advanced Community Pharmacy 6
PHAR 56__ Clinical APPE IV 6
PHAR 56__ Clinical APPE V
 6
PHAR 56__ Clinical APPE VI
 6
PHAR 56__ Elective APPE VII
 6
PHAR 5181 Clinical Seminar 1
Total 43

Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Year 3 PHAR 5493 begins immediately after completing Year 2, spring term and is four weeks in length. Year 4 (42 weeks time period) begins immediately after completion of Year 3, spring term. All fourth year clinical rotations will be six weeks duration.

Pharmacy Practice Experiences Hours
PHAR 5493 Introductory Community Pharmacy 4
PHAR 5690 Internal Medicine 6
PHAR 5692 Advanced Hospital Pharmacy 6
PHAR 5693 Advanced Community Pharmacy 6

 

Required Pharmacy Practice Experiences 1,2,3                       Hours

PHAR 5493 Introductory Community Pharmacy 4
PHAR 5692 Advanced Hospital Pharmacy 6
PHAR 5693 Advanced Community Pharmacy 6
PHAR 5690 Internal Medicine 
6
PHAR 56__ Ambulatory-based APPE (one from the following)
6
PHAR 5675 Disease State Management or 12
PHAR 5684 Family Medicine or
PHAR 5696 Primary Care
PHAR 56__ Clinical Specialty Electives
12
PHAR 56__ Elective (Clinical Specialty or Other) 6

 

Elective Clinical Specialty APPEs 1,2,3 (Two from the following list) — Each 6 Hours

PHAR 5642. Emergency Medicine    
PHAR 5643. Neurology
PHAR 5669. Renal Therapeutics 
PHAR 5674. Nutritional Support
PHAR 5675. Disease State Management PHAR 5676. Cell and Gene Therapeutics
PHAR 5677. Pharmacokinetics 
PHAR 5678. Transplant Therapeutics
PHAR 5679. Women's Health Therapeutics 
PHAR 5680. Oncology
PHAR 5681. Infectious Diseases 
PHAR 5682. Surgery
PHAR 5683. Cardiology  
PHAR 5684. Family Medicine
PHAR 5685. Critical Care PHAR 5686. Psychiatry
PHAR 5691. Drug Information   
PHAR 5694. Pediatrics
PHAR 5695. Geriatrics   
PHAR 5696. Primary Care

 

Other Elective APPEs (Non-Clinical) 1,2,3 (One additional APPE from any 5600 offered) — Each

6 Hours

 

PHAR 5660. Pharmaceutical Industry  
PHAR 5661. Pharmacoeconomics
PHAR 5662. Academic Scholarship  
PHAR 5663. Pharmacy Management
PHAR 5664. Legal and Regulatory Affairs 
PHAR 5665. Alternative Medicine
PHAR 5666. Hospice Care  
PHAR 5667. Government Pharmacy
PHAR 5668. Managed Care Pharmacy  
PHAR 5670. Community Pharmaceutical Care
PHAR 5671. Hospital Pharmaceutical Care PHAR 5672. Clinical Pharmaceutical Research
PHAR 5673. Veterinary Pharmaceutical Care PHAR 5687. Nuclear Pharmacy
PHAR 5688. Home Care  
PHAR 5689. Consulting Pharmac

Catalog Publish Date: January 14, 2013
This Page Last Updated: January 15, 2013