The purpose of the dual Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Public Health Program is to graduate highly qualified health professionals who have obtained competencies necessary to succeed in the rapidly changing healthcare system. The dual program prepares students to enter a wide-range of pharmacy and public health positions that address today’s most challenging population health care issues. A Public Health Pharmacist can be involved in advanced pharmacy practice, health policy development, emergency and humanitarian response, public health leadership, and much more.

The purpose of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program is to prepare entry-level pharmacy practitioners to meet the health care needs of an increasingly diverse patient population, and to constantly strive to add to the knowledge base of the profession of pharmacy. In fulfilling its educational mission, the school provides the environment, opportunities and stimuli for faculty, students and practitioners of the profession to learn, maintain and expand upon the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the health care needs of the patients they serve. The School of Pharmacy supports the concept that the mission of pharmacy is to serve society as the profession responsible for the appropriate use of medications, devices and services to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes. The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is an interdisciplinary graduate degree in public health that provides coursework opportunities for students to obtain broad knowledge and basic skills in public health. The Public Health program focuses on rural and underserved populations, providing students with training in public health issues present in rural and underserved areas.

Both programs integrate graduate-level critical thinking and analysis, problem solving, scientific inquiry, self-directed learning and the effective use of modern technology for professional practice that includes elements of research, leadership, education and continued enhancement of the pharmacy and public health profession. The dual program affords individuals interested in pursuing pharmacy and public health training a unique opportunity to complete both degree programs in five years, saving time and money by completing both concurrently. The PharmD/MPH program is designed for students who are presently enrolled in or applying to pharmacy school. 

Program Requirements 

The Doctor of Pharmacy courses listed below may not be taken out of sequence. However, most of the Master of Public Health courses may be taken in any sequence (except for PH 530, PH 700 and PH 701 which have prerequisites). Given the rigor and structure of the PharmD program, students will complete most of the MPH coursework after completion of Year 4/Spring 4 in the PharmD program. Once the PharmD coursework is completed, students can continue the MPH coursework on either a full-time or part-time basis.

For the MPH program, the required passing grade of “B-” or higher must be received in each course. Additionally, maintenance of the required cumulative GPA in each program is required for satisfactory progression and graduation (3.00 for both programs). Policies regarding academic standing and graduation are contained in the graduate catalog as well as the Pharmacy Program and Master
of Public Health Student Handbooks.

Credits of Overlap Between Programs

The total credit overlap between the PharmD and MPH program is up to 19 credits. The courses and requirements that may overlap are illustrated in the table below. The selected overlap is in-line with each program’s requirements and also meets accreditation standards for both programs. 

PH Substitutions for Pharmacy Requirements

Pharmacy Course	Credits	Semester	PH Course(s)	Credits
PHAR Elective 1	3	Spring 2	PH-510	3
PHAR Elective 2	3	Fall 3	PH-515	3
PHAR Elective 3	3	Spring 3	PH-525	3

Pharmacy Substitutions for PH Requirements

PH Course	Credits	Semester	Pharmacy Course(s)	Credits
PH Elective 1	3	Fall 2	PHAR 662*	3
PH Elective 2	3	Spring 2	PHAR 669*	3
PH 700**	4	Spring 4	PHAR 816, 817, or 818**	5

*Students can select another suitable 3 credit PharmD course to satisfy MPH electives with prior MPH Director approval.
**This may count as PH 700 if the student addresses the necessary MPH competencies during one of these Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations that they would address in an MPH applied practice experience. The option to use this clinical experience for the MPH degree must be approved by each student’s MPH advisor. If the clinical experience does not address the required public health competencies, then dual degree students will also need to complete the MPH Applied Practice Experience (PH 700) in addition to their required APPEs.

Course Sequencing:

Course Sequencing:
First Year – Fall I credits
PHAR 500 Introduction to Pharmacy Profession 1.5
PHAR 508 Pharmaceutics I (Calculations) 2
PHAR 516 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience I 3
PHAR 519 Introduction to Physical Assessment 1
PHAR 521 Biomedical Sciences I 2
PHAR 522 Biomedical Sciences I 3
PHAR 533 Communications in Pharmacy Practice 2.5
PHAR 549 Nonprescription Products 3
PHAR 550 Outpatient Pharmacy Practice Lab 1
Total 18

First Year – Spring I
PHAR 512 Pharmaceutics II 4
PHAR 513 Pharmaceutics and Compounding
(Nonsterile and Sterile) Laboratory 1
PHAR 517 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience II 2
PHAR 520 Physical Assessment Lab 1  
PHAR 534 Essentials of Pharmacogenomics 2
PHAR 537 Integrated Pathophysiology I 3
PHAR 538 Integrated Pathophysiology II 3
PHAR 552 Drug Information Skills 2
PHAR 539 Pharmacy Professional Dev Lab I 0.5
Total 18.5

Second Year Summer II
PH 501 History and Philosophy of Public Health 3

Second Year- Fall II
PHAR 600 Pharmacokinetic Principles 3
PHAR 681 ICare: General Med I 3
PHAR 668 Pharmacology 4
PHAR 662 Drug Literature Analysis & Interpretation 3
PHAR 663 Drug Literature Analysis & Interpretation Lab 1
PHAR 679 Federal and State Pharmacy Law 2
PHAR 682 Introduction to Patient Centered Care 1.5
PHAR 667 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience II 3
Total 18.5

Second Year-Spring II
PHAR 608 ICare: Renal 2
PHAR 619 ICare: Cardiovascular 4
PHAR 632 Applied PK and PGx I 1
PHAR 671 Toxicology 2
PHAR 669 Health Information Technology & Practice Mgmt. 3
PHAR 678 Patient Centered Care I 2
PHAR 680 Pharmacy Professional Dev Lab II 0.5
PHAR 670 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience IV 1
PH 510 Biostatistics 3
Total 18.5

Third Year- Fall III
PHAR 746 ICare: Endocrine 2
PHAR 709 ICare: Hematology/Oncology 3
PHAR 742 ICare: Infectious Disease 4
PHAR 723 Patient Centered Care II 2
PHAR 733 Applied PK and PGx II 1
PHAR 736 Pharmacy Administration I 2
PHAR 744 Essentials of Research Design 1
PH 515 Principles of Epidemiology 3
Total 18

Third Year- Spring III
PHAR 747 ICare: General Med II 2
PHAR 748 ICare: Special Populations 2
PHAR 720 ICare: Neuro/Psychiatry 3
PHAR 724 Patient Centered Care III 2
PHAR 734 Applied PK and PGx III 1
PHAR 737 Pharmacy Administration II 3
PHAR 738 Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience III 1
PHAR 745 Pharmacy Professional Dev Lab III 0.5
PH 525 Program Planning and Implementation 3
Total 17.5

Fourth Year-Summer IV
PHAR 811 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Exp I 5
PHAR 812 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Exp II 5
PHAR 813 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Exp III 5
PH 505 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health 3
Total 18

Fourth Year-Fall IV
PHAR 814 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Exp IV 5
PHAR 815 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Exp V 5
PH 520 Public Health Policy and Management 3
Total 13

Fourth Year-Spring IV
PHAR 816 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Exp VI 5
PHAR 817 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Exp VII 5
PHAR 818 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Exp VIII 5
Total 15

Fifth Year- Fall V
PH 530 Fundamentals of Program Evaluation 3
PH 540 Rural Health Systems 3
PH 550 Public Health Leadership and Professionalism 3
Total 9

Fifth Year- Spring V
PH 535 Health Communications 3
PH 545 Public Health Perspectives on Chronic Disease 3
PH 701 Integrated Learning Experience 2
Total 8

Grand Total 175