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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student/teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.
Do you want to acquire an online doctorate in pharmacy, but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best online doctorate in pharmacy.
What institution did we forget? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
- Creighton University, Omaha, NE
Creighton University offers a doctor of pharmacy degree that is rated as one of the leading programs in the country. The coursework familiarizes learners with constant changes and advancements that take place in the field, with a dedicated focus on medication therapy management and patient-centered care. Class concepts also develop skills such as patient-data collection, patient counseling, and evaluation and documentation. The degree can be earned through the traditional full-time, on-campus degree program or the Distance Pathway, which is 100 percent online and full-time degree program. When it was designed in 2001, the Distance Pathway was the first sanctioned online doctor of pharmacy degree to be offered.
The online degree program is finished via the same classwork as offered on campus but is designed to be adaptable for learners with other responsibilities or obligations. Interaction with faculty and cohort members is done through distinct conferencing software, discussion boards, email, and telephone contact. Aside from the online classwork, with some asynchronous and others synchronous, learners finish on-campus laboratory classes and activities during two- to four-week sessions in the summer. Upon completion of these requirements, learners will move onto the clinical component of the degree program, which is the same as the traditional path. Learners partake in eight sets of five-week clinical rotations, three of which are in required subject areas, and the remaining is dedicated to electives that best suit the learner’s intentions. Clinical rotations can take place across the country and even internationally.
- Concordia University in Wisconsin, Mequon, WI
Concordia University’s doctor of pharmacy degree is offered as a dual degree program alongside the master of public health, designed to prepare pharmaceutically trained learners for critical roles in prevention-focused public health. The master of public health part of the degree is finished online and prepares learners to take on complex health issues encountered by communities. This coursework also covers matters of medication safety and pharmacovigilance. With this background, learners continue into the PharmD portion of the degree program, which is finished on-campus in a traditional setting.
The coupled degree is a total of at least 175 credits, a majority of those being taken up by the PharmD degree—148 credits, to be exact. Prospective learners are urged to get in touch with degree program counselors who are there to support and ensure their capacity to succeed in the degree program. With Concordia being a devout Christian institution, learners can expect to graduate with a comprehension of the relationship between the field and faith. Class concepts may consist of pharmacy microbiology, pharmacy calculations, applied patient care, pharmacy law, and medical literature evaluation.
- Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH
Cedarville University has a doctor of pharmacy degree in conjunction with a master of business administration. The degree program was designed specifically for people who are already PharmD learners, and who would benefit from having leadership skills. Pharmacy professionals around the world are taking on leadership positions within various aspects of health care, and Cedarville’s degree program will assure that its graduates are ready for these competitive chances. As a proud Christian institution, Cedarville’s coursework will tackle questions of the biblical application and authority within the field. This may cover concepts such as quality of life, origins, medical ethics, and the balanced integration of faith and learning. Classes train learners to enter the workforce with claimed stewardship of their God-given talents and resources and supports.
PharmD classes must be finished on campus, whereas the MBA credits can be earned online. But, PharmD classes will satisfy a maximum of one-third of the MBA requirements, reducing time and cost. MBA classes are online and last seven weeks, whereas the on-campus pharmacy classes cover concepts like chain pharmacy management, hospital pharmacy administration, and community pharmacy ownership. Learners pursuing the PharmD will become licensed interns in Ohio within their first year in the degree program, allowing them to work in various pharmacies and health care settings while studying. This helps fulfill the experiential training required across the coursework, which may also consist of involvement in cutting-edge research.
- University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, CO
The University of Colorado Denver created its doctor of pharmacy degree for people already-licensed pharmacists who are seeking advanced clinical pharmacy education. This online degree program prepares learners for the work necessary to improve patient-centered pharmacy practice and to expand their career chances further. This includes those who work in hospital or community settings, clinical settings, or other pharmaceutical-involved environments. The coursework is split into three sections: professional, didactic, and experiential training. Learners must finish the 65-credit degree program within six years. To ensure the success of all who are accepted into the degree program, online learners will go through phone counseling with advisors who will support them in creating an individualized plan.
Admissions is open to learners who are internationally trained pharmacists and those who were licensed in the US, which slightly alters what curricular targets are mandatory for the learners. American trained PharmD candidates must have a bachelor of science in pharmacy and be licensed to practice in the US. As learners are accepted both from North America and all over the world, experiential training can be fulfilled via community work, health care settings, and ambulatory care systems wherever it is most convenient for the learner. International learners must finish at least one of these real-life training sessions in the US.
- Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA
Shenandoah University’s doctor of pharmacy degree is a dual degree with an MBA. The degree program recognizes how the health care workplace is increasingly prioritizing the employment of individuals who have technical, clinical, and administrative training. Therefore, the coursework trains learners not only in competitive leadership skills but also in patient-focused care and action. Graduates from the degree program have gone on to excellent careers in managerial and consultancy jobs, all within distinct areas of the health care sector. Small classes guarantee that learners obtain support and guidance from experienced professionals in the field.The dual degree can be completed in four years, as many classes within each degree program can count for the other. Most of the MBA classes are finished in two summer terms before the pursuit of the PharmD coursework, a schedule designed so that learners do not have to sign up for too hefty several classes during the non-summer terms.
- Lake Erie College, Erie, PA
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has a four-year, online doctor of pharmacy degree program that is dedicated to the enhancement of its active and interactive teaching strategies. The coursework begins with an emphasis on the pharmaceutical sciences, introducing learners to more generalized yet advanced concepts of the field. From there, learners continue to train in the clinical sciences during the second and third years. During the last year, students are expected to use what they have learned in a practicum that last six weeks and take place in both community and clinical settings
Graduates from the PharmD degree program at Lake Erie have gone on to work in a multitude of fields. This has included work as general and focused pharmacists in traditional pharmacy settings but also work in government agencies, hospice and home health care, hospital and institutional settings, drug information and research settings, and even academia. Coursework like drug information, pharmacy law, and management and patient safety ensures an excellent, all-encompassing comprehension of the field.
