Why Earn a PharmD?
Pharmacists make a difference in the lives of patients every day in a variety of healthcare settings as members of an interprofessional healthcare team. Students who earn their PharmD at Pacific University are prepared to be patient-focused, career-ready clinicians.
Pacific is proud to offer the only accelerated, three-year PharmD pathway in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, and the only extended five-year pathway in the U.S. The intensive academic schedule in the three-year pathway enables you to graduate one year earlier than traditional PharmD programs. The extended schedule in the five-year pathway provides greater flexibility, making a PharmD education accessible for different needs, challenges, and paths in life. Choose the format that fits you best; both PharmD pathways share the same dedicated faculty, student-centered curriculum, and robust clinical experiences.
The School of Pharmacy is located at our Hillsboro Campus, home to Pacific’s College of Health Professions, where PharmD students interact closely with other dedicated students focused on graduate and professional programs in healthcare fields. You can also choose to complete dual degrees — such as a PharmD and MBA, or a PharmD and MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences — by adding an extra year of study.
What Can You Do with a PharmD Degree?
A pharmacist is a medication specialist who possesses the highest level of medication knowledge among all health professionals. The entry level degree to become a pharmacist is the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). Pacific’s PharmD degree program is designed to meet the educational requirements for graduates to take the NAPLEX and MPJE board examinations. The program prepares students to apply for a pharmacist license, which is required for employment in a patient care setting, and is sufficient to meet licensure requirements in all 50 states to practice as a registered pharmacist.
Due to specific training and education, a pharmacist — as a medication expert — is an important member of the health care interprofessional team practicing in a variety of different settings ranging from community pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics to the government or pharmaceutical companies in medical and regulatory affairs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pharmacist salary is more than $136,000 per year.
In some states, such as the state of Oregon, pharmacists also have provider status and practice under clinical pharmacy agreements, allowing for prescribing or changing medications, ordering and monitoring labs, conducting independent patient visits, and more. By getting your PharmD degree at Pacific University in Oregon, you will be prepared to practice at the top of your pharmacy licensure.
Start Your Pharmacy Career
Pacific University partners with several other colleges and universities to create a bridge into the Doctor of Pharmacy program. Our Bridge Programs allow you to complete undergraduate prerequisites at the school of your choice and earn conditional admission to our pharmacy program early in your undergraduate years.
We also offer outreach initiatives for students in specific areas of the country. We are committed to supporting the needs of vulnerable and underserved communities through healthcare. This commitment is tied to both our admissions and clinical experience opportunities. The Pacific PharmD program offers special admissions opportunities for students from Hawai‘i and Alaska.
Interprofessional Education
Pacific’s Pharmacy program provides opportunities for students to explore models of person-centered healthcare and gain the skills to practice in a changing healthcare environment. Students who choose to pursue interprofessional experiences beyond what is required by their degree program can earn the Concentration in Interprofessional Education, offered by the College of Health Professions. This formal recognition is documented on transcripts as a specialization, indicating that students have gained specific competencies in interprofessional education.
No. 1 Research Institute in the Pacific Northwest
The National Science Foundation ranks Pacific University as the No. 1 private research university in the Pacific Northwest and No. 8 in the Far West, among peers like Stanford and the University of Southern California.
What does that mean for you, as a graduate student? Pacific’s PharmD students participate in research opportunities offered across a broad array of clinical and scientific topics. These opportunities include research rotations as well as collaborating with faculty on a variety of research projects including pharmaceutical science, clinical and patient care, and scholarship of teaching and learning. Participation in our PharmD Research & Scholarship Track will even earn you a specialization on your academic transcripts.
Expert, Dedicated Faculty and Staff
You'll learn from faculty and staff who work diligently throughout the year to provide our students with a quality educational experience. They are also experts in their fields, furthering knowledge through research, volunteering their time in the community, giving presentations at key seminars, and writing and submitting manuscripts for publication.
Explore Our Campus
Two Degrees, Six Years
Our accelerated bachelor's and doctorate degree combination — the 3:3 Pharmacy Program — gives students a chance to complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees at Pacific seamlessly. In this pathway, you'll major in applied science as an undergraduate. Your fourth year of undergrad is also your first year of pharmacy school, giving you a head start on your pharmacy career!
Graduate and Professional Admissions
503-352-7229 | pharmd@pacificu.edu
The Doctor of Pharmacy program at Pacific University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). This program meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in these U.S. states and territories. Graduates are eligible to take the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination® (NAPLEX®). View our quality indicators. Student learning outcomes and additional curriculum information is available in the academic catalog.
