Doctor of Pharmacy
Admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy Program
Admission Criteria
- The pre-pharmacy curriculum must be completed by the end of spring semester with the exception of biochemistry which may be completed in the summer prior to matriculation into the PharmD program
- Applicants are encouraged to obtain pharmacy experience prior to applying, by either shadowing or working in a paid position
- Apply on PharmCAS by the application deadline of April 1 (priority deadline December 1)
- Minimum GPA: 2.5 minimum GPA required in the Pre-Pharmacy requirements
Application Process
Applications submitted on PharmCAS between August and April each year are reviewed as they are completed and verified. Selected applicants receive invitation to interview. Multiple interview dates are available during the fall and spring semesters.
Application Materials
All PharmD application materials must be received by PharmCAS by the application deadline of April 1:
- Completed PharmCAS application for Idaho State University College of Pharmacy, PharmCAS application fee begins at $175
- Official transcripts of all previous college course work, including detailed evaluation of all international coursework
- Two letters of recommendation are required: it is preferred that one of the two be from a U.S. licensed pharmacist
- Personal statement
Students with international coursework to be considered must submit an official detailed evaluation report from an institution that is a member of the National Association of Credential Services Incorporated (NACSI) and meet Idaho State University’s admission requirements for international students (https://www.isu.edu/apply/international/).
ROAR Rx Early Assurance Program (EAP)
Want to become a PharmD student at ISU College of Pharmacy? Join our ROAR Rx Early Assurance Program at Idaho State University’s College of Pharmacy and we will assist you on a direct path to your Pharmacy goal!
This program is available to any college student who is-
- Just beginning their Pre-Pharmacy Requirements, right through to those who have at least one year of pre-pharmacy studies remaining
OR
- A student completing prepharmacy requirements and an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree at an accredited college or university in the US
ROAR Rx Requirements
- Enroll as an undergraduate at ISU or another accredited college
- Join ROAR Rx Early Assurance Program
- Advising Session with ISU College of Pharmacy during first semester of Early Assurance Program enrollment
- Complete all Pre-Pharmacy Courses with C or better grades
- 2.5 minimum GPA required in the Pre-Pharmacy requirements
- During final year of pre-pharmacy studies-
- Advising session with ISU College of Pharmacy
- Apply via PharmCAS by December 1 to ISU’s PharmD Program
Pre-Pharmacy Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1101 & 1101L | Biology I and Biology I Lab (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 5) | 4 |
| BIOL 2233 & 2233L | Principles of Microbiology and Principles of Microbiology Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 2227 & 2227L | Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 5) | 4 |
| or BIOL 3301 & 3301L | Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 and Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab | |
| BIOL 2228 & 2228L | Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab | 4 |
| or BIOL 3302 & 3302L | Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 and Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab | |
| BIOL 4432 | Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1111 & 1111L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 5) | 5 |
| CHEM 1112 & 1112L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 5) | 4 |
| MATH 1153 | Statistical Reasoning (Satisfies General Education Objective 3) | 3 |
| MATH 1160 | Survey of Calculus (Satisfies General Education Objective 3) | 3 |
| CHEM 3301 & CHEM 3303 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 4 |
| CHEM 3302 & CHEM 3304 | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 4 |
| PHYS 1111 | General Physics I (Partially satisfies General Education Objective 5) | 3 |
| ECON 2201 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| or ECON 2202 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
Each of the 2 courses above partially satisfies General Education Objective 6. An additional Objective 6 course in another subject must be taken to complete Objective 6 requirements. | ||
| Applicant must meet ISU General Education Requirements | ||
| Applicants must have completed a minimum 72 semester credits of undergraduate coursework. | ||
Fulfillment of the specified requirements does not ensure admission into the Doctor of Pharmacy program.
Evaluation of Applicants
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Up to 95 students are admitted each year
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Faculty select the applicants best predicted to complete the curriculum and have productive professional careers
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Invitation for applicants to schedule an interview is based upon academic success and other required components of the application
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Preference is given to Idaho and Alaska residents
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Following an interview, applicants are notified of their placement into one of three categories:
-
Admission
-
Reserve for possible admission pending available positions
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No admission
-
New students are admitted to begin the professional program only in the fall semester of each year. A criminal background check is required; the background check process is initiated when an offer of admission is accepted by the applicant.
Admission Under Special Circumstances
Transfer from Other Colleges of Pharmacy
Students wishing to be considered for transfer from another U.S. college of pharmacy must present the following materials to the College of Pharmacy Director of Admissions staff before being considered:
-
A letter from the Dean of the previous college of pharmacy certifying status of good academic standing
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Official transcripts of all pharmacy courses completed to date and that show pre-pharmacy requirements of Idaho State University are complete
-
A letter requesting evaluation of class standing
Curricular Philosophy
We view the curriculum as a tool to develop professionals who assume responsibility for their own learning and who are committed to the advancement of pharmacy practice. The primary curricular goal is the development of a strong foundational knowledge in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, and clinical sciences that inculcates a drug-related problem-solving process specific to pharmacy and fosters an evidenced-based approach to optimizing pharmacotherapy and patient health outcomes. We embrace diversity in innovative teaching methods through sound instructional design and encourage the integration of active learning, and multiple curricular and co-curricular opportunities for leadership and professional development. Because it is a dynamic work in progress, we continue to experiment, assess, revise, and innovate within our curriculum to graduate highly competent practitioners.
Professional Curriculum
The professional curriculum requires four years of study. The first three years are a mix of didactic/laboratory courses and practice experiences. The fourth year is comprised of 42 weeks of clinical experiences.
The Doctor of Pharmacy degree can be completed in Pocatello or Meridian, Idaho or in Anchorage, Alaska. Students may complete their fourth year at our clinical sites in Idaho (Meridian, Pocatello, Twin Falls, Coeur d’Alene), at our experiential sites in the Anchorage, Alaska region, or in Reno, Nevada.
The first professional year provides a foundation in the basic and pharmaceutical sciences that includes physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and pharmaceutics. Other courses provide a foundation for professional development that includes topics on ethics, law, drug information, research design, patient care, and the health care system.
Courses and clinical experiences in the second and third professional years build on accrued knowledge and skills. The curriculum centers on an integrated, organ-system approach to the therapeutic management of disease. Additional courses provide insight into the human relation aspects of pharmacy, dosage form design, pharmacy management, and physical assessment. A series of case studies courses, designed to enhance the student’s knowledge base and problem-solving skills while focusing on the application of knowledge to specific patient cases, spans the first three years.
The last 42 weeks, or the fourth professional year, is devoted to full-time clinical experience in various pharmacy practice environments. Students will complete seven, six-week experiences in various areas of practice. Students will also have the option of selecting an elective in an area of interest.
Given the length of the final year of the PharmD program, students will begin practice experiences in mid-May after completing their third academic year in the professional program and will continue throughout the ensuing twelve (12) months.
Program and course-level learning outcomes can be found in the PharmD Student Handbook.
Pharmacy Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Professional Year | ||
| PHAR 9912 | Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience I | 1 |
| PHAR 9923 | Professional Development I | 0 |
| PHAR 9910 | First Year Recitation | 0 |
| PHAR 9911 | Foundations of Interprofessional and Experiential Education | 1 |
| PHAR 9921 | Biological Basis of Drug Actions | 4 |
| PHAR 9924 | Physicochemical Basis of Drug Action | 3 |
| PHAR 9931 | Health Care I | 3 |
| PHAR 9941 | Introduction to Pharmacy Practice with Lab | 4 |
| PHAR 9949 | Human Physiology I | 4 |
| PHAR 9949R | Human Physiology I Recitation | 0 |
| PHAR 9905 | Pharmacy Problem-Based Learning Foundations | 2 |
| PHAR 9922 | Introduction to Pharmacotherapy | 5 |
| PHAR 9926 & 9926R | Basic Pharmacokinetics and Calculations and Basic Pharmacokinetics and Calculations Recitation | 4 |
| PHAR 9942 | Fundamentals of Study Design and Literature Evaluation in Pharmacy | 3 |
| PHAR 9956 & 9956R | Human Physiology II and Human Physiology II Recitation | 4 |
| Second Professional Year | ||
| PHAR 9913 | Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience II | 1 |
| PHAR 9933 | Professional Development II | 0 |
| PHAR 9906 | Pharmacy Problem-Based Learning I | 2 |
| PHAR 9920 | Second Year Recitation | 0 |
| PHAR 9927 & 9927L | Dosage Form Design and Compounding with Lab and Dosage Form Design and Compounding Lab | 4 |
| PHAR 9961 | Pharmacotherapy I with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9962 | Pharmacotherapy II with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9907 | Pharmacy Problem-Based Learning II | 2 |
| PHAR 9944 | Health Care II with Lab | 4 |
| PHAR 9963 | Pharmacotherapy III with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9964 | Pharmacotherapy IV with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9965 | Pharmacotherapy V with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9966 | Pharmacotherapy VI with Lab | 2-5 |
| Third Professional Year | ||
| PHAR 9914 | Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience III | 1 |
| PHAR 9943 | Professional Development III | 1 |
| PHAR 9908 | Pharmacy Problem-Based Learning III | 2 |
| PHAR 9930 | Third Year Recitation | 0 |
| PHAR 9945 | Health Care III with Lab | 4 |
| PHAR 9967 | Pharmacotherapy VII with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9968 | Pharmacotherapy VIII with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9948 | Pharmacy Law | 2 |
| PHAR 9969 | Pharmacotherapy IX with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9970 | Pharmacotherapy X with Lab | 2-5 |
| PHAR 9971 & 9971R | Capstone Pharmacy and Pharmacy Problem-Based Learning IV and Capstone Pharmacy and Pharmacy Problem-Based Learning IV Recitation | 2-5 |
| Electives-Must be completed prior to beginning APPEs 1 | 6 | |
| Fourth Professional Year | ||
| PHAR 9981 | Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (Students will take 49 credits of PHAR 9981) | 7 |
| PHAR 9982 | Pharmacy Information Mastery I | 1 |
| PHAR 9983 | Pharmacy Information Mastery II | 1 |
| PHAR 9984 | Pharmacy Information Mastery III | 1 |
| Student must fulfill ISU General Education requirements. | ||
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A minimum of six (6) elective credits must be completed prior to beginning APPEs. Elective courses must have relevance to the healthcare profession and serve to enhance the professional skills and knowledge of the student. For more information, refer to the ISU College of Pharmacy Student Handbook.