11 Best 6-Year Pharmacy Programs (2+4 Years Direct-Entry Programs) – Online & Campus-Based
Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
What Are The Best 6-Year Campus-Based And Online Pharmacy Programs (2+4 Years Direct-Entry Programs) In The Nation?
(Based on our
Ranking Methodology, the following are the 11 best 6-Year pharmacy programs (2+4 years direct-entry programs) in the nation. These direct entry pharmacy programs are for students who have earned their high school diploma. The following list includes both campus-based and online programs. You can complete these programs in 6 Year or less.)
Concentrations Offered: Acute Care, Ambulatory Care, Community Practice, Entrepreneurial Pharmacy, Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, and Health Services & Outcomes Research
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: If there’s a pharmacy specialty that particularly appeals to you, Duquesne University’s 6-year pharmacy program could be just the degree for you! Duquesne University’s innovative curriculum allows you to focus on concentrations within the broader practice of pharmacy, such as acute care, ambulatory care, community practice, entrepreneurial pharmacy, geriatric pharmacotherapy, and health services & outcome research.
You’ll spend your entire pharmacy education at Duquesne University’s campus in Pittsburgh, starting the program as an undergraduate with pre-professional classes during years 1 and 2 and then transitioning into the professional PharmD curriculum for years 3 through 6. The program also includes 1,784 clinical hours, during which you’ll explore a variety of practice settings at institutions like Allegheny General Hospital, UPMC, Cleveland Clinic, Eli Lilly & Co., Indian Health Services, Johns Hopkins Hospital, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the University of Perugia in Italy.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: Enrolling in this program will enable you to earn your Doctor of Pharmacy degree in just six years.
Admission Requirements: Initial entry into this program depends upon having a strong background in math, science, and communication courses while still in high school. You’re guaranteed admission into the program’s professional phase so long as you have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and meet other progression criteria.
Duquesne University also admits transfer students into the four-year professional portion of this program.
Why Choose This Program
• Duquesne University’s pharmacy school is the only PharmD program in the nation that requires all students to take a course in professional development.
• All graduates of Duquesne University’s PharmD program earn certificates in immunization, tobacco cessation treatment, and networked pharmacist-patient care.
• When you earn a doctoral pharmacy degree from Duquesne University, you’ll also have the opportunity to attain training certificates in diabetes care, Medication Therapy Management (MTM), substance use disorders, point-of-care testing, and healthcare leadership.
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U.S. News & World Report ranks this program as one of the best 6-year pharmacy programs among the nation’s Catholic pharmacy schools.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: Northeastern University’s six-year pharmacy program is the only PharmD program in the nation that offers six-month structured pharmacy internships (Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences or IPPEs) for which you’ll be paid. These internships, called cooperative education experiences, provide up to 48 weeks of experience.
Northeastern’s co-op program, though, is only one part of the experiential learning opportunities Northeastern offers. You’ll also participate (and be paid) in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences and elective rotations so that you can hit the ground running in whatever job you take after you graduate. Northeastern University is affiliated with more than 120 hospitals, clinics, community pharmacies, and government agencies throughout the metro Boston area.
Your two introductory undergraduate years will be filled with basic science courses. You’ll start your immersion into pharmacy science and IPPEs in your third year of the program. The sixth and final year of the program is devoted to experiential learning rotations called APPEs. You’ll receive your Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies at the end of your fifth year of studies and your Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) at the end of your sixth year.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: If you are accepted into this program straight out of high school, you can graduate in six years.
Admission Requirements: To enroll in this program as a freshman, you’ll need a strong academic record in high school-level math and science courses. Northeastern also has a four-year Direct Entry pathway for bachelor’s degree students.
Why Choose This Program
• Northeastern University’s unique cooperative education experiences provide more than four times the number of IPPE hours you can expect to log in most 6-year pharmacy programs. Between IPPEs, APPEs, and elective clinical rotations, you will have accumulated 3440 clinical hours by the time you graduate.
• Northeastern University offers a joint PharmD/Master’s of Public Health (MPH) degree.
• 94 percent of Northeastern University’s PharmD graduates pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) exam on their first try.
• 100 percent of Northeastern University’s PharmD graduates find employment within one year of attaining their degree, with 77 percent receiving pre-graduation employment offers.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: The University of Rhode Island’s 209-credit, 6-year pharmacy program includes 1,740 hours of IPPEs, APPEs, and other experiential interactions. All courses are taught at the university’s campus in Kingston, while clinical internships are scheduled at hospitals, community pharmacies, home healthcare agencies, and other settings throughout Rhode Island and southern New England.
As an undergraduate in the first few years of the program, your curriculum will consist of general education and foundational science courses. You’ll commence studies directly associated with pharmacology in the first semester of your third year. You’ll participate in three IPPEs while you’re enrolled in didactic classes like “Biomedical & Pharmacy Science I-VI” and “Clinical & Therapeutic Science I-VI.” Your final year of the program will be devoted to six APPE rotations in community, institutional, general medicine, and ambulatory pharmacology settings.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: If you enter this program as a high school student, you’ll graduate in six years.
Admission Requirements: Entrance into the University of Rhode Island’s six-year PharmD program is highly competitive. Preference is given to applicants who’ve completed a rigorous science curriculum in high school that includes Advanced Placement Chemistry and Calculus.
Why Choose This Program
• Interested in developing management and administrative skills relevant to the pharmaceutical industry? The University of Rhode Island offers a dual PharmD/Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
• The University of Rhode Island also offers an accelerated PharmD program that culminates with a Master’s of Science degree.
• 99 percent of the University of Rhode Island’s six-year Pharm D students get employment offers before graduation.
• The University of Rhode Island’s Pharmacy School secures more than $20 million in federal research grant funding annually, putting it in the top 10 percent of the nation’s pharmacological research universities.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: Drake University has dubbed its six-year pharmacy program the "True 2+4" pathway. Students admitted into this track will spend two years completing undergraduate pharmacy prerequisites before transferring into the graduate pharmacy program at the beginning of their third year. This program enrolls approximately 130 students each fall. While Drake University doesn’t guarantee that all pre-pharmacy students admitted via the True 2+4 pathway will advance to the graduate program, 98 percent of them do.
This program is based at Drake’s campus in Des Moines. You must earn 211 credits to complete your degree. Many of those credits involve internships and clinical rotations in various community pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, and long-term care settings. As is the case with many other 6-year pharmacy programs, you’ll complete all didactic coursework in your third year of professional studies and spend your fourth and final year participating in eight Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences—four required APPEs in hospital practice, community practice, ambulatory care, and acute care, and four elective APPEs in practice settings of your choice. Each APPE experience lasts for five weeks.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: You can complete this program in six years by taking two years of pre-pharmacy requirements and four years of professional study.
Admission Requirements: Entry into Drake University’s six-year PharmD program is highly selective. Students are only admitted into the first year, and the admission committee weighs factors like high school GPA, letters of recommendation, personal essays, and standardized test scores.
Why Choose This Program
• Drake University gives its PharmD graduates the opportunity to earn a number of joint degrees, including dual PharmD/MBA, PharmD/MPH, PharmD/Master’s of Science in Health Informatics and Analytics (MSHIA), PharmD/Master’s of Public Administration (MPA), PharmD/Master’s of Science in Leadership Development (MSLD), and PharmD/Juris Doctor (JD.)
• Interested in becoming an expert in diabetes pharmacology? Drake University offers a dedicated diabetes concentration.
• 93 percent of Drake University’s six-year PharmD graduates pass their NAPLEX exam the first time they take it.
• 98 percent of Drake University’s six-year PharmD graduates find relevant employment within one year of earning their degree.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: What makes Ohio Northern University’s six-year PharmD program stand out? At ONU, you’ll begin professional pharmacy coursework and patient care experiences in your very first two years of undergraduate studies. In addition to taking chemistry, physics, and other core science and math courses, you’ll also take classes like “Foundations in Pharmacy Practice” and “Professional Development.” You’ll participate in your first IPPE the summer of your freshman year. You’ll have a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Studies and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree when you graduate.
Once you start the professional portion of your pharmacy education in your third year, your coursework will focus on the effects of medications on various physiological systems. You’ll also begin more comprehensive clinical experiences. Ohio Northern University partners with more than 1.500 clinical practice sites for IPPEs and APPEs, including ONU Healthwise Pharmacy, the Mobile Health Clinic, the Wheeler Pharmacy Services Center, and the Drug and Health Information Center. Ada, where the university is located, is a small village surrounded by farmland, and one of the focuses of this 6-year pharmacy program is pharmacy practice in rural settings with an emphasis on health education, health risk assessments, health screenings, and immunizations.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: ONU’s direct entry pathway into its Doctor of Pharmacy program takes six years to complete.
Admission Requirements: An excellent high school GPA and evidence of relevant extracurricular interests, volunteer activities, and paid jobs will bolster your chances of admission into Ohio Northern University’s six-year pharmacy program. An interview is part of the application process. Drake University also accepts transfer students into both the pre-professional and professional portions of the PharmD curriculum.
The university also admits students who’ve earned a baccalaureate degree into the four-year professional phase of the program.
Why Choose This Program
• 90 percent of Ohio Northern University’s PharmD graduates pass the NAPLEX exam on their first attempt.
• Within six months of graduation, 97 percent of ONU’s matriculating PharmD students have found jobs.
• Ohio Northern University’s College of Pharmacy has received the Lawrence C. Weaver Transformative Community Service Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in recognition of its commitment to community service.
• Ohio Northern University also offers three joint degrees in conjunction with Clarkson University: a PharmD/MBA in Health Management, a PharmD/MS in Healthcare Data Analytics, and a PharmD/MS in Clinical Leadership. You’ll be able to complete the work for the second degree online.
Concentrations Offered: Entrepreneurship
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: Mercer University’s six-year pharmacy program consists of 218 credits. At the end of your first two pre-professional years, you must successfully pass the Comprehensive Progression Assessment and meet the Professional Engagement Program requirements before advancing on to the professional portion of the program.
Your professional curriculum will include classroom lectures at the university’s campus in Atlanta as well as experiential activities at some of the top-ranked medical and teaching hospitals in Atlanta and other parts of Georgia. In the first three years of the professional curriculum, you’ll take Comprehensive Patient-Centered Care courses to prepare you for working with patients who have complex conditions. You’ll also take introductory and advanced legal courses to orient you to the complex world of pharmacy law.
You’ll learn and practice patient assessment and counseling competencies at Mercer University’s state-of-the-art Pharmacy Simulation and Clinical Skills Laboratory. Mercer is particularly well known for the unique APPE experiences it offers students during their sixth and final year of studies; these allow you to pursue an advanced clinical track, a global medical mission, a stint with the Indian Health Service, or an international pharmacy program. Mercer’s IPPE rotations are three weeks long, while their APPE rotations are five weeks long.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: If you enter this program directly from high school, it will take you six years to graduate.
Admission Requirements: High school graduates applying to this program must prove they have a strong foundation in science and math.
Mercer University also accepts applicants into its PharmD program who’ve completed 66 credits of pre-pharmacy education at another accredited college or university.
Why Choose This Program
• Are you interested in the innovative side of pharmacology? Mercer University offers a unique, entrepreneurially-focused PharmD concentration for students interested in new ways to create value in the pharmacology industry.
• Mercer University offers five PharmD combined degree options: PharmD/MBA, PharmD/MPH, PharmD/MS in Health Informatics, PharmD/MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and PharmD/PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• Mercer University’s summer research program awards a $3,500 stipend for a 12-week stint pursuing research under the supervision of a Mercer University faculty member.
• 95 percent of this program’s graduates have secured employment or a fellowship placement before they earn their degrees.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: Rutgers University’s Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy is one of eight professional schools on the university’s health sciences campus in Piscataway. This proximity to other schools gives six-year PharmD students ample opportunities to forge interdisciplinary relationships with other healthcare professionals. According to
U.S. News & World Report, Rutgers’ six-year PharmD track is among the best six-year pharmacy programs in the U.S.
The program commences with two years of pre-professional study, after which you’ll proceed on to the four-year professional phase of your training. You’ll begin your Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences in your third year and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences in your fourth year. APPEs consist of eight five-week, full-time rotations for a total of 200 practice hours apiece in specified practice areas like community, hospital, acute care, and ambulatory care. You’ll have input into selecting your clinical rotation placements from a network of over 1,000 sites and 1,900 preceptors throughout New Jersey and adjacent states.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: Students who enroll in this program straight out of high school can graduate in six years.
Admission Requirements: The ideal applicant is someone who has challenged themself academically throughout high school and whose extracurricular activities indicate a commitment to service. Preference is given to students who rank high in their graduating class and who’ve taken advanced placement courses, honors courses, and extra credit coursework.
Rutgers’ PharmD program also admits community college and four-year college and university students into the four-year professional component of this program.
Why Choose This Program
• This 6-year pharmacy program offers five dual degree options: PharmD/Medical Doctor (MD), PharmD/MPH, PharmD/MBA, PharmD/PhD, and PharmD/Master of Science in Health Outcomes, Policy and Economics (MS-HOPE.)
• Is pharmacological research your passion? The Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy’s PharmD Honors Research Program is designed to offer in-depth training, the opportunity to focus on a specialized area of interest, and mentoring.
• Through its affiliations with local area hospitals, managed care settings, and drug companies, Rutgers University is able to offer many post-graduate fellowships and residencies. The Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program places more than 160 graduates every year.
• Graduates of this six-year PharmD program maintain a nearly 100 percent NAPLEX first-time pass rate.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences was founded by pharmacists in the early 19th century, so you can be confident the school is expert when it comes to pharmacy education. The college’s six-year pharmacy program has entry points in the fall and spring. You’ll spend your first two pre-professional years immersed in foundational science and math coursework. You must maintain a GPA of 2.8 or higher in your pre-professional work and successfully complete an interview and a writing exam to advance into the professional part of the curriculum.
Your next four years will be taken up with an intensive study of pharmacology, therapeutics, medicinal chemistry, and pharmaceutical biotechnology, as well as clinical experiences designed to introduce you to the pharmacist’s patient care process. MCPHS collaborates with more than 1,000 partners across the nation for clinical rotations, and you’ll begin IPPEs in Year 4. During the program’s final year, you’ll participate in 36 weeks of APPEs. When you graduate from this 6-year pharmacy program, you’ll have two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Life Sciences and a Doctor of Pharmacy.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: As a Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences direct-entry student, you can complete a PharmD degree in six years.
Admission Requirements: MCPHS has a rolling admissions process. High school students applying to this program must show evidence of strong academic performance and submit a personal statement and at least one letter of recommendation with their application.
Why Choose This Program
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences also offers a five-year Accelerated PharmD pathway that consists of two pre-professional years and three professional years.
• Graduates are eligible to participate in MCPHS’s Biopharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program, the second largest such program in the nation.
• MCPHS offers a dual PharmD/MBA degree as well as two healthcare-oriented joint degrees: Doctor of Pharmacy/Master in Clinical Research and Doctor of Pharmacy/Master in Regulatory Affairs and Health Policy
• Interested in specializing further? You can add graduate certificates in Healthcare Management, Public Health, Medication Safety, and APhA Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery to your degree.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: Long Island University’s 127-credit six-year pharmacy program consists of a pre-pharmacy phase and a professional segment. You’ll pursue preprofessional studies at the Richard L. Conolly College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professional studies at the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
During your pre-pharmacy studies, you’ll focus on science, math, and general education coursework. While this portion of the six-year PharmD program is designed to be completed in two years, it may take longer if you need additional proficiency and skills courses. Admission into the doctoral phase of the program is contingent upon maintaining a GPA of 3.25 or higher and completing at least 40 hours of volunteer community service.
The professional portion of Long Island University’s six-year PharmD program comprises three years of didactic classes, IPPE experiential coursework, and one year entirely devoted to Advanced Pharmacy Practice experiences, which you’ll spend in various hospital and community settings. Long Island University’s clinical network includes practitioners at top New York City hospitals like Mount Sinai, New York Presbyterian, and NYU Langone Health. Your APPE rotations will cover acute care, ambulatory care, community practice, institutional practice, and inpatient general medicine. Students are also required to participate in co-curricular activities like active membership in a professional organization and direct patient care outreach.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: Most students accepted into this program straight out of high school graduate in six years.
Admission Requirements: Long Island University accepts high school students into the first year of pre-professional study on the basis of grade point average, test scores, a personal statement, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview.
Why Choose This Program
• LIU also offers dual PharmD/MPH and PharmD/MBA degrees.
• Once you enter the professional phase of the program, you’ll have the opportunity to take electives that will enable you to earn a joint PharmD/MS Artificial Intelligence, PharmD/MS Drug Regulatory Affairs, PharmD/ Pharmacy Administration, PharmD/MS Pharmaceutics–Cosmetic Science, or PharmD/MS Pharmaceutics–Industrial Pharmacy.
• Long Island University’s PharmD program is one of the few to offer international clinical experiences, ranging from medical mission trips in resource-poor areas to advanced pharmacy practice in developed countries.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: If community pharmacy interests you, St. John’s University offers the ideal 6-year pharmacy program. In keeping with its Catholic tradition of service, the university partners with more than 200 clinical sites in diverse, often economically disadvantaged neighborhoods throughout New York City. Additionally, St. John’s University’s PharmD program offers numerous opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration with students and faculty members from the many other healthcare programs the university offers, as well as with students and professionals from affiliated medical schools and healthcare institutions.
This 201-credit six-year Doctor of Pharmacy program is taught at St. John’s University’s campus in Queens. During the first two years of the program, your studies will focus on foundational sciences and general education requirements. When you enter the professional phase of the program, you’ll study the pharmaceutical sciences in depth and begin participating in clinical experiences. Your IPPEs will be interspersed throughout Years 3 through 5 of the program. Before you begin your clinical rotations, you must obtain a New York State Pharmacy Intern Permit and purchase liability insurance.
Your sixth year will be devoted to APPE rotations in areas like advanced community pharmacy, general inpatient care, and ambulatory care. You’ll also have the opportunity to participate in elective APPEs in specialties that coincide with your unique interests. Each APPE rotation will last four weeks.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: Entering this PharmD program in your freshman year will enable you to graduate in six years.
Admission Requirements: Applicants must complete at least one year of high school chemistry. With your application, you must submit two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and a summary of your extracurricular activities.
Why Choose This Program
• Six-year PharmD students at St. John’s University have the opportunity to complete the spring semester of their second year at the university’s campuses in Rome and Paris.
• 93 percent of St. John’s University’s six-year PharmD graduates find employment in their chosen field within six months of graduation.
• St. John’s University’s Academic Success Center provides individualized and group tutoring for six-year PharmD students.
Program Length: 6 Years
Program Details: As the oldest pharmacy school in North America, Saint Joseph’s University’s Philadelphia College of Pharmacy has been educating fledgling pharmacists for over 200 years. Its six-year PharmD program has two phases. In Years 1 and 2, you’ll dive deeply into a core science curriculum. In Year 3, you’ll begin Saint Joseph’s unique, competency-driven PharmD curriculum, delving deeply into human diseases, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, therapeutics, and pharmacoeconomics.
Thirty percent of this program’s professional curriculum consists of Introductory and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences. The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy partners with more than 400 renowned hospitals, medical centers, and pharmaceutical companies throughout Philadelphia and the nation. When you complete this program, you’ll have two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Studies and a Doctor of Pharmacy.
How Fast Can You Complete This Program: This program is designed to be completed in six years.
Admission Requirements: High school students can apply to this six-year pharmacy program by submitting transcripts, at least one letter of recommendation, and a Common Application essay with your online application.
Saint Joseph’s University’s also accepts transfer students into the second and third years of this PharmD program. The university has several bridge programs that enable local community college graduates to complete prerequisite courses at Saint Joseph’s and gain admittance into the professional part of the six-year program.
Why Choose This Program
• Saint Joseph’s University offers a joint PharmD/MBA degree and a PharmD/PhD program.
• Certifications in immunizations, medication therapy management, mental health first aid, and Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) motivational interviewing are included as part of the curriculum.
• Want to make yourself more attractive to potential employers? Saint Joseph’s University also offers graduate business certificates in pharmaceutical and healthcare business, finance, and pharmaceutical marketing that you can add on to your degree with no extra expense or time commitment.
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Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Pattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. After 10 years of providing direct care, she went back to school and earned concurrent Master’s degrees in both public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she worked for various public health agencies in California at both the community and state levels providing economic and legislative analysis.