Offered in: Schaumburg

The Roosevelt University Pharmacy program embraces a patient-centered approach to learning that will produce competent, committed, and compassionate graduates. Roosevelt University Doctor of Pharmacy Graduates are prepared to meet the universal vision of pharmacy practice, where they serve as the health care professionals responsible for overall medication management to ensure optimal patient therapy outcomes.  In support of the University's vision to create socially conscious citizens, the Pharmacy program is committed to providing outstanding pharmacy education and developing pharmacy leaders who will advance pharmacy practice and improve public health by serving their respective communities through our core values.

Accreditation

DOCTOR OF PHARMACY Program ACCREDITATION

Roosevelt University Doctor of Pharmacy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 135 South LaSalle Street, Suite 4100, Chicago, IL, 60503, 312/664-3575; FAX 312/664-4652.

On June 20, 2011, the Higher Learning Commission, a Commission of the North Central Association, voted to extend Roosevelt University's accreditation to include the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the Schaumburg campus.

UNIVERSITY ACCREDITATION

Roosevelt University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). The HLC is an independent corporation and one of two commission members of the NCA founded in 1895.  Serving more than 1,000 institutions, the HLC is the largest of six regional accrediting associations in the United States. Regional accreditors like the HLC evaluate an institution’s effectiveness in fulfilling its educational mission using a set of quality standards, also known as criteria for accreditation. Roosevelt’s last comprehensive accreditation occurred in 2015 when the University’s accreditation was reaffirmed for an additional 10 years.  The 2015 Reaffirmation Review stated, “Roosevelt provides a high-quality educational experience that directly supports its mission.”  

ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND PROGRESSION POLICIES

The Academic Standards and Progression Policies can be found in the Pharmacy Student Handbook.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Students must complete the pharmacy curriculum in accordance with progression guidelines to be eligible for graduation. Students are eligible to graduate upon the recommendation of the Promotion and Graduation Committee when all of the following criteria have been met:

1. Students must complete the Doctor of Pharmacy program within five years from matriculation.
2. Students must successfully complete the courses constituting the PharmD curriculum, as approved by the Pharmacy program faculty.
3. Students must successfully complete 6 hours of didactic course electives, of which 1 credits must be designated “clinical.”
4. Students must successfully complete 320 hours of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences and 1440 hours of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences, including four required rotations and 2 elective rotations.
5. Students must be in academic good standing.
6. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.
7. Students cannot have any "F" grades in courses applied toward the PharmD degree.
8. Students cannot have any “no credit” grades in courses applied toward the PharmD degree.

Admission

The PharmD Program at Roosevelt University is a rigorous, patient-centered educational experience designed to prepare caring, compassionate and committed pharmacists to work in a variety of health care settings. Prospective applicants preparing for admission to our PharmD Program should visit Roosevelt University's pharmacy school website requirement page.

Transfer Student Policy

Transfer applications are accepted for students who have completed the first year of didactic study at another accredited school of pharmacy and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. More details are available on the website.

Requirements

The pharmacy curriculum is divided into program blocks. Students matriculate into a cohort and take these blocks of courses together. The courses in each block are designed to offer a comprehensive pharmacy education that prepares the student for the subsequent block of courses. The only courses that students will not take as a group are the electives.  During their final three academic terms, PharmD candidates complete six Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs), for a total of 33 credit hours. Course registration and course withdrawal policies can be found in  the  Student Handbook. Click here to view the entire PharmD Curriculum.

Elective Courses

All students are required to complete 6 credit hours of electives. There are two types of electives offered in the PharmD Program:

1. Didactic – an elective on a clinical or non-clinical topic taught by pharmacy faculty or adjunct faculty member. This can also include an Out of College elective -such as a course taken in the Heller College of Business for dual credit as part of the PharmD/MBA program.
2. Research - Independent Study/Research –students work with a faculty mentor on a research or independent study topic, subject to approval by faculty.

The Curriculum is divided into three academic blocks. For Class of 2027 the blocks are define as follows:

• Academic Block 1 is defined as Terms 1-3 and includes didactic coursework, IPE and IPPE I
• Academic Block 2 is defined as Terms 5-7 and includes didactic coursework and IPPE II-III
• APPE Block is defined as Terms 8-9 and consists of APPE A - F.

Promotion is defined as progression from one Academic Block to the next Academic or APPE Block. In general, to be promoted, students must have all of the following:

1. No outstanding grades of Withdraw or Incomplete; and
2. No more than one grade below C- and no outstanding (un-remediated) grades of F
3. No grade below C- in any select didactic courses (see Student Handbook.)
4. Cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0.
5. Students will not be permitted to enroll in the advanced pharmacy practice experience courses (APPE) until they pass all didactic coursework, introductory pharmacy practice experience courses (IPPE) and inter-professional experience courses (IPE) requirements of the Doctor of Pharmacy program.

To be in “good academic standing” in the Pharmacy Program, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Maintain a cumulative Pharmacy Doctoral GPA of >2.5 and earn a grade of C- or above in every course;
2. Satisfactorily fulfill all Didactic course completion requirements; and
3. Satisfactorily fulfill all Professional Practice Experience course completion requirements.

EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

Approximately one-third of the PharmD curriculum is experiential education, which provides practical experience in a variety of off-site, pharmacy settings. Experiential education, often referred to as “rotations,” helps students apply knowledge gained in the classroom to a real-life pharmacy practice setting.  During these off-site experiences, students work with practicing pharmacists and faculty members, known as “preceptors”, who facilitate the students’ learning.

Roosevelt University Pharmacy program has two levels of experiential education incorporated over the course of the program: Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). The IPPE and APPE rotations, provide excellent opportunities for students to develop an array of skills, including professionalism, effective communication,  working on an interprofessional team, problem-solving, critical thinking and professional competence.

Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE): The Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) occur during the first two didactic years.  These experiences occur during Semesters 2, 5 and 6 of the pharmacy curriculum. The IPPE rotations occur in both community and institutional settings.  A total of over 300 hours is completed.  IPPE rotations are scheduled for eight hours, on Fridays. The Office of Experiential Education places students at various sites, based on site and preceptor availability. 

Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE): The entire third year of the pharmacy curriculum is comprised of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs). Students complete six rotations, each lasting six weeks (240 hours), for a minimum of 1440 APPE hours. There are four required experiences: Community Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy, Ambulatory Care and Acute Care Medicine along with two elective rotations, that take place in a wide variety of pharmacy sites. These sites can be local, regional or national. A computerized matching process is used to place students with preceptors and in practice sites, based on student preference rankings and site and preceptor availability. Prior to the matching process, students also have the opportunity to apply and/or interview for Longitudinal APPE programs, with some of our larger Institutional partners. This allows the student to do three or more APPE rotations at one site.

Your degree map is a general guide of courses to complete each term on the academic pathway to your degree. It is based on the most current scheduling information from your academic program. Your program’s degree map is reviewed annually and updated as schedules change.   

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Total Hours toward Degree:  Core Courses Semester Hours 128 + Professional Electives Semester Hours 6 = 134 Semester Hours

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 Pharmacy program Curriculum is subject to change