Professional Program
About the Professional Program
Admission
Students must apply to the pharmacy office for admission to the professional program. This is a separate application from the general admissions process for The University of Montana-Missoula. The professional curriculum must be taken in residence at UM. Transfer credit for required professional courses taken at other institutions is accepted only for those courses that are deemed equivalent and in which a letter grade of C or better is obtained. Students transferring from other accredited, professional programs may be admitted with advanced standing on the basis of completed course work if they are in good academic standing.
Equal Consideration
Applicants from every unit of The Montana University System are given equal consideration for admission to the professional program.
Questions?
Please contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Lori Morin (lori.morin@umontana.edu), in the pharmacy office for guidance in applying for advanced standing in the professional program.
Professional Program Application Process
Application Forms
Application forms for admission to the professional program will be available on-line in early December. The application must be submitted no later than February 15 preceding the Autumn Semester for which admission is requested. A non-refundable application fee of $50 must accompany the application.
Pharmacy Application Forms
UM-Missoula Application Forms
All official transcripts, PCAT scores, admission fees, evaluation form, and completed application must be postmarked by February 15 in order to be considered.
PCAT
The Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) is also required for the professional program. Harcourt Assessment coordinates this test.
To get information about a test in your area or to register for the PCAT, you may call Harcourt Assessment at (800) 622-3231 or www.pcatweb.info. To avoid late fees, early registration is encouraged; test registration deadlines occur a month or more prior to the scheduled test dates. Beginning Fall 2007: The PCAT must be taken within two years of your application .
Experience
Students must complete at least 60 hours of experience in a pharmacy, other health care, or social setting. Please see these volunteer suggestions.
GPA
To be eligible for admission, applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4 point scale, both overall and in required pre-professional courses. In addition, applicants must present proof of having completed at least 60 hours of volunteer or paid service in a medical or social field, and one completed evaluation form from someone involved with the applicant in such an experience. Students will also be expected to have completed all General Education requirements except the upper-division writing and ethics requirements prior to entering the professional curriculum. Students must complete all General Education requirements before entering clerkship rotations during the final year of the program.
Student Profile
Grades achieved in pre-professional courses will be used in determining the academic qualifications of applicants for the professional program. Class size is limited, and not all qualified applicants can be guaranteed admission.
For the past several years there have been more than three applicants for each opening, and the grade point average of the entering class has been about 3.5. The professional program admits 65 students in the Autumn Semester only.
Application Review
The professional program's Admissions Committee will review all completed applications postmarked by the February 15 deadline. The committee intends to have initial decisions made by mid-April. A second round may be necessary at the end of spring. A waiting list will be created for a limited number of students not admitted initially. Once applicants have accepted or declined admission, students will be admitted from the waiting list as spaces become available.
Waiting Lists
A waiting list will be created from the next tier of qualified applicants not initially admitted. Once the applicants have accepted or refused admission, students will be admitted from the waiting list as spaces become available.
A reserve waiting list will be held over the summer. In the event a student drops out of the professional program during the summer, an applicant from the reserve waiting list will be admitted before the Autumn Semester begins.
Placement Reservation
An accepted student will need to send a deposit of $150 to reserve placement. This payment will be credited toward tuition upon enrollment. If a student withdraws his or her application by July 1, a $100 refund will be made. After July 1, the entire fee is forfeited.
Note: The $50 application fee is not subject to this refund policy.
Professional Program Curriculum
| First Professional Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Code | Course Name | Autumn | Spring |
| Bioc 380 | Elementary Biochemistry | 4 | - |
| Micb 302 | Medical Microbiology | 3 | - |
| Phar 309, 310 | Pharmacy Practice I & II | 3 | 3 |
| Bmed 328 | Antimicrobial Agents | - | 3 |
| Bmed 331 | Pharmaceutics | - | 4 |
| Bmed 341, 342 | Physiological Systems I & II | 4 | 4 |
| Bmed 361, 362 | Pharmaceutical Sciences Lab I & II | 1 | 1 |
| Phar 371, 372 | Integrated Studies | 1 | 1 |
| Total Credits | 16 | 16 | |
| Second Professional Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Code | Course Name | Summer | |
| Phar 480 | Community Pharmacy Introductory Experience | - | 4 |
| Course Code | Course Name | Autumn | Spring |
| Phar 412 | Pharmacy Practice III - Social and Behavioral Pharmacy | - | 3 |
| Bmed 421, 422 | Medicinal Chemistry I, II | 3 | 3 |
| Bmed 432 | Biopharmaceutics/Pharmacokinetics | 3 | - |
| Bmed 443, 444 | Pharmacology & Toxicology | 4 | 4 |
| Phar 451, 452 | Therapeutics I & II | 3 | 3 |
| Phar 471, 472 | Integrated Studies | 1 | 1 |
| Phar 495 | Skills Lab II | 1 | - |
| Electives | 1 | 2 | |
| Total Credits | 16 | 16 | |
| Third Professional Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Code | Course Name | Summer | |
| Phar 481 | Hospital Pharmacy Introductory Experience | - | 4 |
| Course Code | Course Name | Autumn | Spring |
| Phar 505, 506 | Pharmacy Practice IV & V | 4 | 4 |
| Phar 513 | Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research | - | 3 |
| Phar 514E | Pharmacy Ethics | - | 3 |
| Phar 550 | Drug Literature Evaluation | 3 | - |
| Phar 553, 554 | Therapeutics III & IV | 4 | 4 |
| Phar 557 | Public Health in Pharmacy | 2 | - |
| Phar 571, 572 | Integrated Studies | 1 | 1 |
| Electives | 2 | 1 | |
| Total Credits | 16 | 16 | |
| Fourth Professional Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course Code | Course Name | Summer | Autumn | Spring |
| Option 1 | ||||
| PHAR 579* | Community Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | - | - | 4 |
| PHAR 580* | Hospital Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | - | 4 | - |
| PHAR 581* | Inpatient Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | - | 4 | - |
| PHAR 582* | Ambulatory Care Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | - | - | 8 |
| PHAR 58X* | Elective Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | - | 8 | 8 |
| Total Credits | - | 16 | 20 | |
| Option 2 | Only register for Autumn & Spring semesters | |||
| PHAR 579* | Community Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | - | - | 4 |
| PHAR 580* | Hospital Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | 4 | - | - |
| PHAR 581* | Inpatient Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | 4 | - | - |
| PHAR 582* | Ambulatory Care Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | - | 8 | - |
| PHAR 58X* | Elective Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Total Credits | 12 | 12 | 12 | |
*Rotation
All introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experience consist of full-time, professional experience in community and hospital pharmacies and other clinical sites. Since only a limited number of sites are available in Missoula, many students will be reassigned to pharmacies in other Montana cities for that experience. Elective rotations may be completed outside Montana.
Professional Program Curriculum Description
Integration
The professional program curriculum consists of an integrated sequence of required courses designed to be completed in consecutive academic years. Since the curriculum is revised periodically, students who take more than the required number of years to complete the professional program normally will be required to complete the curricular changes applicable to the class in which they graduate.
Dismissal
Any student who fails to progress in the professional curriculum for two consecutive years will be dismissed from the professional program, subject to review by the Academic Standards Committee and the Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences.
Students must remove all pre-pharmacy deficiencies before entering the second year of the professional program.
GPA
Students in the professional curriculum must maintain cumulative, professional, and pharmacy grade point averages of 2.0 or higher. The professional grade point average consists of all required course work in the professional curriculum. The pharmacy grade point average consists of all courses with a pharmacy (BMED or PHAR) prefix.
Students enrolled in the professional pharmacy program must maintain satisfactory academic progress. Students must earn grades of at least C- in all required courses in the professional pharmacy curriculum. Students in the professional program who have a pharmacy or professional grade point average of less than 2.0 or who receive a grade of D or F in any required course in the professional curriculum will be placed on academic probation. A student must petition to continue in the professional pharmacy program if he or she is on probation for two consecutive terms. A student will be dismissed from the professional pharmacy program if he or she is on probation for a total of three terms, not necessarily consecutive, subject to review by the dean. A student will be removed from probation when a grade point average of 2.0 has been achieved. Because the program is academically intense, employment beyond minimal, part-time work is not recommended.
Students who have failed ten or more credits of required professional course work or who fail to progress in the expected manner for two consecutive years may be dismissed from the professional pharmacy program, subject to review by the Academic Standards Committee and the dean of the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences.
Students dismissed from the program for substandard performance will not be readmitted, except in cases where substantiation is made to the faculty, by written petition, that the substandard performance was the result of circumstances that no longer exist, or that the student has demonstrated the capability and desire to perform satisfactory work since his or her dismissal from the program.
Students leaving the program on their own volition are guaranteed readmission if they are in good academic standing and exit by interview with the assistant dean for student affairs. Those students leaving the program on their own volition and not in good standing must reapply for admission. The professional pharmacy curriculum consists of an integrated sequence of required courses which is designed to be completed in four consecutive years. With appropriate justification, part-time study in the professional pharmacy program may be allowed. Students desiring to be enrolled in part-time study must make their request by petition to the Academic Standards Committee. Because the curriculum is revised periodically, students who take longer than the normal number of years to complete the professional program will be required to complete curricular changes applicable to the class in which they graduate.
Candidates for Professional Degrees
Candidates Must:
- Meet the general University requirements for graduation.
- Earn a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher in each of the following areas:
- All courses attempted at The University of Montana (cumulative grade-point average).
- All courses which carry a pharmacy (BMED or PHAR) prefix (pharmacy grade-point average).
- All required courses in the professional program curriculum (professional grade-point average).
- The first two grade-point averages are University requirements and the third is a special requirement of the professional program.
- Required pharmacy course work (BMED or PHAR) must be completed with a grade of C- or better and at least a 2.0 grade-point average in all PHAR and BMED courses.
- Complete at least six full academic years (Pharm.D.), including pre-professional instruction, and a minimum of eight semesters of professional instruction as a full-time student registered for a minimum of twelve credits per semester.
- Complete at least 200 semester credits of work for a Pharm.D. degree.
Students
Although faculty advisors are here to help, it is the student's responsibility to meet all academic and graduation requirements.
Pharmacy Licensure
Board Examination
An applicant for licensure as a registered pharmacist in Montana must pass an examination administered by the Montana State Board of Pharmacy. To qualify for the examination, the applicant must be of good moral character and have graduated from an accredited pharmacy program. The licensing exams consist of a one-day examination covering the practice of pharmacy and an examination on pharmacy law. After successfully completing both licensing exams and all internship requirements, the graduate will receive a registered pharmacist's license.
