To earn the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, students must complete two years of preprofessional studies and four years of professional courses at Northeastern University.
Year 1: Preprofessional Studies (PP1)
Year 2: Preprofessional Studies (PP2)
Year 3: Professional Year 1 (P1)
Year 4: Professional Year 2 (P2)
Year 5: Professional Year 3 (P3)
(Student earns the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies degree and moves to the graduate level for completion of PharmD studies.)
Year 6: Professional Year 4 (P4)
The PharmD fully integrates campus-based learning with experiential learning, including Northeastern University’s signature cooperative education program, to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to succeed in the pharmacy profession. Our students promote and ensure the safe and effective use of drugs and provide medication therapy management services. In addition to preparing and dispensing prescribed medications, our students provide information to patients about medications and their uses; advise physicians, other prescribers, and healthcare practitioners on medication selection, dosages, interactions, and adverse effects; and monitor patient responses to drug therapy.
Our students are well equipped to provide patient care services in a variety of settings. Most of our graduates work in community pharmacies or in healthcare facilities such as hospitals and ambulatory clinics. Additional practice opportunities exist in health maintenance organizations, private practice groups, long-term-care facilities, home healthcare, the Public Health Service, the armed services, and law enforcement and regulatory agencies such as the Federal Drug Administration or Drug Enforcement Administration. Graduates may also find employment in drug development, marketing and research within the pharmaceutical industry, colleges of pharmacy, and professional association management. In addition, many of our graduates go on to pharmacy practice residencies, fellowships, and leading graduate programs.
PharmD students are admitted with the expectation that by working with faculty, staff, and each other, they will develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for academic and professional success. Students follow academic progression plans for their respective years of graduation. Any deviation from the prescribed curriculum will require faculty/staff permission and an approved plan of study from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Academic and Professional Standing Committee.
The curriculum includes both Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (fulfilled by co-op) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences. These PPEs are provided primarily under the direct supervision of qualified pharmacist preceptors and occasionally with other qualified healthcare professionals. The school is affiliated with many world-class practice sites throughout the United States, providing students with access to experienced clinicians and scholars. Although every effort is made to accommodate individual circumstances and requests, students should be prepared to travel outside the Boston area to complete some of their PPEs. Availability of a car may be required, as some sites are not accessible by public transportation. All expenses associated with PPEs, including travel and housing, are the responsibility of the student.
IPPEs are competitive placements that are based on job availability in a geographic region. The placements are facilitated by SOPPS-designated Bouvé co-op education coordinators. Students are required to earn satisfactory (S) grades in both IPPEs. One will meet Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education–based IPPE requirements while the second IPPE will be selected by the student from all available positions.
APPE placements are provided based on site/preceptor availability and the final approval of the SOPPS Office of Experiential and Continuing Professional Education. Students may be able to petition the OECPE for special-arrangement APPEs; however, availability for such requests is limited.
To be eligible for the PharmD degree, a student must successfully complete all courses in the curriculum including the IPPEs and APPEs, meet the academic progression standards of the program, meet the technical standards of the program, and satisfy all other requirements as stated. The pharmacy program is fully accredited by the ACPE and adheres to the standards established by ACPE.
Pharmacy graduates must meet specific requirements to qualify for professional licensure in the state where they plan to practice as a registered pharmacist. These requirements include, but are not limited to, graduating from an accredited school of pharmacy, passing national and state board examinations, and completing internship hours. The internship is a period of practical experience conducted under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. Massachusetts requires 1,500 internship hours, all of which are satisfied through completion of IPPEs and APPEs.
Professional and/or legal exigencies arise from time to time, which may necessitate changes in a pharmacy course, progression, and/or graduation requirements. Students should review their status with academic advisors on a timely basis and refer to current publications for updated information.
Professional Program Progression
A minimum grade of C is required in major prerequisite courses (those identified with the subject codes BIOL, CHEM, MATH). To progress into the subsequent year of professional courses, students must have completed all professional prerequisites with the required minimum passing grade, have satisfactorily completed all academic courses in the preprofessional phase of the curriculum, have a preferred overall grade-point average of 3.000 or higher, and a preferred science prerequisite GPA of 3.000 or higher. The science GPA is comprised of all courses with prefixes BIOL, CHEM, and MATH. In addition, to progress into the first professional year of the PharmD program, students must demonstrate good verbal and written communication skills, understanding of the pharmacy profession, and commitment to patient care through an interview process based on criteria set by the SOPPS.
All students are required to complete the PharmCAS application. The PharmCAS application process is considered a formality in the progression process and will not jeopardize the student's preferred or guaranteed enrollment status.
To progress into the subsequent semester of professional courses, students must receive a grade of C or better in all PHMD and PHSC courses, as well as in any course completed to fulfill the professional elective requirement.
Pharmacy students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.000 or higher during the professional years of the Doctor of Pharmacy program.
Requirements for the PharmD Pharmacy PPEs
Requirements for the successful completion of the PharmD PPEs include:
1. Evidence of health clearance from University Health and Counseling Services before placements at any PPE site.
2. Satisfactory completion of any additional site-specific requirements including, but not limited to, criminal record information, or CORI; urine drug screens; and verification of immunization status. All fees associated with these requirements are the responsibility of the student.
Management of Positive Urine Drug Screens
If the student learns the urine drug screen (test #1) is positive (+), the student will notify the OECPE (pharmacyoee@northeastern.edu) and immediately complete a second urine screen (test #2). A Professionalism Concern form will be completed based on test #1 results and reported to the university's Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution via the Incident Report form.
If urine screen test #2 is negative (-), the student will be allowed to continue the PPEs. However, the student will be asked to complete a random urine screen (test #3) at a time determined by the OECPE. If urine screen test #3 is positive, the student will be administratively removed from the active PPEs and graduation may be delayed. A second PCF and OSCCR IRF will be completed, based on test #3 results. The return to PPEs will occur once a repeat urine test is negative. That repeat negative test will be followed up by a random urine screen at a time determined by the OECPE.
If urine screen test #2 is positive, the student will be administratively removed from the PPEs and graduation may be delayed. The return to PPEs will occur once a repeat urine screen is negative. That negative screen will be followed up by a random urine screen at a time determined by the OECPE. A second PCF and OSCCR IRF will be completed based on a positive test #3 result.
3. Adherence to the SOPPS Code of Professional Conduct and the university’s Code of Conduct policies while off-campus.
4. Maintenance of an active pharmacy intern license in every state where the student completes a PPE.
5. Compliance with site-specific requirements (via site descriptions) and completion of site requests within specified deadlines. Students who fail to complete these requirements as directed will likely incur grade penalties and may experience a delay of graduation or dismissal from the PharmD program.
Program Policies
Students are expected to adhere to the policies and standards of their program major, as stated, to progress through their curriculum as planned. Students seeking any exceptions to the program policies and standards specified for their program major must present a petition before the SOPPS Academic and Professional Standing Committee.
Given programmatic requirements, coupled with concerns over the loss of therapeutic knowledge, requests for a General Leave of Absence, other than Medical or Emergency Leave of Absence:
- Must comply with all stated Northeastern general policies, regardless of the academic year.
- May be made at any time period during the P1 or P2 years.
- During the P3 academic year, any request for a general leave must be made no later than February 1 of the given academic year. Requests after this date will not be permitted.
- During the P4 academic year, requests for a general leave cannot be made at any time.
SOPPS Code of Professional Conduct
All SOPPS students (i.e., preprofessional PharmD, Pharmaceutical Sciences, BS, P1–P4 PharmD, MS, PhD) are expected to adhere to the SOPPS Code of Professional Conduct .
Technical Standards for the Doctor of Pharmacy Program
The PharmD program at Northeastern is a rigorous and challenging academic program that requires students to possess specific characteristics and abilities within the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, referred to here as technical standards. To successfully progress in and ultimately complete the didactic, laboratory, and experiential components of the PharmD program, students must meet the standards described below.
Intellectual Abilities
Students must have well-developed problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Cognitive function must be appropriate to integrate, evaluate, and apply information gained through measurement, analysis, calculation, and reasoning. Students must have the capacity to learn efficiently in classroom, laboratory, small group and experiential settings, and through independent study. Students are required to demonstrate the ability to integrate course content knowledge with clinical practice applications to optimize medication therapy management.
Communication Skills
Students must be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, professors, patients, families, and healthcare providers. This includes efficiently comprehending, speaking, reading, and writing in English. Students must be able to process and use appropriate nonverbal cues and be proficient in the use of electronic communication media.
Behavioral and Social Attributes
Students must demonstrate professionalism, maturity, integrity, honesty, compassion, and respect when relating to others. Students must have sufficient mental and emotional health to complete work and responsibilities using good judgment. Students must be able to tolerate and adapt to stressful workloads and situations and modify behavior based on constructive criticism. Students must be able to function in accordance with the legal, ethical, and professional standards of practice.
Observation and Motor Skills
Students must have functional use of visual, auditory, and tactile senses. Students must be able to observe and perform experiments, physical assessments, patient interviews, and medication order processing. Students must be able to distinguish physical characteristics of medications by inspection. Students must have coordination of gross and fine muscular movements sufficient to perform pharmacy-related tasks including compounding and dispensing medications, administering medications, and using computers and other technology necessary for learning and professional practice.
Academic Dismissal from Major
PharmD students in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences will be dismissed from their major effective the following academic semester for any of the reasons noted below:
- Failure to earn a grade of C or better in three professional courses, regardless of remediation. Within the PharmD program, each specific professional course (with separate registration number) will be counted as a separate failure even if content is related.
- Failure to earn the minimum required grade in the same course twice.
- Failure to maintain a GPA of 3.000 after two semesters of probation.
- The expected graduation date may not change more than twice.
The PharmD program monitors and promotes the development of professional behaviors in its students to ensure appropriate professionalism in the classroom, local and global communities, and clinical settings. Breach of adherence to these standards may result in dismissal from the program.
Academic Appeals
Students who believe that they were erroneously, capriciously, or otherwise unfairly treated in an academic or cooperative education decision may petition to appeal the decision. Refer to the Bouvé College of Health Sciences Academic Affairs Appeals Process and the Northeastern University Academic Appeals Policies and Procedures.
Progression to the 4th Professional Year of the PharmD Program
Students enrolled in the PharmD program will be awarded a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies after successful completion of all didactic and laboratory courses in years 1–5 of the pharmacy curriculum. To earn the PharmD degree, students must complete an additional 36 semester hours of APPEs with an overall GPA of 3.000 or higher. The PharmD degree is required to pursue licensure or registration as a pharmacist; graduates with the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies degree only are not eligible for pharmacist licensure.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Please visit Bouvé College Learning Outcomes for the specific student learning outcomes for this program.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also, complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified, and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
Some NUpath requirements are not explicitly satisfied by required courses. Students are responsible for satisfying these requirements with an elective.
Students who incur an incomplete grade in a prerequisite course may not progress into the subsequent courses(s). Any exceptions will be determined by protocols established by the program, after consultation with the student's academic advisor.
Supporting Courses
Professional Electives
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 6 |
Optional Concentration
General Electives
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| |
Program Requirement
148 total semester hours required.
If the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies degree is the terminal degree (i.e., the student does not plan to continue on to the fourth professional year), an overall grade-point average of 2.000 or greater is considered acceptable. Students who earn the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies as the terminal degree are not eligible for pharmacist licensure.
A minimum grade of C is required in major prerequisite courses (those identified with the subject code BIOL, CHEM, MATH). To progress into the subsequent year of professional courses, students must have completed all professional prerequisites with the required minimum passing grade, have satisfactorily completed all academic courses in the preprofessional phase of the curriculum, have an overall preferred GPA of 3.000 or higher, and a science prerequisite preferred GPA of 3.000 or higher. The science GPA is comprised of all courses with prefix BIOL, CHEM, MATH. In addition, to progress into the first professional year (P1) of the PharmD program, students must demonstrate good verbal and written communication skills, understanding of the pharmacy profession, and commitment to patient care through an interview process based on criteria set by the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
To progress into the subsequent semester of professional courses, students must receive a grade of C or better in all PHMD/PHSC courses and the professional elective requirement. For PharmD students, an unsatisfactory grade (U) in a co-op will be counted as a professional course deficiency. Students who incur an incomplete grade in a prerequisite course may not progress into the subsequent courses(s). Any exceptions will be determined by protocols established by the program, after consultation with the student's academic advisor.
All students are required to complete the PharmCAS application. The PharmCAS application process is considered a formality in the progression process and will not jeopardize the student's preferred or guaranteed enrollment status.
Professional Electives
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Counseling Theories and Practice | |
| Introduction to Health Informatics and Health Information Systems | |
| Data Management in Healthcare | |
| Personal Health Interface Design and Development | |
| Business Application of Decision Support in Healthcare | |
| Wellness | |
| Interprofessional Ethics for Individual and Population Health | |
| Alternative Medicine | |
| Mindfulness: Theory and Practice | |
| Illusions, the Brain, and Healthcare | |
| The (in)Visibility of (dis)Ability in Society | |
| Introduction to Transgender Perspectives in Healthcare | |
| Introduction to Patient Safety | |
| Social Determinants of Health | |
| AI Across the Health Sciences | |
| Human Nutrition | |
| Advanced Nutrition in Health and Disease | |
| Public Health Nutrition in the Community | |
| Introduction to Real-World Evidence | |
| Foundations of Data Models | |
| Methods for Observational Research 1 | |
| Methods for Observational Research 2 | |
| Standardization of Real-World Data | |
| Data Model Transformation | |
| Phenotyping | |
| Cohort Building | |
| Human Factors and Situational Awareness | |
| Crisis Resource Management and Case Studies | |
| Humanitarian Aid Practice and Principles | |
| Humanitarian and Disaster Response Ethics | |
| Exploring Academic Careers | |
| Research Methods in Health Systems | |
| Contemporary Issues in Geriatric Pharmacy | |
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 | |
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | |
| Evidence-Based Medicine | |
| Pharmacotherapy in the Adult Population | |
| Pharmaceutical Industry | |
| Special Topics | |
| Directed Study | |
| Research | |
| Concepts in Pharmaceutical Science | |
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 | |
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | |
| Principles of Drug Design | |
| Repurposing Drugs for Cancer Immunotherapies | |
| Pharmaceutical Toxicology | |
| AI in Drug Discovery and Development | |
| Directed Study | |
| Research | |
| The Chemistry and Biology of Drugs of Abuse | |
| Behavioral Pharmacology and Drug Discovery | |
| Introduction to Global Health | |
| Health Advocacy | |
| Management and Leadership in Public Health and Healthcare | |
| Global Health | |
| Evaluating Healthcare Quality | |
| Economic Perspectives on Health Policy | |
| Project Management in Public Health | |
| Budget Principles in Public Health | |
| Grant Writing in Public Health | |
| Advanced Physical Pharmacy | |
| Pharmacokinetics and Drug Metabolism | |
| Advanced Drug Delivery Systems | |
| Bridging Minds: Introduction to Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences | |
| Communication Disorders in Movies | |
Pharmaceutical Industry Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| PHMD 5415 | Drug and Device Development, Regulation, and Commercialization | 4 |
| PHMD 5420 | Medical Writing in Healthcare | 4 |
| |
| Research Methods in Health Systems | |
| Evidence-Based Medicine | |
| Hematology and Oncology Pharmacotherapy | |
| Applied Drug Information | |
| Principles of Drug Design | |
| AI in Drug Discovery and Development | |
| Behavioral Pharmacology and Drug Discovery | |
| Biophysical Methods in Drug Discovery | |
