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PharmD Curriculum

Degree Plan

The curriculum for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree includes a minimum of 218 semester hours of college work, 146 semester hours of which must be pharmacy courses or the equivalent.

Students with course credit for non-pharmacy courses or pharmacy courses from another college/school of pharmacy similar to those courses in the professional program may be petitioned for equivalency credit. The degree plan for the Pharm.D. program is shown below under the Pharmacy Course of Study.

Overview

The Pharm.D. curriculum is designed to prepare students to be practice ready upon arrival at their experiential sites, and ultimately undergo more robust clinical and professional growth during their patient care encounters and research activities.

The curriculum integrates core knowledge areas – such as the effects of drugs in the body and how to select a particular drug among a range of options – into courses based on organ systems and disease states, in contrast to the previous system that delivered the information in separate courses where therapeutic relevance is sometimes lost between the molecules and actual medicines.

Integrated Modules

Each integrated module is organ system- or disease-based and provides students with the 360-degree picture of how to treat and/or manage patients. Each module contains key aspects of pathophysiology of disease; pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacogenomics, and toxicology affiliated with the drugs relevant to the disease states; and therapeutic concepts centered on therapeutic goals, drug selection, monitoring, and self-care. Where appropriate, all spectrums of ages (pediatrics through geriatrics) are included.

Module-Related Skills Lab (MRSL)

For each semester of integrated modules, there is an affiliated MRSL which presents students with structured cases as well as reinforcing courses covered earlier in the curriculum (e.g., pharmacokinetics, calculations, pharmaceutics, patient assessment, literature evaluation, communication, pharmacoeconomics, self-care, etc.). These MRSLs are hands-on activities with an emphasis on critical thinking and skill development allowing our students to meet accreditation standards of becoming "practice ready."

Electives

Students must complete six hours (a minimum of three elective courses) in pharmacy elective courses. Four of the six pharmacy elective hours may be satisfied by completion of two Selected Topics courses (PHAR 5198, 5298, 5398). Any student may participate in a Selected Topics course if they are in good academic standing in the College and have approval of a faculty member who will supervise their work.

Hours in Residence

The college requires at least three years in residence in the professional program at the college of pharmacy for graduation. Students transferring from another school or college of pharmacy are required to complete at least 25% of the semester hours of pharmacy and related work in residence at the University of Houston.

For More Information

For more information, please consult the UHCOP Pharm.D. Student Handbook (.pdf) or the UH Graduate Catalog.

First Professional Year (P1)

First Professional Year
Total 15 Hours
Fall Semester Hours
PHAR 4250 Pharmacy Skills Program I
2
PHAR 4260 Introduction to the Health Care System
2
PHAR 4320 Physiology I
3
PHAR 4330 Pharmaceutics I & Calculations
3
PHAR 4270 Social, Behavioral & Communication Aspects of Pharmacy Practice
2
PHAR 4300 Biochemistry
3
First Professional Year
Total 17 Hours
Spring Semester Hours
PHAR 4251 Pharmacy Skills Program II
2
PHAR 4265 Patient Assessment
2
PHAR 4221 Physiology II
2
PHAR 4331 Pharmaceutics II
3
PHAR 4200 Immunology
2
PHAR 4340 Self-Care & Over the Counter Products
3
PHAR 4275 Foundations in Medicinal Chemistry, Microbiology & Receptor Action
2
PHAR 4160 Fundamentals of Pharmacy Practice
1
First Professional Year
Total 6 Hours
Summer Semester Hours
PHAR 4280 Patient, Medication Safety & Informatics
2
PHAR 5493 Community Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE)
4

Second Professional Year (P2)

Second Professional Year
Total 15 Hours
Fall Semester Hours
PHAR 5195 Pharmacy Skills Program III
1
PHAR 5158 Module-Related Skills Lab (MRSL) I
1
PHAR 5332 Pharmacokinetics
3
PHAR 5325 Literature Evaluation/Research Design/Statistics/Epidemiology
3
PHAR 5224 Integrated Renal Module
2
PHAR 5225 Integrated Gastrointestinal Module
2
PHAR 5226 Integrated Respiratory Module
2
PHAR 5111 Leadership and Principles of Interprofessional Education
1
Second Professional Year
Total 15 Hours
Spring Semester Hours
PHAR 5259 Module-Related Skills Lab (MRSL) II
2
PHAR 5327 Integrated Endocrine Module
3
PHAR 5228 Integrated Men's and Women's Health Module
2
PHAR 5329 Integrated Cardiovascular I Module
3
PHAR 5330 Integrated Cardiovascular II Module
3
PHAR 5270 Pharmacoeconomics & Hospital Management
2
Second Professional Year
Total 6 Hours
Summer Semester Hours
PHAR 52XX Elective
2
PHAR 5457 Institutional Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE)
4

Third Professional Year (P3)

Third Professional Year
Total 16 Hours
Fall Semester Hours
PHAR 5268 Module-Related Skills Lab (MRSL) III
2
PHAR 5371 Ambulatory Practice Management
3
PHAR 5335 Integrated Neurology Module
3
PHAR 5236 Integrated Immunology Module
2
PHAR 5337 Integrated Infectious Diseases I Module
3
PHAR 5338 Integrated Infectious Diseases II Module
3
Third Professional Year
Total 15 Hours
Spring Semester Hours
PHAR 5169 Module Related Skill Lab (MRSL) IV
1
PHAR 5367 Integrated Hematology/Oncology Module
3
PHAR 5368 Integrated Psychiatry Module
3
PHAR 5269 Complex Problems
2
PHAR 52XX Elective
2
PHAR 52XX Elective
2
PHAR 5266 Law
2

Fourth Professional Year (P4)

Fourth Professional Year
Total 12 Hours
Summer Semester Hours
PHAR 56XX Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) I
6
PHAR 56XX Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) II
6
Fourth Professional Year
Total 18 Hours
Fall Semester Hours
PHAR 56XX Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) III
6
PHAR 56XX Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) IV
6
PHAR 56XX Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) V
6
Fourth Professional Year
Total 12 Hours
Spring Semester Hours
PHAR 56XX Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) VI
6
PHAR 56XX Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) VII
6

Required Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs)

See Student Handbook for Course Descriptions
Total 42 Hours
Course Hours
PHAR 5692 Advanced Hospital Pharmacy
6
PHAR 5693 Advanced Community Pharmacy
6
PHAR 5690 Internal Medicine
6
PHAR 5675 or PHAR 5696 Ambulatory-based Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE)
6
PHAR XXXX Required Patient-Focused Electives
12
PHAR XXXX Other Electives (Patient or Non-Patient Based)
6