Admission Requirements

The Pharm.D. 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. The College of Pharmacy will begin to accept applications for its 2011 class once permission is granted by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). Following the guidance from the ACPE, the specific admission requirements will be announced. To help prospective applicants prepare for admission to the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy, the general admission criteria are listed below, which will require all applicants to:

1. File an application through PharmCAS, a web-based Pharmacy College Application Service (www.PharmCAS.org).


2. Complete a minimum of 67 semester credit hours of pre-pharmacy study at an accredited college or university.


1. Achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.75/4.0 scale for all courses completed. All math and science courses must have a minimum grade point average of 2.75.
   
2. Earn a grade of C or better in all science and math courses (a C- grade is not considered sufficient). All math and science courses must be completed within the past five years.
   
3. Earn a grade of B or better in all English and Speech courses.


4. Complete all science, math, statistic, and speech courses in an on-site learning environment. Online courses will not be accepted.
   
   
3. Submit three letters of recommendation with the PharmCAS application.


4. Take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT).


5. Complete the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy Supplemental Application.


6. Reflect the successful practice of service through community engagement or extracurricular activities.


7. Demonstrate the proper motivation for and commitment to the profession of pharmacy through previous work, volunteer or life experiences.


8. Possess the oral and written communication skills necessary to interact successfully with patients and colleagues.


9. Complete the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy applicant interview process (invitation only).

In order to select the strongest candidates from the pool of qualified applicants, the College of Pharmacy Admission Committee will assess not only the successful completion of a pre-pharmacy curriculum, but also the applicant’s PCAT score, letters of recommendation, scores from the personal interview, service, volunteer and co-curricular experiences, health-related work experiences, and written communication. While a bachelors degree is not required for entrance into the pharmacy program, it can make the application more competitive.

Students who are admitted to the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy will be required to successfully complete both a drug screening and criminal background check.

International Applicants

International students and students with academic credentials from institutions outside of the United States must meet the same College of Pharmacy admission requirements as students who have completed their pre-pharmacy coursework at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. Beyond the demonstration of English language proficiency, students must also:

1. Complete a minimum of two consecutive full-time semesters at an accredited post-secondary institution in the United States. The transcript or transcripts from the accredited post-secondary institution(s) must include the successful completion of a minimum 50% of the pre-pharmacy science coursework, at least six semester hours of non-remedial English composition, and at least three semester hours of speech communication.


2. Submit TOEFL scores to Roosevelt University. A minimum score of 550 on the paper version of the test, or 100 on the Internet version of the test is required. TOEFL test scores must be from an examination taken within two years of the anticipated matriculation date into the College of Pharmacy.

International students who wish to receive credit for pre-pharmacy coursework completed at a college of university located outside the United States must secure the services of a credential evaluation service, who will forward a detailed course-by-course evaluation to the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy. The credential services recognized by Roosevelt University include:

1. Education Credential Evaluators (ECE) – 414-289-3400; FAX 414-289-3411; email info@ece.org.


2. World Education Services (WES) – 212-966-6311; FAX – 212-739-6100; web: www.wes.org, or email info@wes.org

Results of the foreign transcript evaluation and the grade earned in the courses will be used by the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy to determine if any of the credits can be used towards the fulfillment of the pre-pharmacy requirements.

Technical Standards for Admission, Promotion and Graduation

The goal of the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy is to educate and graduate pharmacists who are committed, competent, and compassionate. Earning a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree requires the mastery of a coherent body of knowledge as well as the development of superior technical skills. The following technical standards for admission, promotion and graduation describe the non-academic qualifications required in addition to academic achievements, which the College of Pharmacy faculty and the ACPE, the pharmacy accrediting agency, considers essential in order to earn the PharmD degree.

Communication: A pharmacy student must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with patients, their families, co-workers, and other members of a health care team. This includes the ability to ask questions, listen carefully to answers provided by patients, their families, co-workers, or other health care team members, and record information accurately. Mastery of both written and spoken English is required.

Visual, Auditory, Tactile and Motor Competencies: A pharmacy student must possess sufficient visual, auditory, tactile and motor skills to participate in and gather data from experiments and demonstrations in the basic sciences, reference materials, and oral presentations and group discussions. This includes the ability to prepare prescription products for dispensing to patients, observing clinical procedures performed by others, the ability to perform a basic physical examination of a patient, and first aid treatments, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency treatments.

Intellectual: A pharmacy student must possess strong intellectual, conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities to master a complex body of knowledge. The capacity to lean must be effective and efficient. Reasoning abilities must be strong enough to analyze and synthesize information from a wide array of source material. It is expected that a pharmacy student learn through a variety of instructional modalities, including classroom instruction, small group discussion, individual study of materials, written papers, individual and group assessments, simulations, objective structured clinical examinations, oral presentations, and computer based technology.

Stamina: A pharmacy student is expected to possess the physical and emotional stamina necessary to maintain a high level of productivity and accuracy under challenging workloads and stressful situations, ever vigilant of patient safety.

Ethics and Integrity: A pharmacy student must consistently demonstrate ethical behavior. He/she must be able to work within the regulatory and/or institutional limits of their educational program, make decisions based on thoughtful and careful consideration of the facts, and modify behaviors based on constructive feedback from faculty and colleagues. He/she must demonstrate compassion and a concern for others, and accept responsibility for his or her own personal actions (or in some case inactions) and decisions.

Transfer Admission from an Accredited Pharmacy Program

Except under special circumstances, the Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy will consider applications from transfer students enrolled in other accredited pharmacy programs beginning with the 2014 application process. Until that time, prospective transfer students should contact the Assistant Dean for Enrollment and Student Affairs for more detailed information. The Assistant Dean can be reached at cop@roosevelt.edu.

As with any developing pharmacy program the admission requirements are subject to change. Please review the admission requirements periodically for updates and modifications