Doctor of Pharmacy/Masters of Business Administration Joint Degree

Program Goals & Objectives

The goal of the Pharm.D/M.B.A. Joint Degree program is to educate students to assume responsibilities as executives and managers in the pharmaceutical industry and in health care delivery systems that provide pharmacy services to patients. The program is directed toward providing didactic and experiential education to students that will allow them to: (1) understand the major functional areas in administering organizations and managing patient care systems; and, (2) design and implement strategies and policies that produce effective management practices within changing health care environments.

Program Description

This program leads to a single degree (Pharm.D/M.B.A.) awarded jointly by the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy and the Rinker School of Business. No degree is awarded until the student completes the entire program and meets all requirements of the Pharm.D/ M.B.A. joint degree. Candidates must first secure entrance into the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program in the School of Pharmacy. After successful completion of the first year of professional pharmacy coursework and the pre-requisite business courses required for prospective M.B.A. students, pharmacy students may apply to the Rinker School of Business for admission to the Pharm.D/M.B.A. joint degree program. Upon admission to the joint degree program, students continue in the Pharm.D. curriculum while beginning to complete business course requirements as time and schedules permit.

The approximate time required to complete all professional and graduate coursework is five years. Degree requirements for the joint program include 146 credits of pharmacy professional coursework, 12 credits of foundational business courses, and 36 credits of graduate business coursework. The traditional M.B.A. program at PBA requires 48 credits of coursework. However, in the Pharm.D/M.B.A. joint degree program, four business courses are replaced by five business-related pharmacy courses. The following 13 credits of professional pharmacy coursework substitute for 12 credits of graduate business courses.

Experiential Rotation in Pharmacy Management
(select one of the following)

• PHA 4604 - Community Administration
   
• PHA 4607 - Hospital Administration
   

Pharmacy Coursework Applied to the M.B.A.

• PRX 1133 - Communication Skills in Healthcare
   
• PRX 2102 - Introduction to Health Care Delivery and Patient Safety
   
• PRX 3203 - Pharmacy Management and Informatics 
• PRX 3221 - Pharmacoeconomics 

Note: The Pharm.D./M.B.A. joint degree program is not open to students who have already earned either one of the degrees.

Pharm.D./M.B.A. Admission Requirements

Admission to Pharm.D./M.B.A. joint degree program is very selective. In reviewing applications, the Admissions Committee of the Rinker School of Business looks for evidence of intellectual ability, managerial promise and community involvement. Strong interpersonal skills, communication ability, motivation, maturity, career focus and leadership potential are also important qualities in prospective students. Pharmacy students should express their interest in this program during the first professional year and seek the advice of their advisor, the Assistant/Associate Dean for Academics of the School of Pharmacy, and the Chair of the Graduate Programs in the Rinker School of Business.

Application Process:

1. Student must first apply and gain admission to the Pharm.D. program.
2. Student will meet with their faculty advisor, Dean of the School of Pharmacy, and the Chair Graduate Programs - Rinker School of Business for advisement and guidance during their first year of pharmacy school.
3. Any time after the successful completion of the P1 year, student must submit the  Pharm.D./M.B.A. Application form (must log into myPBA before accessing the link) to the Assistant/Associate Dean for Academics of the School of Pharmacy and the Chair of Graduate Programs – Rinker School of Business indicating that the student is in good academic standing and possesses academic ability and professional bearing sufficient to succeed in the program.
4. Submit all of the above documents (including transcripts) to the Registrar.*
5. Student completes all Foundational (pre-requisite) courses for the MBA program including:
   • ACG 2013 - Financial Accounting
       (3 credits)
   • ACG 2023 - Managerial Accounting
       (3 credits)
   • BUS 2013 - Business Statistics
       (3 credits)**
   • BUS 2343 - Principles of Macroeconomics  (3 credits)** or
   • BUS 2353 - Principles of Microeconomics
       (3 credits)**
6. Once permission has been granted by the Registrar, student may register for classes.

* A proposed schedule illustrating the academic plan and expected time of completion, along with all transcripts (student copy is permissible), must be attached to the completed Pharm.D./M.B.A. Application. Upon conferring with his or her academic advisor to determine the necessary MBA course requirements, the student should refer to the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Plan  as an outline for integration of all course requirements.

** Pre-pharmacy prerequisites may meet these course requirements.

NOTE: The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is no longer required for admission to the program.

Course Scheduling

There are a variety of scheduling options for successfully completing the Pharm.D/M.B.A. joint degree coursework. In most cases, one or two additional semesters, after completing all pharmacy coursework, will be necessary to finish the requisite business courses. The time required will depend upon the student’s initiative in scheduling business courses while still completing pharmacy courses, either during summer sessions or during a fall or spring semester.

To increase the likelihood of success and preventing students from overextending themselves academically, each student will be required to design a complete course sequence for both pharmacy and business courses before commencing the program. This plan must be formulated in consultation with and authorized by the student’s pharmacy advisor and a Director of Experiential Programs. After being formally accepted into the joint degree program by the School of Business, the student will not be allowed to enroll in business courses until the proposed course schedule has been approved by the Director of the M.B.A. Program and the Dean of the School of Pharmacy.

Curriculum Requirements

A grade of at least “C” and a GPA of at least 2.0 on a four-point scale is required for “successful” completion of all pharmacy and graduate business coursework.