Ohio Schools Partner on Pharmacy Degree

Ohio’s Lake Erie College (LEC) and the University of Findlay (UF) have partnered to give LEC students a special transfer opportunity to UF for their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees.

In this “early assurance agreement,” LEC students earning their bachelor’s degree in the school’s 3-year accelerated chemistry program will be able to apply for a transfer to UF’s pharmacy program starting in the 2015-2016 academic year.

There will be 7 openings for LEC students each year, but that number may grow in the future, according to the schools’ joint press release.

Once at UF, the students will enter into the school’s 4-year program to obtain their pharmacy degrees.

Administrators at both LEC and UF praised the partnership for its potential for students.

“As medicine becomes more advanced, the need for pharmacists will be greater than ever,” said LEC president Michael T. Victor in a press release. “Through this program, LEC chemistry majors will have a unique opportunity to enter this in-demand field.”

“Degree-earners who take advantage of this agreement will enjoy career flexibility and high income potential,” said Patrick Malone, PharmD, associate dean for UF’s College of Pharmacy, in a press release. “A Doctor of Pharmacy degree can also be valuable to people who want to go into research.”

The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination pass rates on the first attempt among UF’s pharmacy students were 96% in 2014, and 100% of students passed the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination on the first attempt in the same year. About 20% of graduating students entered postgraduate year 1 residencies in 2014.

Click here to read Pharmacy Times’ Q&A with UF’s College of Pharmacy dean.