Post

[nahmytbf]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Post

 

[bsps_2007]

mercer has a joint pharmd/phd program. takes 5 years to get both.

 

[nerv12345]

i think USC (university of southern california) does too

 

[StringTheorist]

UF does, too

 

[ownit]

one huge question..... would u need a bachelors degree if u wanted to do the pharmd/phD prgram? And what different attributes can be offered to a pharmd/phD rather than just a pharmD. Thanks

 

[rxlynn]

one huge question..... would u need a bachelors degree if u wanted to do the pharmd/phD prgram? And what different attributes can be offered to a pharmd/phD rather than just a pharmD. Thanks

Generally, I would think yes you do, because the PhD side requires a bachelor's degree first.

And, for the OP, Mercer's program wants you to declare when you apply if you are interested in the joint program - you would have problems if you waited until the 3rd year in terms of completing the research you need. Also, there are some classes that a joint student does not take from the "regular" PharmD curriculum, so you need to know you are joint in the first year so you will take the appropriate classes. I would think that many other schools are similar - you wouldn't want to wait.

 

[nextgenpharm]

I wonder what the benefits to the PhD are .... research opportunities? Working for a pharmaceutical company in the future? What are your thoughts and opinions?

 

[StringTheorist]

no , you dont need a bahcelors, TECHNICALLY, you receiev a bachelors while in pharmacy school if you do the 2 years prepharm thing, THEN you apply to be a PhD, im pretty sure... why dont you check out the schools pages on this instead of asking us?

http://www.cop.ufl.edu/studaff/phd.pdf

 

[tjpi86]

^^ StringTheorist is correct... You do not necessarily need a bachelor's degree to apply for the combined degree program. At my school, those without bachelor's degrees may be eligible for the program given that they have completed a total of 120 undergraduate + PharmD credits.

Also, PharmD/PhDs have wonderful opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry, government, and academia. However, the pharmaceutical industry can be quite volatile and won't always provide you with the same type of job stability one might expect working in more traditional areas. With that said, those with PhDs in the pharmaceutical industry are also in high demand and there are endless job openings for those with this background. And, if all goes wrong in your life and nothing works out for you, you still have the PharmD to fall back on.

If you're curious with the types of opportunities available, I recommend you visit this site: http://www.simplyhired.com/

Type in: "PharmD PhD" in the search bar and browse through all the different possibilities that those with PharmD and/or PhDs can have in the industry.

 

[ownit]

wow, this just might change my whole plan... thanks everyone and good thread! 👍

 

[patmcd]

I'd say 5 years is a little optimistic for completing both degrees. Most people I've talked to think 7-6 is more common. Getting just your phd alone can take 4+ years, so I find it a little unlikely that it could all be crammed into 5. Perhaps 5 is reasonable if someones project goes smoothly, w/o any setbacks and such. But that would be a pretty rare situation.

 

[American Princess]

University of Houston has one🙂

 

[cdpiano27]

Also, make sure that your PhD is in a hot area. Pharmaceutics is by far the best area with a specialty in pharmacokinetics, in terms of easily getting a job in the pharmaceutical industry. Also, go to a school that is in close proximity to the pharmaceutical industry.

You need to do your research and talk to the school's faculty who handle the PHD and FIND OUT THE PLACEMENT OF THE GRADUATES.

Pharmacy practice is also a hot area for those wanting to go into the clinical aspects of hospital pharmacy. In this case, pharmacogenomics would be great.

Then there are other areas of PhD specialization such as medicinal chemistry, pharmacodynamics, and even pharmacy administration (such as at UF), or pharmacology. Medicinal chemistry and pharmacology may not be as hot as the other areas that were mentioned above. But maybe I am wrong, so anyone feel free to correct me.

So before deciding to do PharmD / PHD, research the area where you want your PHD in.

Also, if your heart is in pharm industry and research then perhaps the PhD without PharmD could save you a lot of money. Most places will waive your tuition and give you living expenses stipend for the PhD, while the PharmD is usually all loans.

However, I agree with the above poster that PharmD is probably the most secure degree, since it is relatively easy to find a job that pays around $100K in retail with just the law license and NAPLEX passed.

 

[MPBenJ]

University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) has PharmD/PhD and PharmD/MBA programs.

 

[UMichFinn]

I know University of Michigan has a PharmD/PhD program.

My boss has a medical degree (from China), a PharmD, and a PhD...yes, he's a genius. The degree he has found most useful is the PhD because he currently works doing R&D at a pharmaceutical company and says he'd never go back to the tedious and less creative work of a pharmacist. He does however, take comfort in the fact that in a very unstable job market of working for pharmaceutical companies he will always have a fall-back, nearly guaranteed job (he's been laid off twice in the past five years).

It all depends on what you eventually would like to do. If you want to do research or teach, get the PhD. If you want to work at CVS, just do the PharmD. My advice would be to see how the first professional year goes and decide from there.

 

[eelo]

Virginia Commonwealth offers a PharmD/PhD, among other programs.

 

[ownit]

I know University of Michigan has a PharmD/PhD program.

My boss has a medical degree (from China), a PharmD, and a PhD...yes, he's a genius. The degree he has found most useful is the PhD because he currently works doing R&D at a pharmaceutical company and says he'd never go back to the tedious and less creative work of a pharmacist. He does however, take comfort in the fact that in a very unstable job market of working for pharmaceutical companies he will always have a fall-back, nearly guaranteed job (he's been laid off twice in the past five years).

It all depends on what you eventually would like to do. If you want to do research or teach, get the PhD. If you want to work at CVS, just do the PharmD. My advice would be to see how the first professional year goes and decide from there.

what about president or vice president of a pharmaceutical company... would a phD satisfy that?

 

[nextgenpharm]

Anyone know what pharmacogenomics have the best reputations?

 

[mrsturtle]

University of Utah has a joint pharmD/PhD. I think it was finished in the normal 4 year pharmD program, but I could be wrong. (That was the impression I got from a current student in the joint program.)

good luck

 

[andrewattheU]

UW has a really bad dual program i wouldnt apply there

 

[Farmercyst]

Thanks for all the postings...they've been quite helpful.

cdpiano, any thoughts on a PhD track in "Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy" ...I'm really trying to look into something that might eventually involve computer science.

Also, if anyone is interested, here's a list of all Pharmacy schools I found on Google that have a combined program, in no particular order (tell me if I missed any):
1. North Dakota State University
2. University of Washington
3. University of Texas – Austin
4. Perdue University (IN)
5. University of California – San Diego
6. University of Maryland
7. University of Michigan
8. University of Tennessee
9. University of Florida
10. University of Houston
11. Medical College of South Carolina
12. Virginia Commonwealth University
13. University of California – San Francisco
14. Ohio State University
15. University of the Pacific (CA)

UNC should have a formalized combined program by Fall 2009.

I'd have to double check, but I'm pretty darn certain USC (Southern California, not South Carolina) should be there.

 

[kitkat06]

hey, andrewatheu, could you further elaborate on your posting there? what are some supporting reasons for your comment?

 

[kitkat06]

does anyone know which pharmacy schools have research strengths in:

-drug R&D?
-pharmacokinetics?
-pharmacodynamics?
-antiifectives/antimicrobials?

 

[patmcd]

hey, andrewatheu, could you further elaborate on your posting there? what are some supporting reasons for your comment?

Apparently sarcasm eludes you.

 

[MPBenJ]

Thanks for all the postings...they've been quite helpful.

cdpiano, any thoughts on a PhD track in "Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy" ...I'm really trying to look into something that might eventually involve computer science.

Also, if anyone is interested, here's a list of all Pharmacy schools I found on Google that have a combined program, in no particular order (tell me if I missed any):
1. North Dakota State University
2. University of Washington
3. University of Texas – Austin
4. Perdue University (IN)
5. University of California – San Diego
6. University of Maryland
7. University of Michigan
8. University of Tennessee
9. University of Florida
10. University of Houston
11. Medical College of South Carolina
12. Virginia Commonwealth University
13. University of California – San Francisco
14. Ohio State University
15. University of the Pacific (CA)

UNC should have a formalized combined program by Fall 2009.

You missed University of Illinois - Chicago.....

 

[8ball2g]

You missed University of Illinois - Chicago.....

nova also has one

 

[Farmercyst]

does anyone know which pharmacy schools have research strengths in:

-drug R&D?
-pharmacokinetics?
-pharmacodynamics?
-antiifectives/antimicrobials?

UCSD is heavily supported by drug research companies, willing to bet they focus on it. It's a relatively new program, but I've already heard about some of the research there from my interviewer at Western. It sounds pretty interesting. I think (it's been a while since I've heard anything) that U of U does pharmacodynamics/kinetics research) Also big drug development going on in the Boston area due to high concentration of biotech/drug companies over there, you'd probably have some pretty serious R/D going on there as well.

 

[bsps_2007]

Mercer has a pharmd/phd program. SUNY-Buffalo has a really good ph.d pharmacogenomics program.

 

[kitkat06]

Can anyone comment on University of Washington's Pharm.D/Ph.D program - ie. its research strengths (no sarcasm, please 🙂 For some reason, I have a tough time detecting them online...)

 

[UMichFinn]

what about president or vice president of a pharmaceutical company... would a phD satisfy that?

Actually, the president of my current company has a BA and an MBA. The VP of R&D has an MD/PhD...and that's way too many abbreviations. Most people who have executive positions in pharma companies have PhD's, but you can work your way up if you've been there long enough.

 

[uncinmyheart]

Thanks for all the postings...they've been quite helpful.

cdpiano, any thoughts on a PhD track in "Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy" ...I'm really trying to look into something that might eventually involve computer science.

Also, if anyone is interested, here's a list of all Pharmacy schools I found on Google that have a combined program, in no particular order (tell me if I missed any):
1. North Dakota State University
2. University of Washington
3. University of Texas – Austin
4. Perdue University (IN)
5. University of California – San Diego
6. University of Maryland
7. University of Michigan
8. University of Tennessee
9. University of Florida
10. University of Houston
11. Medical College of South Carolina
12. Virginia Commonwealth University
13. University of California – San Francisco
14. Ohio State University
15. University of the Pacific (CA)

UNC should have a formalized combined program by Fall 2009.

Really??!!! UNC will have one by 2009!!! That's awesome!! Thanks for the info!! 🙂

 

[Knickerbocker]

I'd say 5 years is a little optimistic for completing both degrees. Most people I've talked to think 7-6 is more common. Getting just your phd alone can take 4+ years, so I find it a little unlikely that it could all be crammed into 5. Perhaps 5 is reasonable if someones project goes smoothly, w/o any setbacks and such. But that would be a pretty rare situation.

Yeah, five years sounds short for a dual program. University of Houston's program is expected to take seven years:

"It is anticipated that the total course of study (PharmD and PhD degrees) will be completed in a total of seven years upon entering the College of Pharmacy."