There is nothing sacred about a 3 or 4 calendar year PharmD program; rather, the 4-year is the norm, and the 3-yr the exception. As with all exceptions, there will be a bit of resistance directed toward them.
On the technical level, all programs, regardless of type of curricular calendar used, must meet identical accreditation standards in order to admit students and to maintain good standing in the pharmacy education community. This means that, at their core, all programs are really more similar than not: the differences are in the smaller details.
That said, however, there is a critical area of difference when considering 3- or 4-yr. PharmD programs: best fit.
The accelerated (3 calendar yr model) takes 8 semesters and packs them within 36 months of nearly continuous coursework. The result is that there is little "down time". It is this issue that gives many critics their best ammunition to take shots at accelerated programs.
We know that deep learning (not surface-level, rote memorization, but fundamental internalization of knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for professional practice) is enhanced by time for processing and reflection. Yet, summers off are no guarantee that such activity will every take place; other calls are often answered during long(er) breaks from class. 😀
I'm an Assoc. Dean and have developed both 3- and 4-yr PharmD curricula. Either works for a particular, specific student body. Younger students fare better in 4-yr programs, while slightly older and returning students (and, students who are parents) find that accelerated programs fit their life realities and constraints better.
Tuition differentials should not be a major decision factor...aside from 12 months of living expenses, there does not tend to be a major cost difference as many accelerated programs charge a bit of a tuition premium in recognition of the attractiveness of their 3-yr format.
I am proud to call graduates from both models my students. And, as with any cohort, there are those from whom I expect (and have seen) greater results than from others, regardless of the program model. The 3-yr option requires a higher level of commitment, focus and personal sacrifice, than does the traditional 4-yr model for most students.
Do your research. As you go deeper into program exploration, please do not allow tuition/living costs serves as your decision fulcrum. Inevitably, that is too narrow a variable on which to pin your education and subsequent career.
Good luck with your research and subsequent decisions.
Eric H. Hobson, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs &
Professor of Pharmacy
Belmont University School of Pharmacy
