Accelerated 6-Year Bachelor of Science (Biology) to Doctor of Pharmacy (BS-PharmD) Program

Description

University of Detroit Mercy, in collaboration with University of Saint Joseph in Hartford, CT, offers a special academic program which enables highly qualified applicants to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Saint Joseph in addition to the Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology from University of Detroit Mercy in six calendar years, rather than in the traditional eight years.

The selected students in the 6-Year BS Biology to PharmD Program spend the first three years at the Detroit Mercy McNichols Campus in biology/pre-pharmacy studies in the College of Engineering & Science. The last three calendar years are in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Saint Joseph in Hartford, CT.

In addition to the basic science courses required of all pharmacy school applicants, six-year program students must meet all of the requirements of the University Core Curriculum. This includes course work in speech, English, mathematics, religious studies, philosophy, history and culture, ethics, and social responsibility.

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  • Program Learning Outcomes

    Please review the catalog page for the Program Learning Outcomes for BS Biology and the for the Educational Outcomes for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree.
  • Eligibility

    High school graduates of the months immediately preceding the beginning of undergraduate study at University of Detroit Mercy, current freshman or sophomore students, and transfer students who complete at least 30 credit hours at Detroit Mercy are eligible for consideration as a program participant.

    Once admitted, a program participant must be enrolled as a full-time student in each regular semester. All pre-pharmacy prerequisite course work must be completed at the McNichols Campus within the three calendar years immediately prior to the beginning of the pharmacy school phase of the program.

    Students successfully completing all requirements of the program will be granted the bachelor of science degree with a major in biology from University of Detroit Mercy and the Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Saint Joseph. The bachelor‘s degree is awarded by the University of Detroit Mercy after the required credits at the University of Saint Joseph are completed to fulfill the remaining undergraduate requirements.

  • Admissions Requirements

    The Selection Committee will consider for acceptance into the program an applicant who has met ALL of the following basic criteria:

    Qualifications for new freshman or transfer students:

    • Has been accepted for admission as a freshman or transfer student at University of Detroit Mercy.
    • Has submitted to the Admissions Office, following acceptance, a 350-400-word personal essay on a topic supplied at the time of application.
    • Has two letters of recommendation addressing the candidate's qualifications for the program.
    • For new freshman, has achieved a high school ACT composite score of at least 26 (min of 23 on Math and 22 on all other subsections), or a combined SAT score of at least 1240 (min of 530 on ERW and min of 570 MATH).
    • For new freshman, has earned for the first six semesters of high school a grade point average of 3.4 overall on a 4.0-point scale.
    • For new freshman, has directed the high school office to supply to the Admissions Office an up-to-date high school transcript by January 15 of the application year.
    • For new transfer students, has submitted a current transcript to the Admissions Office.
    • For new transfer students, has a 3.3 overall GPA and 3.3 science GPA.
    • Students are most competitive with science prerequisite courses completed at Detroit Mercy.

    Qualifications for Detroit Mercy freshman/sophomores:

    • Students with a 3.3 overall GPA and 3.3 prerequisite GPA can apply for the program
    • Students must be on track to complete major and core curriculum requirements by the end of their third year in the program.
    • Students are most competitive with science prerequisite courses completed at Detroit Mercy.

    Applicants who have satisfied the above requirements will be reviewed by the 6-Year Pharmacy Selection Committee. The selection committee will make the final determination on the limited number of students accepted into the program.

    An applicant will be eligible for admission to the pharmacy phase of study following the successful completion of all aspects of the initial three years of the program. This includes:

    • Successful completion of all required pre-pharmacy courses with a C or better before matriculation to the pharmacy phase of program.
    • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better, and prerequisite GPA of 3.3 or better
    • Completion of the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) exam above the 50th (the PCAT is the national standardized examination required of all applicants for admission to professional schools of pharmacy.)
    • Completion of a PharmCAS application by March 1st and successful interview with University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy.
    • If students have not already completed the requirements for the bachelor’s degree before matriculation to the pharmacy phase, the bachelor’s degree will be awarded by Detroit Mercy after the first year of the pharmacy phase of the program.
  • Application Procedures

    The deadline for Detroit Mercy's receipt of applications for the 6-Year Program is December 1 of the applicant's senior year of high school. All who are interested in being considered for admission into the 6-Year Program should specifically and clearly indicate this at the time they submit their applications for admission as entering freshmen into the University's College of Engineering & Science. Applications for the program are to be sent to the office of Undergraduate Admissions at the McNichols Campus.

  • Bachelor Program Requirements - Bachelor of Science with a Major in Biology (120 credits)

    Science Courses

    • BIO 1200 General Biology I (3 credits)
    • BIO 1210 General Biology Lab I (2 credits)
    • BIO 1220 General Biology II (3 credits)
    • BIO 1230 General Biology Lab II (2 credits)
    • BIO 2700 Genetics (3 credits)
    • BIO 2900 Biostatistics (3 credits)
    • BIO 4210 Microbiology (3 credits)
    • BIO 4220 Microbiology Lab (2 credits)
    • BIO 4630 Physiology (3 credits)
    • BIO 4640 Physiology Lab (2 Credits)
    • BIO 4801 Advanced Human Anatomy for Pre-Professional Students (3 credits)
    • BIO 4802 Advanced Human Anatomy Lab for Pre-Professional Students (1 credit)
    • BIO 4990 Biology and Social Issues
    • CHM 1070 General Chemistry I (3 credits)
    • CHM 1100 General Chemistry Lab I (1 credit)
    • CHM 1080 General Chemistry II (3 credits)
    • CHM 1120 General Chemistry Lab II (1 credit)
    • CHM 2270 Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
    • CHM 2250 Organic Chemistry Lab I (1 credit)
    • CHM 2290 Organic Chemistry II (3 credits)
    • CHM 2260 Organic Chemistry Lab II (1 credit)
    • CHM 4710 Biochemistry I (3 credits)
    • PHY 1300 Physics I (3 credits)
    • PHY 1310 Physics Lab I (1 credit)
    • PHY 1320 Physics II (3 credits)
    • PHY 1330 Physics Lab II (1 credit)

    Additional Required Courses

    Students are encouraged to submit transcripts or test scores from Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, International Baccalaureate, etc.  In some cases, these will be transferred in. Pre-requisite science courses required for admission to the School of Pharmacy should be completed at a four-year institution and not a community college.

  • University Core Curriculum

    In addition to the courses required for this program listed above, the student must also fulfill the requirements of the University Core Curriculum for this program. Some of these courses may be satisfied by courses in your program. 

    Please review your Degree Evaluation or consult your academic advisor for more information.

  • School of Pharmacy Courses Required to Complete BS-Biology degree

    Note that the bachelor degree is awarded after the completion of additional coursework from University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy (after two semesters) to complete 120 credits. These courses will be double-counted towards the Pharm D and BS degrees and will be used to complete the remaining BS Biology requirements. The PharmD degree will not be awarded without successful completion of all requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree.

  • Optional Concentration-Biology Research

    Please review the catalog page for BS Biology for the Concentration in Biology Research.

     

Program Contact Information

Program Coordinator: Elizabeth Roberts-Kirchhoff, Ph.D.
Engineering 245
Telephone: 313-993-1021
Email: robkires@udmercy.edu