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Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
and Health Sciences

School of Pharmacy

Tara Hennessy, Coordinator of Graduate Admissions and Transfer Counselor
Office of Admission
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
179 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 732–2850

E-mail: pharmd@mcphs.edu
Website: www.mcphs.edu/admissions/

PharmCAS 2009 Application and Transcript Deadline: February 2, 2009

Statistics for 2008 Entering Class Acceptees *

Number interviewed: 140 **
Estimated number accepted: 60 Year 2 students and 25 Year 3 students
Estimated entering class size: 120 Year 2 and Year 3 enrolled student body
Estimated number transfer students: 85 total

* Data as of April, 2008
** Interviews are only required for Year 3 entrance

Application Criteria for 2009 Entering Class

Expected GPA of accepted students: 3.1 – 3.8
Minimum overall GPA considered: 3.0
Minimum prerequisite GPA considered: 3.0 is recommended, although not required
Total number of new entrants expected: 60 for year 2; 25 for year 3
Estimated number transfer students: TBD

Accreditation Status: Full accreditation status
Type of Institution: Private
Participates in Early Decision Program: No
Open House Dates: Virtual open houses: dates tba
Note: The Boston campus is a 0-6 program. The accelerated PharmD programs are offered at our Worcester, MA and Manchester, NH campuses. Students may only apply to one campus per academic year. Please decide which campus you would like to apply to and proceed accordingly. Applicants are considered transfer students if they have earned more than 12 college credits from a regionally-accredited higher education institution. This includes students who have already earned a bachelors degree or higher.

PREREQUISITES

Applicants for year 3 entrance (first professional year) must have successfully completed Organic Chemistry I and II with labs at a four-year college or university by the end of fall 2008. In order to be considered as a transfer student, you must have completed at least the Year 1 courses of the PharmD curriculum which is listed below.

Prerequisites (as indicated below) must have been completed at a regionally accredited college or university. Math and lab science courses must be completed no more than ten years prior to the anticipated date of matriculation to MCPHS. Students must receive a C or better for a course to be transferable. Preference is given to applicants who have completed pre-requisite courses at 4-year colleges or universities.

All applicants must successfully complete course prerequisites by the end of the Summer 2009 term.

YEAR ONE
Biology I (Cellular & Molecular) 3 semester hours
Biology II (Organismal) with lab
 4 semester hours
Chemical Principles I with lab
 4 semester hours
Chemical Principles II with lab 4 semester hours
Calculus I 3 semester hours
Calculus II 3 semester hours
Expository Writing I or English Composition I 3 semester hours
Expository Writing II or English Composition II 3 semester hours
Introduction to Psychology 3 semester hours
U.S History, U.S Politics, American Government, Western Civilization, OR Cultural Anthropology 3 semester hours
 
YEAR TWO
Medical Microbiology with lab 4 semester hours
Organic Chemistry I with lab 4 semester hours
Organic Chemistry II 4 semester hours
Physics I (calculus-based) with lab 4 semester hours
Economics (Macro or Micro) 3 semester hours
Statistics 3 semester hours
Behavioral Science Elective (any Psychology course over Introduction) 3 semester hours
Humanities Elective (English, Art History, Philosophy, Religion) 3 semester hours
Social Science Elective (History, Political Science, Cultural Anthropology, upper-division Sociology), Cultural Geography) 3 semester hours
Liberal Arts Elective 3 semester hours
General Elective
 3 semester hours

Other clarifying information: Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to conduct individual transfer credit evaluations for prospective students. We recommend comparing your course description with the ones provided in the MCPHS course catalog. Transfer credit is not guaranteed.

INSTITUTION-SPECIFIC ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES FOR PHARM. D. DEGREE PROGRAM

2009 ENTERING CLASS

ALL APPLICANTS

REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES

 OTHER INFORMATION
Filing your PharmCAS application references and transcripts February 2 , 2009 PharmCAS application, letters of reference and all official transcripts must be received at PharmCAS by this date.
IMPORTANT if you have not received your bachelors degree, you must submit an official high school transcript directly to the Admission office
Supplemental application
N/A N/A
Supplemental application fee N/A N/A
PCAT Not required
TOEFL February 2 , 2009 Candidates for whom English is not their native language are required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and achieve a minimum score of 79 (internet based) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and achieve a minimum score of 6.5. This test requirement may be waived on an individual basis for applicants who have attended all four years of high school in the United States (exclusive of ESL courses) or have an earned degree (bachelor or higher) from an accredited U.S college or university (exclusive of ESL courses).
SAT/ACT February 2 , 2009 Candidates who have completed fewer than 30 semester hours of college or university credit are required to submit official score reports of the SAT or ACT scores. 
Pharmacy-related experience Not required, but recommended  

Proof of State residency

Not required  
Non-U.S. citizens Eligible to apply  
Foreign transcripts Send foreign transcripts to evaluation service for course-by-course report. Send report to PharmCAS.
In addition, send foreign transcript(s) directly to MCPHS		 We require both an official foreign transcript sent directly to the Admission Office at MCPHS AND an evaluated report from either the World Education Services (WES), the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), or the Center for Educational Documentation (CED)  
Letter(s) of Reference (recommendations/
evaluations)		 Two (2) letters of reference should be completed using the PharmCAS Letters of Reference form included in your PharmCAS application and submitted to PharmCAS by the institutional deadline of February 2 , 2009

See the Letters of Reference page on this website for a list of possible evaluators.

This institution REQUIRES:
One letter of recommendation from a mathematics or science professor;
The second letter may be from a supervisor or academic advisor.

DOES NOT accept evaluations from the following:
Politician
Friend
Family Members
Co-workers
Clergy

Paper letters must be submitted to PharmCAS on the evaluator's official letterhead from their respective institutions.  Paper and electronic letters must address both the oral and written communication skills, work ethic, and analytical and critical thinking skills.

Interview Interviews are required for entrance into Year 3 (the first Professional year) of the PharmD program and are by invitation only.  Students are not required to interview for Year 2 entrance. 

 
Dates during which interviews are generally held
 October - March  
ACCEPTED CANDIDATES
REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES
OTHER INFORMATION
Acceptance letters for regular applicants Varies Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.  

Acceptee's response to acceptance offer

 Specific date will be indicated in acceptance letter.  
Deposit to hold place in class Students must deposit according to date indicated in acceptance letter. $500 deposit required to hold seat
Date of new student orientation Information will be provided in acceptance packet.  
Date of first day of classes and/or matriculation September 1, 2009 (Date subject to change)
Requests for deferred entrance Not considered  

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences provides a unique academic environment to guide and support students toward successful, sustainable careers and leadership in health care. As a private independent institution with a long and distinguished history of specializing in health sciences education, the College offers traditional and non-traditional programs that embody teaching excellence, active scholarship and research, professional service, and community outreach.

The College has one of the largest and oldest pharmacy programs in the nation. With state-of-the-art facilities in Boston and constantly evolving and improving curricula, the School of Pharmacy educates students to become critical thinkers, to fill vital positions across a broad spectrum of the health care industry, and to become responsible health care professionals. 

The PharmD program offers general, specialized, and applied science courses as well as liberal arts classes.  In addition, our extensive experimental education program allows students to complete clinical rotations in areas such as inpatient medicine, community pharmacy, and ambulatory care.  We are located in the heart of Boston's Longwood Medical and Academic Area, home to many of the nation's premier medical and research institutions.

We encourage you to visit our website at www.mcphs.edu to learn more about our institution.