Pharmacy, Dual Degree: Pharm.D. and M.S.H.C.A.

Students admitted to the School of Pharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy program may also seek admission to pursue a Master of Science (MS) degree in Health Care Administration (MSHCA). The application procedure and the student’s enrollment status will vary depending on the student’s undergraduate degree.

All students wishing to pursue the dual degree option must first consult with the PharmD advisor regarding when they should apply for admission. Students who are admitted to the MSHCA program will be advised by a PharmD advisor (primary) and an MSHCA advisor (secondary). The advisors are responsible for ensuring students are making appropriate progress toward both degrees, enroll in the proper sequence of courses, and enroll in the proper section of the courses.

Admission Requirements

Students who wish to pursue the dual degree- PharmD/MSHCA (Health Care Administration) program must first be admitted to the Doctor of Pharmacy program and then must complete and submit to the graduate college, an application that meets the following requirements for admission.

Applications may be submitted under the Graduate applicant link on Marshall University's Admissions website (https://www.marshall.edu/admissions/apply/). Requirements for program admission include:

Students must have an undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale from their undergraduate degree granting institution.
Official transcripts from degree-granting institutions (additional transcripts may be required, at the discretion of the program). International students must submit transcripts evaluated by a credentialing agency such as WES or a member of NACES.
No entrance exam is required; however, a Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score may be submitted to strengthen an application.
All international applicants, regardless of citizenship, must provide proof of English proficiency to be considered for admission to Marshall University. English proficiency requirements are available here: https://www.marshall.edu/international-admissions/proof-of-english-proficiency/.

Pharm. D. Students Holding a Baccalaureate Degree: All students who have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accepted, accredited college or university may apply for admission to the MS, Health Care Administration (HCA) program. Students must meet the published admission criteria and complete the published degree requirements for the HCA program. When admitted, the student will be classified depending upon his or her completion of core business courses.

Pharm. D. Students Who Do Not Have a Baccalaureate Degree: Students who have not earned a baccalaureate degree from an accepted, accredited college or university may apply for admission to the HCA program and pursue the degree under the following conditions. During their enrollment in the two degree programs, students who do not hold the baccalaureate will be continuously classified as Provisionally Admitted for the HCA program. Students beginning the final semester of the Pharm. D. program of study will apply for graduation. Students in good academic standing in both programs and eligible to receive both degrees at the end of the term will be reclassified as Fully Admitted to the HCA program. Students who withdraw or are dismissed from the Pharm. D. program will also be withdrawn from the HCA program regardless of level of degree completion or academic standing.

Graduation Requirements

Requirements for MSHCA Degree:

Plan of Study

The student and his/her advisor shall prepare a Plan of Study which must be approved during the semester in which the student initially enrolls. A plan should be appropriate to meet the needs of the student in his/her chosen field. It shall include the specific courses the student is expected to complete; and shall also list all other requirements of the program or school. Courses listed on the Plan of Study shall be those judged appropriate by the faculty. Subsequent requests for changes in the plan must be formally approved by the Academic Advisor. Any deviation from the final Plan of Study and/or discrepancy between it and the student’s official transcript will delay graduation. Any Plan of Study that was approved may become void if a student is inactive for one year (unless on an official leave of absence).

Grade Point Average Requirement

A student must have a 3.0 overall GPA in all program coursework, with no more than two C’s in his or her program, In addition the student must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA in all courses completed after admission to the degree program, along with any previous Marshall University coursework to be counted toward the current degree. This standard must be met for the student to graduate. If the student falls below these standards, then that student shall be placed on academic probation and will be subject to dismissal from the program.

Comprehensive Assessment

Degree candidates are required to complete a comprehensive assessment prior to receipt of the master’s degree. The timing and form of a student’s comprehensive assessment shall be approved in advance by the Director of the Graduate School of Management. The comprehensive assessment is usually a written term paper required within the final, integrated capstone course, HCA 695 Fld Res/Health Care Mgt.

Students must complete the required 36 hours (including dual credits) of graduate/professional level coursework.

Requirements for Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (PharmD):

Academic Performance

Students are eligible for graduation upon successful completion of all academic (courses and examinations) and clinical (experiential learning) coursework. The student must earn a minimum of 155 semester credit hours. The expected graduation grade point average is 3.0 with the minimum grade point average of 2.5. The student is responsible for knowing and satisfying degree and graduation requirements. Students must be enrolled in the term in which they plan to graduate.

Time Limitations (for all degrees):

If a student has not completed his/her PharmD/MSHI degrees within six years from the end of the first course to be counted toward his/her degrees, and if the student has not been enrolled in a course toward that degree for the most recent one year when that seven-year limit is reached (meaning the sixth year), then the student will be dropped from the program. To continue to work on that degree, the student must reapply for admission to that degree program through the regular graduate admission process and pay the appropriate admission fees.

Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall		Credit Hours
PHAR 512	Pharmacy Skills Lab I	2
PHAR 524	Drug Info & Comm Skills	2
PHAR 531	Biopharmaceutics I	3
PHAR 533	Introduction to Pharmacy 1	3
PHAR 542	Immunology and Microbiology	4
PHAR 547	Pharmaceutical Chemistry	4
PHAR 591	Cont Prof Dev (CPD) 1	1
HCA 640	The Health Care Professional	3
HCA 655	Health Care Marketing	3
	Credit Hours	25
Spring
PHAR 523	Pharmacogenomics	2
PHAR 532	Biopharmaceutics II	3
PHAR 536	Introduction to Pharmacy 2	3
PHAR 537	Pharmacokinetics	3
PHAR 538	Pharmacy Skills Lab 2	3
PHAR 544	Prin of Disease & Drug Action	4
PHAR 592	Cont Prof Dev (CPD) 2	1
	Credit Hours	19
Summer
PHAR 548	Intro to Community Pharm IPPE	0
PHAR 550	Intro to Institutional IPPE	0
	Credit Hours	0
Second Year
Fall
PHAR 593	Cont Prof Dev (CPD) 3	1
PHAR 623	Patient Safety	2
PHAR 635	Research Outcomes Patient Care	3
PHAR 636	Pharm Skills Lab III	3
PHAR 641	Therapeutics 1 - OTC/Self-Care	4
PHAR 663	Healthcare Admin & Leadership (Dual credit for HCA 600) ¹	3
PHAR 643	Therapeutics 3 GI & Renal	4
HCA 630	Legal Issues/Health Care Mgt	3
	Credit Hours	23
Spring
PHAR 594	Cont Prof Dev (CPD) 4	1
PHAR 637	Pharm Skills Lab IV	3
PHAR 644	Therapeutics 4 - Endocrine	4
PHAR 652	Therapeutics 2 - Cardiology	5
PHAR 664	Pharmacoecon & Health Outcomes (Dual Credit for HCA 615) ²	3
HCA 653	Integrated Health Care Del Sys	3
	Credit Hours	19
Summer
PHAR 649	Intro Outpt Clin Skills IPPE	0
PHAR 650	Intro Inpat Clin Skills IPPE	0
	Credit Hours	0
Third Year
Fall
PHAR 595	Cont Prof Dev (CPD) 5	1
PHAR 735	Pharmacy Law & Ethics	3
PHAR 737	Pharmacy Skills Lab 5	3
PHAR 752	Therapeutics 6 - Neuro/Psych	5
PHAR 762	Infect Disease Therapeutics	5
HCA 656	Mgt of Medical Technology	3
HCA 658	Long Term Care	3
	Credit Hours	23
Spring
PHAR 596	Cont Prof Dev (CPD) 6	1
PHAR 724	Special Populations	3
PHAR 730	Therapeutics 8 - Derm/Opht/MUS	3
PHAR 736	Pharmacy Skills Lab 6	3
PHAR 743	Therapeutics 9 - Hem/Oncology	4
PHAR 801	Special Topics I (Pharmacy/HCA Elective (3 hours dual credit - General HCA elective (can be MGT, MKT, or HCA) )) ³	3
	Credit Hours	17
Summer
PHAR 881	APPE - Adv Inpat Clin Skills	5
PHAR 882	APPE - Adv Outpat Clin Skills	5
	Credit Hours	10
Fourth Year
Fall
PHAR 883	APPE - Advanced Community	5
PHAR 884	APPE 4-Adv Institutional	5
PHAR 885	APPE - Transitions of Care	5
PHAR 891	Pharmacy Capstone I	2
HCA 610	Health Care Financial Mgt	3
	Credit Hours	20
Spring
PHAR 886	APPE - Diverse Populations	5
PHAR 887	APPE - Elective ((Repeatable course (10 total hours) - Elective; 5 SCH is dual credit for HCA 671 (3 SCH)- must complete 200 hours)) ⁴	10
PHAR 892	Pharmacy Capstone 2	2
HCA 695	Fld Res/Health Care Mgt (Dual Credit for PHAR Elective and HCA Elective (3 SCH))	3
	Credit Hours	20
	Total Credit Hours	176

Note: PHAR courses may not always coincide with the university academic calendar.

¹: PHAR 663 Healthcare Admin & Leadership (3 Credits) will be taken by dual degree students in lieu of HCA 600 The Health Care System (3 Credits).
²: PHAR 664 Pharmacoecon & Health Outcomes (3 Credits) will be taken by dual degree students in lieu of HCA 615 Health Care Econ (3 Credits).
³: HCA Elective (general elective can be in HCA, MGT, MKT) in lieu of PHAR 801 Special Topics I (PHAR Elective-dual credit awarded).
⁴: PHAR 887 APPE - Elective (5 of 10 credit hours) will be taken in lieu of HCA 671 Health Care Practicum (HCA elective). Student must complete 200 contact hours to receive credit. Only 3 credit hours from PHAR 887 will go towards the dual degree to satisfy course requirement.