About Us

Message from Dean

On behalf of the faculty and staff, I want to welcome you to the University of Florida, College of Pharmacy. We look forward to working with you and helping you attain your career goals in pharmacy. You are one of the most highly regarded student body groups among all colleges of pharmacy in the United States. We are pleased that you have chosen this college to pursue your pharmacy education, and we are committed to ensuring that you have a positive and rewarding academic experience.

The College of Pharmacy mission is to prepare you to be the most competent practitioner possible. When you enter the profession, you will be responsible for providing safe, rational and cost-effective drug therapy. Your college faculty intend to make sure that you are ready for this responsibility.

When you have completed the professional curriculum, you will have acquired the knowledge and skills you need to function as an effective problem-solver, communicator, leader and innovator. Your knowledge of medication use will be enhanced by a compassionate attitude, as you will have learned to listen to your patients and to understand the special needs and problems faced by those in your care. During your time with us, you will be accessing the most current and useful body of drug knowledge, and you will be empowered to learn clinical and administrative skills that will ensure a highly successful pharmacy career.

You will also be interacting with some of the nation’s most distinguished pharmaceutical scientists and widely recognized pharmacy practitioners. Our faculty’s research ranges from discovery of new drugs, to understanding drug action, development of drugs for use in humans, personalized approaches to drug therapy, and understanding population-level risks associated with drugs. In other words, our faculty work across the drug discovery, development and utilization spectrum. The faculty’s dedication to scholarship contributes to your education, and to the advancement of science and the profession. If you are so inclined, you can also work alongside one of these esteemed faculty in a research endeavor.

Because we want your pharmacy education to be a rewarding personal experience, we encourage you to participate in college activities and to become involved with the professional organizations that serve your chosen field.

Good luck for the coming academic year. We are proud of the hard work and achievements that have brought you to the door of the College of Pharmacy. And we will be even more pleased and proud when you have earned your degree and entered the profession.

Your success is the standard by which we measure the performance of the faculty and programs in this College of Pharmacy. We wish you all the best.

Peter Swaan, Ph.D., M.Pharm.
Dean


Awards and Accolades

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy has received numerous awards and accolades, recognizing its students, staff, faculty, and its innovations in the field of pharmacy, spanning education, research and patient outcomes.


Program Info

The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) is a program for students seeking an Pharm.D. degree on the path to becoming licensed pharmacists. Doctor of Pharmacy graduates from UF have the foundational knowledge and skills to improve medication therapy in an evidence-based manner. They also are prepared to assume leadership roles in the pharmacy profession and the U.S. health care system.

The Pharm.D. program is taught at three Florida campuses: Gainesville, Jacksonville and Orlando. The program features a three-year didactic curriculum in highly innovative, state-of-the-art classrooms that support team-based learning. Students also gain more than a year of clinical experiences with one-month clinical rotations after their first and second years and year-round clinical rotations for their final year.

UF student pharmacists impact their communities through health care screenings, education about proper medication use, internships in pharmacies and community service. About 45 percent of UF graduates practice in community pharmacy settings, with the remaining graduates choosing a variety of roles, including academia, hospitals, ambulatory clinics, the pharmaceutical industry, the Food and Drug Administration and others. UF ranks as the top pharmacy college in the country in placing students into highly competitive pharmacy residency positions.


Combination Degree Programs

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy offers four joint degree programs to provide students with advanced training in their interest area of pharmacy.  These programs prepare students for leadership positions that demand two degrees, while saving the student time and money in pursuit of their academic goals.

Learn more about combination degree programs


Campus Information

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy has three campuses where students can pursue their Pharm.D. degree: Gainesville, Jacksonville and Orlando.

Learn more about the individual campuses


Accreditation

The University of Florida – College of Pharmacy’s Doctorate of Pharmacy Program (Pharm. D.) has been coordinated with local health care agencies, the Florida Board of Governors, University Board of Trustees, and the Florida Board of Pharmacy.

While all UF degree programs must be approved by the Florida Board of Governors and the UF Board of Trustees, the UF-College of Pharmacy’s Pharm. D. program is also accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), which certifies that the program meets both the highest state and national standards. Students who complete the program are prepared to take the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) & Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) and can go on to work as a licensed pharmacist.

Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
ACPE accreditation is public recognition that a professional degree program leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree is judged to meet established qualifications and education standards through initial and subsequent periodic evaluations. Accreditation is distinguished from licensure, which applies to individuals.

USDE Recognition
ACPE is recognized by the US Department of Education (USDE) for the accreditation and preaccreditation, within the United States, of professional degree programs in pharmacy leading to the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy, including those programs offered via distance education. ACPE’s Continuing Pharmacy Education Provider Accreditation and International Services programs do not qualify for USDE recognition.

CHEA Recognition
ACPE is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), which is a private, nonprofit national organization that coordinates accreditation activity in the United States. CHEA represents more than 3,000 colleges and universities and 60 national, regional and specialized accreditors.

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy is approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy and accredited by

The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)

135 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 4100 Chicago, Illinois 60603-4810
(312) 664-3575 tel
(866)-228-2631 fax
info@acpe-accredit.org


Quality Indicators

The UF Pharm.D. curriculum prepares graduates in pharmacy to take independent professional responsibility for the outcome of drug therapy in patients.

Learn more about quality indicators