North American-Trained PharmD Online Program Overview
Expand your pharmacy opportunities with a career-boosting PharmD degree. The Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus has designed a flexible online Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program for licensed pharmacists seeking advanced clinical pharmacy education. The program for North American-trained practitioners can be completed in as little as two years with fully online courses, live practice experience, and supportive faculty.
Earning your Doctor of Pharmacy from CU Anschutz can help you secure lasting professional success in whatever professional pharmacy setting you choose to pursue. To learn more about the NTPD program, fill out the form on this page.
Program at a Glance
Degree Program:
North American-Trained PharmD (NTPD)
Offered By:
Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Tuition:
Cost Per Credit:
$979
Cost Per Credit:
$979
Application Deadline:
Credit Hours:
65
Curriculum Overview
The Doctor of Pharmacy is a 65-credit-hour program that can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. Students must take 35 credit hours of didactic coursework and 30 credit hours of experiential learning, specifically in advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs).
The didactic curriculum includes areas of study like healthcare informatics, drug information fundamentals, pharmacotherapy, palliative care, critical care, pediatrics, and integrative health and medicine. The experiential portion of the program requires 30 weeks (1200 hours) of APPEs in drug information, ambulatory care, and health-system pharmacy/inpatient, as well as three electives in subspecialities like neurology, oncology, nutrition, infectious disease, critical care, psychiatry, and pediatrics.
Learn more about the PharmD program’s curriculum for North American-trained students.
Course Preview
PRDO 7601 Public Health
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the US healthcare system with insight into global health issues, their key components and their functional relationships.
PRDO 7622 Interprof Healthcare Ethics & Health Equity
This course develops foundational knowledge and basic practical skills to identify, analyze, and resolve ethical and health equity issues in clinical practice. It integrates interprofessional collaboration and teamwork to teach students ethical theory and reasoning, professional ethics and approaches to healthcare decision-making.
PRDO 7780 Pharmacogenomics
This course provides students with an understanding of how genetic factors influence drug disposition, response, and adverse effects. Knowledge gained from this course enhances students’ ability to apply genetic information to pharmacy practice and select the most appropriate therapeutic intervention(s).
One thing this program taught me was how to approach different patient scenarios, how to check and follow guidelines and provide evidence-based recommendations, and how to communicate with my patients. It taught me how to be a better provider.
— Omniah Elmorshedy | PharmD, NTPD Graduate
Admissions Information
PharmD applicants must be currently licensed to practice as a pharmacist in the United States or Canada and in good standing with the licensing agency, provided one of the following requirements are met:
- The applicant received a baccalaureate degree from a five-year pharmacy program accredited by ACPE or the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs (CCAPP) and holds a valid license to practice pharmacy in the United States or Canada;
OR - The applicant received a pharmacy degree from a non-United States or non-Canadian program and holds a valid license to practice pharmacy in a United States jurisdiction.
Please Note: The ACPE-accredited International-Trained PharmD (ITPD) program is also available through CU Anschutz. All licensed pharmacists not licensed to practice pharmacy in the United States or are licensed to practice in Canada but were educated outside of Canada (i.e., a non-CCAPP-accredited school) are encouraged to review the admissions requirements for the ITPD Program.
Applicants must complete the following in order to be considered:
- Application form
- Personal statement
- Transcripts
- Pharmacy License
- Photo Identification
- Recommendations
- Resume/CV
- Application Fee
- Interview
All applicants will need to demonstrate proficiency in the English language and submit documents or exam scores to fulfill this requirement. Learn more about the language requirements.
Financial Aid
New tuition rates are established each spring for the following fall semester. Some scholarships may be available for NTPD students. You may be notified of scholarship opportunities through your student email account or find them on the news section of the School of Pharmacy website. Contact the CU Anschutz Financial Aid & Scholarships Office for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Online learning will offer you the flexibility to earn your degree without leaving your current context. You can choose a pace that is sustainable for your lifestyle, which can help you take into account your current career, family, and other commitments. Additionally, at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the online PharmD program is taught by the same faculty who teach on campus, which means you’re earning the same high quality degree as traditional students, and your diploma will not mention that your degree was earned online.
No – all didactic curriculum is offered online. We will do our best to find rotations for you in your home state when it is time for your experiential learning rotations, but these are not always guaranteed. Students are always welcome to come to Colorado where a site will be guaranteed.
Yes, most of our students are employed; however, we encourage you to speak with your employer before starting the program. In some cases, you may be able to complete your rotations at your workplace, provided the employer can offer an experience that aligns with the educational needs of the program and there are no conflicts of interest. Students may not be paid for any rotation hours.
Students must perform 30 weeks or 1200 hours of advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) rotations. In other words, students complete five rotations each six weeks in length, 240 hours per rotation. All rotations are typically full-time eight-hour days. Students should speak to their employer well in advance to ensure full support is provided. Part-time rotations outside of Colorado may be available with the full cooperation of the site and preceptor.
To see details about tuition and fees, please contact us using the form on this page or explore the NTPD Tuition and Fees 2023-2024 document.
Didn't find your question on the list? More FAQs are available in the link, or fill out the form on this page to contact us.
Start Your Application Now
What career advances do you see in your future? Take your next steps at CU Anschutz, where we’re taking world-changing strides as a top pharmacy school in the United States.