Prospective Students

Pathways into the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy

There are three pathways to pursue admission to University of Montana (UM) Skaggs School of Pharmacy’s PharmD program:

OPTION 1: Traditional UM Pre-Pharmacy Admission Pathway

The traditional UM pre-pharmacy admissions pathway involves students entering the program as an undergraduate in pre-pharmacy upon meeting general UM admission standards. Students who plan to apply for admission to the professional program are encouraged to declare pre-pharmacy as their major in order to receive appropriate academic advising. Students must complete all pre-requisite courses with a grade of C- or better. If criteria are met, students can apply for admission into the UM PharmD program via PharmCAS. Students who meet admission criteria, including 20 hours of observation of a medical or social field, preferably in a pharmacy, are eligible to take part in the competitive admission process with all other applicants.

OPTION 2: The GrizRx Assurance Program Pathway

The GrizRx Assurance Program (GrizRx AP) for UM’s PharmD program is designed for academically qualified high school seniors who want an expedited entry path to a PharmD degree at the UM Skaggs School of Pharmacy. Upon completion of two years of pre-pharmacy study at UM and completion of all requirements, which include 1) all pharmacy prerequisite courses completed with at least a C- grade and cumulative GPA ≥ 3.0, 2) successful completion of the PharmCAS application, and 3) 20 hours of observation of a medical or social field, preferably in a pharmacy, and successful completion of admission interview, students will be eligible for select reserve seats in the PharmD professional year 1.

OPTION 3: Non-UM Admission Pathway

The courses required in the freshman and sophomore years (pre-pharmacy curriculum) may be taken at any accredited college or university in the U.S. The UM SSOP reviews submitted transfer records and determines if courses taken are equivalent to UM PharmD course pre-requisite requirements. Please visit our Prerequisite Course Equivalents for colleges and universities in Montana and surrounding states. All required pre-pharmacy courses must be completed for a letter grade with a grade of C- or better. All students who will have satisfactorily completed the pre-professional requirements by the time of admission and wish to enter the UM PharmD program must apply via PharmCAS. Students who meet admission criteria, including 20 hours of observation of a medical or social field, preferably in a pharmacy, are eligible to take part in the competitive admission process with all other applicants.

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy (SSOP) at the University of Montana (UM) is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).

Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Degree

The University of Montana Skaggs School of Pharmacy is located in beautiful Missoula, Montana. Missoula, as a city, provides a calm, inclusive, culturally-stimulating environment and will offer a variety of sporting and outdoor activities to provide ample opportunities to rejuvenate and relieve stress.

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program is nationally recognized for its quality of a patient-centered care and interprofessional training and activities, outreach programs, students’ success in passing national pharmacy licensure examination, job placement, and matches for postgraduate pharmacy education residencies.

Our class environment ensures a small faculty-to-student ratio, provides for personal attention for each and every one of our students, and creates lifelong, supportive relationships among peers in your class as well as with faculty and administrators. As a pharmacy candidate in our program, you are not just a number but an individual. In addition, our PharmD students frequently comment that they enjoy small classes as it ensures they get to know each other well and can provide for cooperative, "we're all in this together" learning rather than harsh competition.

Our PharmD curriculum integrates basic biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, clinical, behavioral, social and administrative sciences and interprofessional education throughout all four years and focuses on the development of professional pharmacy leaders engaged in life-long learning, patient advocacy, and community service and outreach. Our students are prepared as medication experts to promote the health and well-being of individuals and communities as valuable members of the interprofessional health care teams. Depending on your career goals and interest, we also provide dual degrees: PharmD/MBA, PharmD/MPH, PharmD/MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences, and PharmD/PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The curriculum offered by the Skaggs School of Pharmacy consists of a six-year program leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. The first two years, or pre-professional portion of the curriculum, are spent in studies of the basic biological and physical sciences.

During the first three professional years of the Pharm.D. program, students devote their time to the study of the pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice.  Areas of study include biochemistry, microbiology, pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, social administrative pharmacy, and therapeutics.

The fourth year of the professional program is entirely experiential.

If you are interested in information about our PharmD program and/or dual degrees or simply would like to visit our campus, please contact us. We are proud of our program and of our Skaggs School of Pharmacy community; and we will be happy to host you on our campus and/or share more information about our program.

Request Pharm.D. Info

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

The Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences offers a dynamic program of graduate education leading to the:

  • Ph.D and M.S in Medicinal Chemistry
  • PhD and M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Design
  • PhD and M.S. in Neuroscience
  • PhD and M.S. in Toxicology

The Department offers graduate training and research in medicinal chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, neuroscience, and toxicology. Areas of research interest in the department include cancer, cardiovascular, dermatology, environmental toxicology, immunology, and neurology.

Students will find the Ph.D. and M.S. programs in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences an excellent reason to come to Montana.  The friendly, collaborative nature of our department allows students and faculty to concentrate on learning and research.  The graduate programs emphasize one-on-one faculty-student interactions, provide numerous mechanisms for obtaining feedback and support, and offer students many opportunities to present their research findings.