What about the market conditions suggests that this is the right time to start a new doctorate program?
Saint Joseph College’s new School of Pharmacy addresses a critical work-force need and compliments the college’s high-quality programs, especially in health and human service. Both the nation and Connecticut are in need of pharmacists due to an increased use of prescription medications and an aging population. In fact, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy recently stated, “The (pharmacy) manpower shortage is a long-term problem for which there is no solution.” The Connecticut Department of Labor projects a pharmacy growth rate of 19.9% until at least 2016.
What’s the next step for Saint Joseph? Will it pursue other health career doctorates like nursing, which the school has long been known for?
We are developing another doctoral track in a health-care related program and will keep you informed on this development
Maybe I’m doing the numbers wrong – I was an English major after all – but your pharmacy doctorate program appears to take seven years while others are six years (including undergraduate students). Why is there an extra year built into the Saint Joseph College program as compared to the University of Connecticut, which completes the program in six years?
Saint Joseph College offers a 3/3 program, which includes three years of pre-pharmacy and three years in the doctor of pharmacy program. We will use an innovative new model which allows students to reap the financial benefits of employment sooner and has a proven record of increasing students’ ability to master the didactic material. Our model also will provide students with a rich experiential education with placements in a variety of area pharmacies.
In the 3/3 model, students may enter the college in the pre-pharmacy program where they will be able to complete the pre-pharmacy and general education requirements within the first three years. The second three years focuses on the completion of the doctor of pharmacy (Pharm D.) degree.
How many students are going to be in the first pharmacy class? And, going forward, how many student will there be annually in the program?
In fall 2010, the college intends to enroll 50 to 60 students in its [doctor of pharmacy] program. As the program develops, more students will be enrolled each consecutive year, with enrollment of each entering class not to exceed 100 students.
How long does it take for a program to receive accreditation? Can students graduate from the doctorate program without it?
The Pharm.D. program intends to accept its first cohort of students in fall 2010 (pending appropriate accreditation approvals). Information regarding the status of the accreditation application will be updated on the Saint Joseph College School of Pharmacy’s Web site: www.sjc.edu.
The college is planning to locate the pharmacy school in Hartford. Why is it not going to be located on the West Hartford campus? Isn’t there a synergy between having undergrads and grads together?
Saint Joseph College intends to open its School of Pharmacy in downtown Hartford, where students will have greater access to hospitals, clinical and community settings. Locating the School of Pharmacy in the city of Hartford makes it more accessible for potential students while contributing to the development of the capital city. The pre-pharmacy program will continue to be housed on our main campus.
Before you were president, there was a period when Saint Joseph had an unusually small freshman class. How is undergraduate enrollment doing overall? Is the future of the college in graduate programs?
In September 2008 we welcomed our largest freshmen class – 225 students, plus over 100 transfer students. Â We are again on target for a stellar class in fall 2009. The college’s reputation for offering high quality programs, especially in health and human services, is well established. This is evident by the growth in our graduate programs, both online and in the traditional classroom setting.
