Aiming to study pharmacy in one of the top pharmacy schools but not quite sure about the best ones in the US? This article, with its pharmacy school rankings, will help you.
Pharmacy is the study of medicinal drugs, their effects on the human body, their uses and side effects, if any. The major difference between a physician and a pharmacist is that a pharmacist is not authorized to prescribe drugs. As a pharmacist, you can either work in hospitals alongside doctors, or choose to take up research on development of drugs and their testing. You also have the option of working with a firm retailing in drugs, where you can regulate the proper dispensation of prescribed drugs, and make the patients understand the properties of the drugs and their usage. After obtaining a major in pharmacology from an officially recognized school, you might also get an opportunity to work with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The field of pharmacy is experiencing rapid growth, with more number of jobs being generated everyday.
Top Ten Pharmacy Schools in the US
To pursue a career as a pharmacist, you need to have a strong knowledge of mathematics, chemistry and biology. To gain admission in a pharmacy school, you need to get a good score in the Pharmacy College Admissions Test ( PCAT). Once you get into a pharmacy school, you get a Doctor of Pharmacy degree after a three-year study period and one year internship. Here is a pharmacy school rankings list featuring the top 10 pharmacy schools in the United States, along with their contact details for admission and the other courses offered.
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California pharmacy school is the best in the United States. Besides pharmacy, the other courses offered are nursing, nursing-midwifery, and physical therapy. Website: www.pharmacy.ucsf.edu
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Ranking second in the pharmacy schools ranking list, the University of North Carolina also offers courses in audiology, clinical psychology, healthcare management, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, public health, rehabilitation counseling, social work, and speech-language pathology. Website: www.pharmacy.unc.edu
University of Minnesota
The pharmacy college that ranks third in this list is the University of Minnesota pharmacy school. It also offers courses in audiology, clinical psychology, healthcare management, nursing, nursing midwifery, occupational therapy, physical therapy, public health, social work, speech-language pathology, and veterinary medicine.
Website: www.pharmacy.umn.edu
University of Texas, Austin
The University of Texas is one of the best pharmacy schools in the US. Audiology, clinical psychology, nursing, rehabilitation counseling, social work, and speech-language pathology are the other courses offered by this university. Website: www.utexas.edu
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University ranks fifth among the pharmacy schools in the US. Other courses offered are audiology, clinical psychology, healthcare management, nursing, nursing-midwifery, occupational therapy, physical therapy, public health, rehabilitation counseling, social work, speech-language pathology, and veterinary medicine.
Website: www.pharmacy.ohio-state.edu
University of Kentucky
One of the best pharmacy schools in the US, the University of Kentucky in Lexington also offers courses in clinical psychology, healthcare management, nursing, physical assistance, public health, rehabilitation counseling, social work, and speech-language pathology. Website: www.mc.uky.edu
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is at Ann Arbor, and besides pharmacy, offers courses in clinical psychology, healthcare management, nursing, nursing-midwifery, public health, and social work. Website: www.sph.umich.edu
University of Washington
The University of Washington has its School of Pharmacy in Seattle and offers courses in audiology, clinical psychology, healthcare management, nursing, nursing-midwifery, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physical assistance, public health, social work, and speech-language pathology too. Website: www.depts.washington.edu
Purdue University
The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science of the Purdue University is in West Lafayette. Besides pharmacy, here you can also study audiology, clinical psychology, nursing, speech-language pathology, and veterinary medicine. Website: www.pharmacy.purdue.edu
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy is in Tucson and is one of the top ten pharmacy schools in the US. You can also study audiology, clinical psychology, nursing, public health, rehabilitation counseling, and speech-language pathology here. Website: www.pharmacy.arizona.edu
In addition to the top 10 pharmacy schools given above, here are a few other schools that feature in the list of pharmacy school rankings in the US.
- University of Florida
- University of Illinois, Chicago
- University of Maryland, Baltimore
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- University of Southern California
- University of Iowa
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center
- University of Utah
- University of Kansas
- University of Pittsburgh
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- University of Colorado, Denver
- Auburn University
- Medical University of South Carolina
Rankings should not be the only criteria for choosing the best pharmacy school for you to study in. There are a few other important factors that you need to consider before you make your choice; location, course fees, available scholarships and placement opportunities. Here’s wishing you a bright career in pharmacy.