The College of Pharmacy, in partnership with the OU Price College of Business, provides a unique dual-degree program offering students the knowledge and benefits of both a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and Masters in Business Administration within a shortened time frame, 5 years (saves 6 months).
The program is unveiled to P1 students at OU College of Pharmacy along with other track options such as leadership, ambulatory care, pediatrics, research and nuclear pharmacy. P1 students should ideally express an interest before the start of their second semester.
Students are informed that committing to the dual degree program will add another year of study to achieve their goals. However, obtaining two degrees in less time than it would take to obtain them separately will result in effective cost saving.
Providing an understanding of the financial aspects of pharmacy practice gives the student another essential layer of knowledge. An MBA skillset makes a pharmacy student more adaptable for positioning, whether in marketing, working with diverse groups, financial management, inventory management and billing. Students will learn how metrics can be used in strategic planning and business analysis. Additionally, the program allows opportunities for inter-professional collaboration.
There are many career options available for an individual graduating with a doctor of pharmacy degree including retail, hospital, ambulatory care, long-term care, managed care, pharmaceutical industry, and compounding. Having an MBA degree potentially opens the door to managerial positions such as director of pharmacy, supervisor, pharmacy manager, professional association work, project management, academia and health system administration.
All courses for the dual degree program are offered on the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campus. Students begin the program at OU College of Pharmacy for the first two years. In the third year, students take courses both at OU College of Pharmacy and OU Price College of Business. For the fourth year, it’s a full schedule of business classes. Finally, the fifth year is spent on monthly rotations. You can find a sample schedule on the Price College of Business website HERE.
OU College of Pharmacy ranks in the top 31 best pharmacy schools, and OU Price College of Business ranks in the top 100 best MBA schools. Pharmacists who are knowledgeable in both pharmacy and business administration are highly sought after in a competitive healthcare setting. The dual degree program was approved by the OU Board of Regents in October 2019. Interested first-year pharmacy students can contact Adrienne Jablonski at the OU Price College of Business on the OUHSC campus (ajablonski@ou.edu, 405-325-5623), or for information, go to: http://www.ou.edu/price/mba.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they are enrolled in the prescribed courses and to pay tuition and fees at the time designated by the Bursar's Office. Details regarding tuition/fee charges and collection are available from the Bursar's Office.
Admissions Process
OU College of Pharmacy is committed to admitting and matriculating a quality diverse student body consistent with the educational mission of the college. Admission to the Pharm.D./MBA program is overseen by the Admissions Committee, led by the committee chair. This committee is appointed by the Dean of the college.
The application and admissions process is administered by the Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs. Questions regarding the application and admissions should be directed to the Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs at OUPharmD@ouhsc.edu or at 405-271-6598. Application advisement appointments may be made by clicking the button below:
Schedule Appointment URL (https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/CollegeofPharmacy@ou.edu/bookings/)
OUCOP engages in a holistic admissions process. This means that each aspect, both academically and non-academically of the applicant's record is important. Eligibility for an interview is based on an evaluation of the applicant's academic record including the prerequisite, overall, science & math, biology & chemistry, and last 60 hours GPAs as well as an applicant's non-academic record including their experiences and attributes. Applicants should be equally strong in all three areas to be competitive for an interview.
Admissions Policies
Admissions policies are defined by the Admissions Committee in consultation with the Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs and approved by the Dean of the college. All admissions policies adhere to accreditation standards as well as federal and state laws and the governance of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents. All admissions policies may be found at https://pharmacy.ouhsc.edu/index.php?p=programs/doctor-of-pharmacy/admission.
Enrollment requirements
Students admitted to the Doctor of Pharmacy program have requirements they must complete in order to be enrolled to attend classes. These requirements include but may not be limited to, providing required immunization documentation, completing a criminal background check, completing a random drug screening, and providing any final transcripts or other requests.
Admitted students will receive notification of deadlines and other instructions for these requirements prior to matriculation in the fall. Admitted students will also be required to attend new student orientation the week before classes begin in August. Orientation is mandatory so students should take this into account when planning trips or other life events.
Since all first-year students are enrolled in the same courses, the Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs will complete the enrollment process for all admitted students in August prior to orientation. Admitted students do not have to enroll themselves.
In addition to the standard Pharm.D. admissions requirements, applicants to the Dual Pharm.D./MBA program must also meet the following criteria:
- Submit an application to the MBA program in the spring semester of the second professional year of the PharmD program.
- Take the GRE or GMAT exam in the second professional year of the PharmD program.
- A minimum OU and Combined GPA of 3.0.
Additional details may be found at https://pharmacy.ouhsc.edu/index.php?p=programs/doctor-of-pharmacy/admission.
Pre-Pharmacy Course Policies
URL (https://pharmacy.ouhsc.edu/index.php?p=programs/doctor-of-pharmacy/prepharmcourses)
- Admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program requires completion of a minimum of 64 semester hours of specific pre-pharmacy coursework.
- All prerequisite coursework must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university.
- Applicants must successfully complete the prerequisite course requirements by August 5th of the year they plan to enter. For example, if you plan to enter in Fall 2025, you must have all prerequisite courses successfully completed by August 5, 2025. Additional documentation may be required by OU Health Sciences Office of Recruitment & Admissions.
- Prerequisite coursework may be satisfied if taken outside of the U.S. as long as the applicant provides a WES course-by-course evaluation. WES is the only acceptable foreign course evaluation accepted by OUCOP. Acceptance of foreign coursework to satisfy prerequisite course requirements is at the discretion of the College of Pharmacy. Inquiries regarding the acceptance of foreign coursework may be directed to our admissions staff. Staff cannot tell someone what prerequisites may be satisfied by foreign coursework unless they provide a copy of the WES evaluation. It is recommended this be done at least one year prior to a planned entry year.
- The 6 hours of English coursework must be completed at a U.S. college or university. Foreign coursework will not be accepted to meet this requirement.
- To be eligible for admission, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident at the time of application.
- Applicants must complete all prerequisite courses below with a minimum grade of "C" (C+, C, C- grades are all acceptable) or above. However, applicants must maintain a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale to be considered for admission.
The prerequisite courses listed below are effective for admission for all applicants.
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 4 |
| 4 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 2 |
| 1 | 4 |
| 1 | 4 |
| 4 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 24 |
| Total Hours | 64 |
Notes
- These are minimum requirements. We highly recommend, if timing permits, applicants also successfully complete a biochemistry course, at least one upper-level science, both human anatomy and physiology, and statistics. Our first preference is for physiology if a student is unable to take both anatomy and physiology.
- The Overall, Science/Math, and Biology/Chemistry GPAs include all attempts of a course in the calculation of the GPA. The Prerequisite and Last 60 Hours GPAs include the most recent attempt of a course in the calculation of the GPA. Applicants must complete all prerequisites with a minimum grade of “C”. Applicants must also maintain a minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 and a minimum overall GPA of 2.50 to be eligible for admission.
- It is recommended prerequisite courses be equivalent to University of Oklahoma courses. Final approval of acceptable prerequisite courses is subject to College of Pharmacy and OU policies. To determine equivalency, please go to https://bit.ly/OUTED.
- Approved Elective Subject Areas: Fine Arts (non-performance based), History, Political Science, Anthropology, Architecture, Humanities, Geography, Philosophy, Literature, Social Science, Behavioral Science, Foreign Language, Communications, English, Business(may include management, marketing, economics, accounting), Computer Science, General Studies, Personal Health, Nutrition, Leadership. A maximum of 9 hours of Math may be chosen from the following: Algebra, Precalculus, Functions & Modeling, additional Calculus, Trigonometry, Geometry, or Statistics. Students are encouraged to select a diverse set of courses as preference is given to those with a broad-based educational background.
In addition to the learning outcomes for pharmacists, the students enrolled in this program also meet the learning outcomes set forth by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
