North Park has embarked on a joint program with Roosevelt University in which students will spend three years at each institution, eventually graduating with a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Participants begin at North Park, where first-year students apply in their second semester to the 3+3 program. Students will earn a B.A. in biochemistry after completing three years at North Park and one year at Roosevelt. After completing the three full years at Roosevelt, students earn their Pharm.D.
“The program is ideal for students who know they want to be pharmacists as in-coming students,” said Kristine Aronsson, North Park Director of Advising for Ad-vanced Education in the Health Professions and dedicated 3+3 program advisor.
The program shaves a whole year off more traditional programs, which last seven years. Time and tuition savings add to the appeal of the program, and with the demand for pharmacists predicted to rise in coming years, pharmacist jobs will be plentiful and well-paying.
“Pharm.D. candidates receive a direct pathway for entrance to Roosevelt’s College of Pharmacy, all without taking the standard Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) or the need to apply through the Pharmacy Common Application System (PCAS),” Aronsson said. “This is a huge benefit to the students as they don’t have to prepare and sit for the PCAT since they have already proven themselves able to handle the rigor of the curriculum.”