Admission Criteria:
Admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program is a selective process that considers a variety of factors critical to success as a student and pharmacist. As admission to the program is competitive, completion of pre-pharmacy requirements does not guarantee admission to the College of Pharmacy. The office of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Assessment, in conjunction with the College of Pharmacy Admissions Committee (CPAC), establishes and continually re-assesses the criteria for admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program. Admission criteria include markers of the student’s ability to meet the rigors of the professional curriculum as well as the evolving, patient-centered practice of pharmacy:
Although the Doctor of Pharmacy program is academically rigorous, there is no simple “formula” for admission and success. The CPAC continues to modify the criteria used in admissions with careful evaluation of the criteria outlined above. All applicants should complete the necessary pre-pharmacy courses and additional requirements to the best of their ability, and with the greatest degree of focus and determination.
Students who are interested in applying to the College of Pharmacy can consult the “average” GPA’s and PCAT scores published on this website. However, care should be taken to understand that these are only averages from previously admitted classes.
Please note that for Fall 2013 admission, Ferris now participates in the PharmCAS Early Decision Program. For more information CLICK HERE.
The Admission Process:
The College of Pharmacy is beginning the application cycle for candidate for entry into the Doctor of Pharmacy program for Fall, 2013. Please be sure to review all of the admission procedures contained here.
Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of no less than 2.5 for required pharmacy courses. Only grades of “C” (2.0) or higher will be accepted for individual pre-pharmacy courses. All pre-pharmacy courses must be taken for an academic grade. Pass/fail (or credit/no credit) will not be accepted. For repeated courses most recent grade received will be used as the grade of record in determining pre-requisite completion. However, all grades received for pharmacy pre-requisites may be used for the purpose of re-calculating qualifying and ranking GPA's.
Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT):
Students must have taken the PCAT exam in June 2007 or later. Applicants should have a PCAT composite score which ranks them at no less than a 50th percentile. Candidates should also have at least a 25th percentile for verbal and 25th percentile for reading on the PCAT. Consideration of applicants with PCAT scores below these benchmarks will occur at the discretion of the College of Pharmacy.
Advanced Placement (AP/IB/CLEP Rules for 2014):
Beginning with the Fall 2014 Doctor of Pharmacy class, AP/IB/CLEP credit in the math/sciences
can be applied toward the requirements. This is being done to coincide with the new
Doctor of Pharmacy prerequisites being enacted for the class entering in Fall 2014. AP/IB and CLEP credit must be
college transcript verified as part of the PharmCAS application to be recognized.
Candidates should complete a minimum of 32 semester hours from the math, biology (general
biology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, genetics), chemistry, and physics requirements
at the collegiate level, prior to enrollment (if accepted). Higher level courses
in biology and chemistry may be substituted to achieve this. Be sure to consult all
other requirements and policies that will apply to that admission year as they are
posted here.
Applicants for Fall 2013: Candidates should have successfully completed: 1) All general chemistry; general biology; and calculus requirements; and 2) At least one semester of organic chemistry including lab (if concurrent); and 3) At least one semester of the anatomy/physiology including lab (if concurrent) by the end of the Fall semester preceding the beginning of the academic year of the desired start date. For example, these courses should be successfully completed by the end of the Fall 2012 semester if applying for entrance into the Doctor of Pharmacy program for Fall 2013. Pre-pharmacy courses must be completed at an accredited college or university in the United State or Canada.
Applicants for Fall 2014: At the time of application, candidates should have successfully completed at the collegiate
level (not including AP/IB/CLEP): 1) Both semesters of organic chemistry; 2) At least
6 semester hours (2 courses) of upper level biology from the requirements that include
microbiology, genetics, anatomy and physiology; and 3) At least one quantitative course
from the requirements that include calculus, physics and statistics. For example,
these courses should be successfully completed by the end of the Summer 2013 semester
if applying for entrance into the Doctor of Pharmacy program for Fall 2014.
All Applicants: Applicants should ascertain the availability of remaining prerequisites prior to application to ensure all of the required pre-pharmacy coursework can be completed in the proper sequence before entry into the Doctor of Pharmacy program (if granted). The College of Pharmacy reserves the right to give preferential admission to applicants who have completed their prerequisites by May of the year the applicant is applying for. Admissions are extended for only one class and cannot be deferred to a later year if prerequisite courses are not completed prior to admission.
Honors Program Assurance:
The College of Pharmacy assures students in the Ferris State University Honors Program an admission interview for the Doctor of Pharmacy program in the second year of pre-Pharmacy studies providing all conditions for that program are met.
Technical Standards:
The College of Pharmacy maintains a set of Technical Standards, which outline essential skills to insure the safety of patients served by the student and pharmacist. Graduates must be able to demonstrate proficiency in these skills. Some will be evaluated as part of the application process, and others during the professional degree program. Applicants will be asked to review this document as part of the admissions process and acknowledge an understanding of them.
Re-Applications:
Students who do not receive an offer of admission and wish to re-apply to the program in subsequent years, must complete a new application as specified by the PharmCAS system, and fulfill any new pre-pharmacy or admission requirements that apply.
Program Location:
Applicants should be aware that the pharmacy curriculum is split between the Big Rapids campus and other sites throughout the state. The first four semesters are in Big Rapids, and the next two are in either Grand Rapids or Kalamazoo. The last two semesters consist of practice rotations that are located throughout the state, but center around Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Lansing. Students will be required to spend a portion of each summer semester in experiential rotations.
Doctor of Pharmacy Student Transfer Policy:
A student who has attended, or is currently attending, another College of Pharmacy may be considered for advance standing in the Doctor of Pharmacy program based on availability of seats in the appropriate class. In addition, the candidate must: (1) be in good academic standing at the college of origin and able to continue, (2) completed at least two semesters (or equivalent) of professional degree coursework at the time the request is made, (3) submit transcripts of all college courses from all institutions attended, and (4) provide a letter of recommendation from the Dean of the previous college attended. The letter should be sent directly to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Assessment with a copy to the College of Pharmacy Admissions Committee.
Admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program is conditional on a number of factors including a criminal background check (CBC). The CBC must be conducted through the agency identified by the College within a defined period of time following conditional acceptance to the program. No other results will be accepted. All costs associated with the CBC will be incurred by the applicant. Applicants invited to the upcoming class will receive written instructions and cost estimates as part of the conditional notification of admission packet sent by the College. Components of the CBC include, but are not limited to:
Once the CBC is conducted, College and/or University officials will examine the results and determine eligibility for admission using the criteria specified in Michigan Public Acts 27, 28, and 29. The prohibited offenses, relevant time periods, and legal citations for the offenses can be located in each of the relevant Public Acts or in the Criminal Background Check Legal Guide which can be accessed at www.miltcpartnership.com. Applicants with CBC results that indicate any criminal conviction(s) may be required to provide legal documents pertaining to the conviction(s) for further review by College and/or University officials. A request for legal documents does not imply that an applicant will be granted admission. The presence of criminal convictions deemed relevant to the Public Acts cited above; or which conflict with affiliation agreements between Ferris State University and its experiential sites will be grounds for revocation of the conditional acceptance to the upcoming Fall class. Failure to submit a CBC by the assigned deadline in the invitation packet will also be grounds for revocation.
If an applicant is denied admission to the program (or have their conditional admittance revoked) based on the CBC, they will be informed of this in writing and be given the opportunity to: 1) Review the report (if they do not already have it); 2) Respond in writing with any further clarification or explanation of the event; and 3) Receive review of their explanation by the College of Pharmacy Admission Committee and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Assessment.
Admission to the college may be granted despite previous criminal convictions if, based on a thorough evaluation by the College and University, the severity of the crime or the period of time since the crime occurred supports admission. However, such students may have limited experiential options and/or delayed graduation. The College does not guarantee the opportunity to complete all experiential components, and therefore graduation, if an applicant is admitted with a criminal conviction(s). Additionally, the College reserves the right to require students to disclose his/her CBC results to all assigned experiential sites for further review and approval at any time.
