The University of Florida College of Pharmacy offers a combined Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program for qualified Doctor of Pharmacy students who are interested in accelerated graduate studies. The purpose of this program is to prepare clinically oriented pharmaceutical scientists. Through the selection of appropriate graduate level courses and attainment of research skills and experience through research clerkships, students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program can receive advanced standing in one of the graduate pharmaceutical science disciplines in the College of Pharmacy.
The combined program could enable students to attain both degrees within a time frame of approximately nine years of study from the beginning of college. This includes at least two years of prepharmacy studies, four years of professional education, and approximately three to four years of graduate studies. The benefits of a combined Pharm.D./Ph.D. degree program are several fold: First, the student can select 5000-6000 level graduate courses which will satisfy requirements for both programs thus shortening the length of the program. Second, the student can develop during his/her initial years in the College of Pharmacy an appreciation of and an aptitude in research. Third, the student can identify a research area and a faculty advisor prior to beginning the Ph.D. component of the program. Fourth, by tracking into the Pharm.D./Ph.D. program, the student can better appreciate the importance of didactic material presented in professional courses to their area of proposed graduate study and research.
A further advantage of Pharm.D./Ph.D. degrees over a combination of a baccalaureate in the sciences, e.g., chemistry or biology, and a Ph.D. in the pharmaceutical sciences is that the individual would have attained a much broader range of pharmaceutical knowledge and clinical experience. The net result of this should be an individual better prepared for research in the pharmaceutical sciences with a greater potential to rapidly move upward in the pharmaceutical industry or academia or governmental agency.
For further details, see the official program description: Doctor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Philosophy
Students interested in the program should see Dr. Kimberlin: Kimber@cop.ufl.edu