SCHOOL OF SCIENCE
The "3 + 4" Accelerated Program In Pharmacy
An Affiliation Agreement between the
Biology
Program at the Penn State Behrend
School
of Science
and
This Agreement is made by and between The Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend College, and the State University of New York by and on behalf of the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
I. PURPOSE
The Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend College, and The State University of New York University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences agree to cooperate in providing an accelerated 3+4 undergraduate/professional school education leading to the baccalaureate degree from Penn State Behrend and the doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from the University at Buffalo.
The first phase (undergraduate) of the collaborative program will consist of the completion of a minimum of 103 semester hours in the Biology Pre-Professional Option at Penn State Behrend and 23 semester hours from the first-year of the four-year curriculum of the doctor of pharmacy program at the University at Buffalo. Under this agreement, the student would then receive a baccalaureate degree from Penn State Behrend, and upon approval of the University at Buffalo, the student will complete the remaining requirements for the doctor of pharmacy degree.
II. GUIDELINES FOR COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM ADMISSION TO THE DOCTOR OF PHARMACY PROGRAM
Students will have completed at least one year of English, one year of biology, one year of inorganic chemistry, one year of organic chemistry, one year of calculus, one year of physics, one semester of biostatistics, one semester of economics, and one semester of general psychology or sociology by the end of the spring semester prior to the fall in which the student will enter the first year of the Pharm.D. program. The Penn State Behrend student must be in the Biology Major with the Pre-Professioinal option, and have completed 103 Penn State credits.
Penn State Behrend students can receive conditional acceptances based upon the anticipated completion of the above requirements before June 30th of the admission year. The University at Buffalo may also require a formal interview with a designated interviewer as part of the Pharm.D. admission process. The Pharm.D. Admissions Committee is seeking the following minimum requirements:
- Earn (on the 4.0 grading system) the following minimum grade point averages at Penn State Behrend:
- (a) Prerequisite course science and mathematics GPA of 3.5 or better
- (b) Overall GPA of 3.5 or better
- Take the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test) no later than October of the junior year and earned minimum scores of 400 (computed by combining the percentile scores in Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Biology, Chemistry, and Quantitative Ability). A maximum of two (2) test administrations will be allowed.
- Submit an application through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) during the fall of their junior year, no later than December 1 (or a mutually agreed upon date).
- Receive a favorable letter of recommendation from the Penn State Behrend Health and Allied Health Professions Committee.
- Meet the Pharm.D. Supplemental Application deadline of the first day of February.
Baccalaureate applicants will be subject to the same admissions standards as 3 + 4 students, with a year's extension on the time frame outlined in (2) for taking the PCAT and 13 months extension on completing the application (outlined in (3)).
III. MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Penn State Behrend agrees to:
- (a) Provide courses that meet the prerequisite requirements for the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program at the University at Buffalo's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science:
- (b) Designate a person who will serve as coordinator of the joint program at Penn State Behrend. The coordinator will:
- (i) be responsible for promoting the affiliation to prospective and current students by providing information to the university admissions staff, career planning and placement officers, the Health and Allied Health Professions Committee members, and all pre-pharmacy student advisors.
- (ii) keep students and pharmacy student advisors abreast of current information applicable to the affiliation.
- (iii) maintain advising files for Penn State Behrend students who intend to apply to the joint program.
- (iv) serve as liaison between Penn State Behrend and the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for any and all issues involving the affiliation.
- (c) Confer the baccalaureate degree on candidates who successfully complete all degree requirements of Penn State Behrend, and who successfully complete the first year of professional study at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The student must earn one hundred three (103) Penn State Behrend credits in the Biology (BIOBD) Major in the Pre-Professional option, and twenty-three (23) science credits at the University at Buffalo to receive the Penn State baccalaureate degree. The first year in the Pharm.D. program at the University at Buffalo will include science courses or their equivalents listed in the academic year program: biochemistry (4 credits), medicinal chemistry (3), pharmacy calculations (3), human physiology I (3), human physiology II (3), microbiology (4)and physical pharmacy (3). Only grades of C or better will transfer from the University at Buffalo to Penn State Behrend. University at Buffalo courses and credits, but not grades, will be listed on the Penn State Behrend transcript.
2. The University at Buffalo agrees to:
- (a) Designate a person who will serve as coordinator of the joint program at the University at Buffalo. The coordinator will:
- (i) serve as a liaison between the University at Buffalo and Penn State Behrend for any and all issues involving the affiliation.
- (ii) inform appropriate personnel of the existence of the agreement and encourage them to support it.
- (iii) ensure that an official transcript from the first year of the Pharm.D. program is forwarded to Penn State Behrend in a timely fashion.
- (b) Guarantee a minimum of four (4) seats in the incoming class for Penn State Behrend students who are deemed fully acceptable by the University at Buffalo Pharm.D. Admissions Committee. Applicants failing to meet the requirements of their conditional acceptance may not be enrolled. These individuals will be count against the four (4) seats guaranteed Penn State Behrend.
- (c ) Penn State Behrend students who have been identified as candidates for this program will be invited to visit the University at Buffalo prior to their application. Information regarding affiliation program visit days will be provided to the Penn State Behrend liaison.
- (d) After two (2) years, liaisons from both institutions will meet to evaluate the progress of the program.
IV. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
- Penn State Behrend will not charge tuition for the transitional year to students who enter the University at Buffalo Pharm.D. program immediately following the junior year; however, Penn State Behrend will require the student to apply for graduation and pay all graduation fees. Students while enrolled at the University at Buffalo in that transitional year following their junior year at Penn State Behrend shall be considered matriculated pharmacy doctoral students in the undergraduate phase doctoral program and shall pay the applicable SUNY undergraduate tuition.
- Any student participating in the affiliation program who wishes to apply for financial assistance should apply to Penn State Behrend for the semesters during which the student shall be enrolled at Penn State Behrend and to the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences for the semesters during which the student shall be enrolled in the Pharm.D. program. No student participating in this affiliation agreement shall have any preference in obtaining financial assistance over other students from institutions that are not so affiliated.
- No Penn State Behrend students shall be given any preferential consideration by the University at Buffalo Pharm.D. Admissions Committee; they will be held to the same rigorous standards as other applicants. Final admissions decisions will be solely at the discretion of the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
To Apply For Phase I of the "3 + 4" Accelerated Program in Pharmacy Contact:
Dr. James T. Warren, Jr.
Health Professions Adviser
School of Science
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Erie, PA 16563
jtw4@psu.edu
814-898-6986
Application will include evidence of your high school performance, a letter indicating your interest in a career in pharmacy, and an interview conducted on the Penn State Behrend campus.
If you meet the minimum requirements of the program and show a strong interest in pharmacy, as evidenced by your letter, an interview will be arranged at Penn State Behrend. Admission to Phase I is granted on a competitive basis, with the applicant's record and interview included in the decision. Admission to Phase I grants the successful applicant conditional acceptance into Phase II. Acceptance into Phase II is based on the conditions outlined herein and is administered by the University at Buffalo.