MPH & PharmD Program

The PharmD/MPH is a joint degree program in collaboration between Howard University College of Pharmacy and the Graduate School’s Master of Public Health Program. The PharmD/MPH program is designed to equip graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills to practice as pharmacists in patient-centered care settings and contribute to broader public health efforts. The program is highly interdisciplinary, providing unique opportunities to work across disciplines and allowing students to excel by applying their learned skills and knowledge through fieldwork and the Capstone experience. A graduate of the PharmD/MPH program will possess the ideal skill set to understand the nuances involved in patient-centered care and apply that knowledge to translate it into best practices for public health efforts. 

The PharmD/MPH program at Howard University is a five-year program that allows selected individuals to graduate with both degrees. Students would matriculate into the PharmD program, apply for the MPH program in their third year of pharmacy school, and, if accepted, would matriculate into the MPH program for their fourth year of school before completing their final year of pharmacy school. This allows students to complete all didactic knowledge from both programs before completing the advanced experiential rotations in the PharmD program. Collaborative efforts between faculty in the PharmD and MPH programs also allow further emphasis on learned public health concepts during PharmD education through enrollment in public health electives and a public health-oriented advanced pharmacy experiential rotation.

The ultimate goal of the dual degree program is to prepare professional students to function as leaders and influencers of health policies and issues surrounding healthcare including health care inequalities. They will be ready for executive leadership positions in healthcare organizations by acquiring valuable skills to plan, direct, and coordinate medical and health services, and learn how to create and implement policy and procedures, hire and supervise staff, control finances, and collaborate with other healthcare managers. Thus, graduates of the dual PharmD/MPH program will be equipped to promote and protect the health and well-being of the diverse communities throughout the states, the nation, and the world through interdisciplinary education, research, practice, leadership, and public policy. 

To be accepted into the program, student must meet the following:

• Hold a Bachelor's Degree
• A current students Howard University College of Pharmacy with a GPA of 3.0
• Successfully complete all courses of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year of their Doctor of Pharmacy degree

Howard University College of Pharmacy students should apply during their third year of the PharmD program no later than March 15th. 

The application process is as follows:

1. The initial application for the dual degree must be emailed to the Office of the Dean, College of Pharmacy, by March 15th of the spring semester of the 3rd professional year. See FAQ for all required email recipients.
2. Students applying to the dual degree program must successfully complete all courses of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year of the Professional PharmD Program and must be in good academic standing with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
3. The application document should include a written statement explaining the reason(s) for requesting admission into the program and 2 letters of recommendation from the College of Pharmacy faculty.
4. The applicant must take and submit the GRE score for consideration for the MPH program by May 15th of the application year. (optional)
5. Once reviewed and approved by the College of Pharmacy, the successful applicants will be asked to submit an online application (GradCAS) to the MPH Program for further consideration. The students must follow the online instructions and meet the deadline for applying to the MPH program.
6. Once the application is reviewed and accepted by the MPH program for admission, the students will be given conditional admission into the program only in the fall semester pending successful completion of all courses of the spring semester of the 3rd professional year and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0
7. The MPH portion of the application is handled through the MPH program. For more information on how to apply to the MPH program, contact Dr. Pamela Carter-Nolan at publichealth@howard.edu, identifying yourself as a prospective PharmD/MPH dual degree student.
8. It is in the best interest of the students that they complete their summer rotations prior to admission to the PharmD/MPH program in the Fall of P4 year in order to graduate in 5 years. Should that not occur, students will be expected to complete all rotations after the completion of the MPH curriculum, and therefore graduation will be delayed accordingly. A maximum of 7 years to complete the dual degree program still applies.

Still Have Questions?

If you still have questions, please email Pamela Carter-Nolan, Director of Graduate Studies, at pcarter-nolan@howard.edu.