Newswise — Fairleigh Dickinson University has announced that it has received approval from the New Jersey Presidents’ Council of the Commission on Higher Education to enroll students in New Jersey’s first pharmacy school affiliated with an independent university.
The school, to be housed within the Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences at FDU’s College at Florham, will offer a doctor of pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) in four concentrations: pharmaceutical science, pharmacy administration, pharmacy education and pharmacy business. It will enroll its inaugural class in fall 2012.
“The FDU School of Pharmacy will help address the growing need for licensed pharmacists nationwide as a wave of retirements and an aging population place growing demands on this critical profession,” said FDU President J. Michael Adams.
“In addition, the College at Florham’s location in the heart of New Jersey’s pharmaceutical industry and our agreements with leading New Jersey health-care providers will ensure that students have ample opportunities for experiential learning and networking with future employers,” Adams said.
Only one other degree-granting pharmacy school, the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University, operates in New Jersey. When the FDU pharmacy school opens in 2012, it will begin admitting about 80 well-qualified students per year who have completed a rigorous prerequisite course load that will enable them to choose a concentrated area of study.
Students will be able to elect one of four programs resulting in a Pharm.D. degree combined with a master’s degree. The master’s options are:• Master of science degree in pharmaceutical chemistry (pharmaceutical science track).• Master of arts in education (pharmacy education track).• Master of public administration (pharmacy administration track). • Master of business administration (pharmacy business track).
All are four-year programs except for the MBA specialization, which requires five years of study.
“We believe Fairleigh Dickinson University will be producing practitioners who are well equipped and marketable in a wide variety of roles within the expanding area of pharmacy. Our students will learn in a unique educational environment that combines traditional training with critical areas of specialization important to the changing role of the pharmacist,” said Becton College Dean Geoffrey Weinman.
Employment of pharmacists is expected to grow by 22 percent by 2016, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Median annual earnings for pharmacists were $94,520 in 2006, according to the bureau.
FDU is investing $12 million to renovate and expand its science facilities at the College at Florham. The new pharmacy school has applied for accreditation from the American Council for Pharmacy Education.
“The FDU School of Pharmacy will provide students with an engaging, challenging and dynamic environment for interactive learning while utilizing the abundant resources within the state and its thriving pharmacy community,” Weinman said. “In line with FDU’s mission as a global university, this new school will educate and train students from the region, the nation and internationally to provide vital health-care services in this country and overseas.”
About Fairleigh Dickinson University
For more than 60 years, Fairleigh Dickinson University has been a leading force in providing international perspectives and in preparing world citizens. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson has grown into the largest private university in New Jersey, with more than 12,000 students. In addition to its two campuses in New Jersey (the Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck and the College at Florham in Madison), FDU was the first U.S. University to own a campus in England — Wroxton College. In 2007, FDU opened its newest campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, which is designed to serve primarily international students.
Fairleigh Dickinson offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Honors programs are offered in all majors. A 14:1 student/faculty ratio and low average class sizes ensure a strong level of personal attention not found at most comprehensive universities.
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