The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Concordia University School of Pharmacy have reached an agreement to offer a dual degree program leading to a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences and a doctorate in pharmacy. In the program, students will spend three years in a pre-pharmacy program through UWM’s College of Letters and Science, then four years in Concordia’s doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program.

The dual degree program, which can be completed in seven years, would be one year shorter than completing a bachelor’s and then entering the pharmacy program. Several first-year courses in the Concordia pharmacy program will fulfill requirements for the bachelor’s degree at UWM.

“We are thrilled to partner with Concordia on this initiative,” said David Clark, senior associate dean of UWM’s College of Letters and Science. “Students are going to leave UWM with a solid foundation in biology and chemistry that will be built upon when they arrive at Concordia’s pharmacy school through their pharmacy curriculum. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Students in the UWM program will work closely with advisors at UWM and admissions staff at the Concordia School of Pharmacy to make sure they are completing needed pre-pharmacy coursework and are competitive in the admissions process for the pharmacy program.

“We look forward to developing other partnerships for the benefit of our students,” Clark said, noting the university already has a similar agreement with Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago that results in both the Bachelor of Science degree in biology and the doctor of podiatric medicine in a 3+4 structure.

“Additional accelerated health care-related degree programs are under discussion,” Clark said.

For more information, contact Deanna Alba, dsalba@uwm.edu, 414-229-2923.