College of Pharmacy announces spring cohort options
Lipscomb is one of three pharmacy colleges in the nation offering students the opportunity to start coursework in January 2024.
Janel Shoun-Smith |
Lipscomb University’s College of Pharmacy is now one of only three in the nation offering potential students an opportunity to shave time off their doctoral studies schedule and begin practicing pharmacy quicker than the norm.
Beginning in January, the college will enroll its first ever spring cohort of pharmacy students, allowing up to 25 potential students who were unable to apply to begin coursework this past August an opportunity to begin their studies in January and eventually join the Class of 2027 cohort.
Students in the spring cohort will take the P1 (first year) curriculum throughout the spring semester and into the summer term, allowing them to catch up to the Class of 2027 and join that cohort as of August 2024.
According to Laura Ward, the college’s director of admissions and student affairs, the spring cohort is a valuable alternative for students who complete their bachelor’s degree in December, career changers who complete prerequisite courses in December or students who have decided to pivot toward the field of pharmacy late in the application process for health profession programs.
Such students would normally have to wait a year to apply for the next cohort beginning in August 2024, but Lipscomb’s program allows them to go ahead and begin their studies to later join the existing cohort.
“The 2024 spring cohort students will graduate a year earlier than those who wait to apply for the Class of 2028 cohort and can begin capitalizing on their pharmacists’ salary a full year earlier in their career,” said Ward.
That could mean a sizable return on investment, said Ward. Jobs in pharmacy have slowly been growing, but were accelerated due to the needs during the Covid pandemic. Lipscomb students have been receiving signing bonuses in the tens of thousands of dollars and garner salaries of more than $110,000.
“The market definitely puts pharmacists in a position of strength as far as the value of their education,” said Ward.
If you are interested in applying for the spring cohort, applications are being accepted through Nov. 1 on Pharmcast.org. For more information, contact Ward at laura.ward [at] lipscomb.edu.
Learn more about the pharmacy degree at Lipscomb.