B.S. in Pharmacy
The B.S. in Pharmacy program extends over five years with 174 credits to complete, including two years of pre-pharmacy followed by three professional years (P1, P2 and P3) of pharmacy education.
Admissions
The professional program requires successful completion of pre-pharmacy studies. Applicants transferring from an outside academic institution must have a minimum letter grade B or its equivalent on any of the major pre-pharmacy courses (see below) or their LAU course equivalents, for them to be eligible for applying to professional year 1 (P1).
All applicants must complete an application form that can be obtained from the office of Student Affairs at the School of Pharmacy. The application deadline is May 20 with all required documents included. Incomplete or late applications will not be processed.
To be eligible for admission to the professional pharmacy program, applicants must fulfill all of the following conditions in pre-pharmacy:
- Completed all pre-pharmacy courses with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.
- Passed pre-pharmacy PHA courses with a minimum letter grade C.
- Passed all non-PHA prepharmacy courses with a minimum letter grade of D. This applies to non-PHA major courses taken starting Fall 2020.
- Did not exceed three course repeats, whether these repeats were of the same course or different courses. Note that a course withdrawal noted “WF” is counted as repeat.
- Did not receive more than one official academic warning.
For transfer students, only courses listed in the pre-pharmacy curriculum, either transferred from an outside academic institution or LAU, will be taken into consideration in the calculation of the GPA and the number of repeats.
Evaluation criteria for admission into the professional program are based on:
- The cumulative GPA as well as the GPA related to major courses (PHA, BIO and CHM).
- The performance on an interview conducted during the admissions process.
- A cumulative internal evaluation by all School Faculty who were directly involved in teaching the applicant.
- Three recommendation letters (attached to the application).
- An assessment of the applicant writing skills based on his/her performance in a short essay.
- Number of repeated courses (R), withdrawal (WF), and failed courses (F).
- Number of official academic warning.
The School Admissions Committee reviews the applications and conducts students interviews at the end of the Spring semester of the preceding academic year. Admission to the professional pharmacy program takes place in the Fall semester of the following academic year. Typically, up to 75 students are accepted in the P1 year.
A student who meets the admissions criteria may carry over one course from the pre-pharmacy program to the professional program, upon the approval of the School Academic Council. This exception does not apply to courses from which a student has withdrawn or scored a final letter grade F. Moreover, a student seeking this exception must provide proof that he/she was unable to repeat the course prior to the start of the P1 year. A student must pass the said course with a minimum letter grade C within the following academic year, otherwise he/she will not be promoted to the next academic year.
Curriculum
The B.S. in Pharmacy curriculum includes didactic and laboratory courses, and practical experiences (Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences) as described below.
Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences
The Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) are laid out progressively throughout the first three professional years. They provide students with an introduction to the profession of pharmacy and prepare them for the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) that are scheduled for the professional year 4 (P4). IPPEs provide balanced experiences between community pharmacy and hospital practice, and are under the supervision of qualified preceptors. During IPPEs, students observe the real-world practice of healthcare professionals, participate in the daily activities of the practice site, gain hands-on experience by applying their knowledge to patient care and pharmacy operations, and further the development of their professional skills and behaviors.
Professional Year 1
Fall Semester (18 credits)
| Number | Course Name | Cr. |
|---|---|---|
| PHA308 | Pharmaceutical Analysis & Biotechnology | 2 |
| PHA309 | Pharmaceutical Analysis & Biotechnology, Lab | 1 |
| PHA312 | Medicinal Chemistry I | 3 |
| PHA314 | Dosage Forms I | 3 |
| PHA315 | Dosage Forms I, Lab | 1 |
| PHA320 | Physical Assessment | 2 |
| PHA322 | Professional Communication | 1 |
| PHA333 | Pharmacy Management | 3 |
| PHA567 | Professional Elective | 2 |
Spring Semester (15 credits)
| Number | Course Name | Cr. |
|---|---|---|
| PHA313 | Medicinal Chemistry II | 3 |
| PHA316 | Dosage Forms II | 3 |
| PHA317 | Dosage Forms II, Lab | 1 |
| PHA325 | Pharmacy Practice & Ethics | 2 |
| PHA330 | Pharmacology I | 4 |
| PHA340 | Pharmacotherapeutics I | 2 |
Summer Semester (3 credits)
| Number | Course Name | Cr. |
|---|---|---|
| PHA398 | Pharmacy Practice Management I (IPPE) | 3 |
Professional Year 2
Fall Semester (18 credits)
| Number | Course Name | Cr. |
|---|---|---|
| PHA421 | Drug Information & Literature Evaluation | 2 |
| PHA422 | Pharmacokinetics & Biopharmaceutics | 4 |
| PHA430 | Pharmacology II | 4 |
| PHA441 | Pharmacotherapeutics II | 3 |
| PHA442 | Pharmacotherapeutics III | 3 |
| PHA567 | Professional Elective | 2 |
Spring Semester (17 credits)
| Number | Course Name | Cr. |
|---|---|---|
| PHA435 | Pharmacognosy & Evidence-Based Herbal Medicine | 2 |
| PHA443 | Pharmacotherapeutics IV | 3 |
| PHA444 | Pharmacotherapeutics V | 3 |
| PHA445 | Pharmacotherapeutics VI | 3 |
| PHA449 | Dispensing & Pharmaceutical Care | 3 |
| PHA452 | Toxicology | 3 |
Summer Semester (3 credits)
| Number | Course Name | Cr. |
|---|---|---|
| PHA497 | Introduction to Professional Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) | 1 |
| PHA499 | Pharmacy Practice Management II (IPPE) | 2 |
Professional Year 3
Fall Semester (18 credits)
| Number | Course Name | Cr. |
|---|---|---|
| PHA514 | Pharmacoepidemiology | 2 |
| PHA550 | Introduction to Pharmacogenomics | 1 |
| PHA560 | Clinical Nutrition & Diet Therapy | 2 |
|
PHA523 or |
Clinical Pharmacokinetics or Professional Elective |
1 |
| PHA570 | Professional Pharmacy Practice-Hospital/Drug Information Experience (IPPE) | 6 |
| PHA571 | Professional Pharmacy Practice-Community Experience (IPPE) | 6 |
Spring Semester (18 credits)
| Number | Course Name | Cr. |
|---|---|---|
| PHA510 | U.S. Pharmacy Law & Regulation | 2 |
| PHA512 | Lebanese Pharmacy Law & Regulation | 1 |
| PHA558 | Pharmacoeconomics | 2 |
| PHA567 | Professional Elective | 1 |
| PHA572 | Professional Pharmacy Practice-Inpatient Care Experience (IPPE) | 12 |
A total of six credits of professional electives (as one-credit or two-credit courses) should be completed before graduation.
Academic Rules and Procedures
In addition to LAU’s undergraduate academic rules and procedures, students enrolled in the B.S. in Pharmacy program must observe the following regulations:
Academic Probation and Dismissal from the Professional Program
A student can register in a course up to three times, including withdrawals. A student is dismissed from the School if he/she fails to score at least a letter grade C in the same PHA course after three attempts.
A student is placed on probation if his/her cumulative GPA is below 2.00 at the end of a semester for all courses taken at LAU during that semester, irrespective of incomplete grades or withdrawals.
A student on probation may not carry forward more than 13 credits in a regular semester and is advised to repeat as soon as possible the courses with a letter grade F or D.
A student who does not come off academic probation within two consecutive semesters of enrollment at LAU (Summer modules excluded) will be suspended regardless of any incompletes and semester withdrawals.
A student suspended after academic probation must submit a petition to the Registrar’s Office. Readmission into LAU is not guaranteed and each case is carefully reviewed for its own merit.
A student readmitted after suspension will be placed on probation and given two semesters, excluding summer semesters, to remove the probation. Failure to remove the probation will lead to the student’s dismissal from the University.
Advancing to the Next Year
A student must pass all professional program courses with a minimum letter grade C in order to advance to the next professional year.
A student may carry over to the next professional year only one course with a letter grade D, D+ or C- after securing the approval of the School Academic Council. Courses from which students have withdrawn or scored a letter grade F may not be carried over. A carried over course must be completed with a minimum letter grade C within the next academic year or Summer semester in order to be promoted to the next professional year.
A student must complete all P2 courses (didactic and experiential) prior to enrolling in P3 courses. No more than one didactic course can be carried forward to P3 year with a letter grade of D or higher, after securing the approval of the School Academic Council, and cannot be registered with any P3 experiential course concurrently in the same semester. Students unable to get a passing grade after taking a course three times will be dropped from the program.