News Releases

Regis University to launch new Pharm.D. Accelerated program

  • Sheryl Tirol
  • March 17, 2023

The program will offer a three-year track and housing incentives for first-year pharmacy students

Regis University is forging ahead with a new and innovative program for students pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. The University will launch an accelerated track to help students reach their goals much sooner. Previously, students were able to obtain a Pharm.D. degree in four years. This new track will provide future pharmacists the opportunity to start earning their salaries a year sooner.

Choosing to embark on the three-year Pharm.D. track offers numerous benefits and advantages. This will allow graduates to be working and earning $100,000 or more as a pharmacist a year sooner. Students will complete 150 credit hours during that period, which is equivalent to the current four-year program. While the three-year track will help students graduate a full year earlier, they will still be eligible to earn a certificate in data science, pharmaceutical industry affairs, health care business management, or health care quality and patient safety to round out their professional skill set.

“We’re thrilled to be able to provide this new program. Regis has always been trailblazers and we are the first in Colorado to offer this new program. We know students are eager to get out into the workforce and this allows us to provide them that much-needed opportunity,” said Dr. Samit Shah, Dean of the Regis University School of Pharmacy. 

There will also be new scholarship housing incentives going into effect immediately. They will include:

  • All admitted students for fall 2023 will receive a $40,000 award ($10,000 each year).
  • All incoming students will be offered free housing in the Residence Village apartments for their first year in the pharmacy program. These are three-bedroom apartments, and everyone will have their own bedroom but no meal plan. All the units have full kitchens. 
  • All out-of-state students will receive a $1,000 mini-scholarship to cover travel costs and all in-state students will receive a $500 mini-scholarship.
  • Regis will also offer four-five engagement events between now and August and incoming Pharm.D. students can earn up to $5,000 in additional scholarships by participating in the events. 

In 2021, the national median salary for a graduate of the pharmacy program was $128,570 and the residency match rate for the Regis Class of 2023 was 86 percent.

Leila Khurshid, Regis pharmacy alumna of 2016 served as an advisor for the new accelerated program after working at Roseman University in Henderson, Nev. which also has a three-year accelerated Pharm.D. program.

“The biggest reason I personally would have considered a three-year school would have been being able to get out a year sooner and have that one extra year of pharmacist salary,” Khurshid said.

*Pending the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Board’s approval in June 2023, the three-year accelerated pathway towards the Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) will begin in fall 2023.

To learn more about the program: https://www.regis.edu/academics/majors-and-programs/graduate/pharmacy-pharmd

About Regis University

Established in 1877, Regis University is a premier, globally engaged institution of higher learning in the Jesuit tradition that prepares leaders to live productive lives of faith, meaning and service. Regis University, one of 27 Jesuit universities in the nation, has three campus locations in the Denver metro area and extensive online program offerings with more than 6,000 enrolled students. For more information, visit www.regis.edu.

Contact