Pharmacy Early Assurance
If pharmacy is your calling, you can join the health-care workforce just six years after high school. Make a difference in patients’ lives with early assurance at the state’s #1 college for return on investment.
Pharmacy Early Assurance Program
Program Overview
Get a head start toward your career in pharmacy. For high-school students who want to become pharmacists, the Pharmacy Early Assurance program offers a fast, effective and affordable option.
The program saves you two years of study, helping you earn your Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) sooner and to save on tuition costs. Your place in the first professional year (P1) of the PharmD program is guaranteed when you meet requirements for progression.
During your first two years, you’ll gain the academic and practical skills to succeed in our PharmD program. You’ll work closely with faculty to explore the numerous career paths that await after graduation.
Pharmacy Early Assurance Program Coursework
The Pharmacy Early Assurance program curriculum includes coursework in pharmacy skills, basic sciences, social sciences, communications and humanities. You can also customize your pharmacy education with an academic minor that aligns with your interests, with options including medical humanities, microbiology and public health. The Pharmacy Early Assurance Program curriculum is seamlessly integrated into our two bachelor’s degree pathways, which allows students to complete both degrees with little or no extra time required.
How Does Early Assurance Work?
The two-year PharmD Early Assurance program focuses your undergraduate experience on preparing for entrance into our PharmD program. This puts you on track to earn your PharmD in just six years, compared to the eight years it would take for you to earn a four-year bachelor's degree and then complete pharmacy school.
By meeting the progression requirements of the two-year PharmD Early Assurance program, you are guaranteed a seat in the first professional year (P1) of the Doctor of Pharmacy program at ACPHS.
Two degrees in six years amounts to fewer tuition payments than through two traditional programs requiring eight total years of study. Plus, at ACPHS, 98% of our students receive scholarship or financial aid support, making your PharmD degree even more affordable.
Hands-On Learning in the Pharmacy Early Assurance Program
ACPHS will set you up for success with real-world experiences that give you multiple opportunities to discover firsthand what it means to be a pharmacist.
Apply your classroom knowledge and positively impact the health of the local community at The Collaboratory, ACPHS’ public-health resource in the city’s medically underserved South End. Or apply for an internship across the street from campus at the Albany Medical Center Pharmacy.
We also offer unique opportunities to work with faculty on cutting-edge life-science research and to apply for the competitive Summer Research Award Program.
Pharmacy Early Assurance Pathway Options
You enter ACPHS in the Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences skills track (BSPK), where for the first two years, you fulfill prerequisites to enter the PharmD program. Then in the P1 and P2 years of the PharmD program, you simultaneously complete work for your BSPK. When you graduate after a total of six years, you have both a bachelor’s and a doctorate.
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