Pharmacy Program Additional Information

Curriculum Notes

1. Eligible for B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences after completion of all general education requirements, 300 and 400-level required PHA courses, and general elective credits for a total of 138 credits.
2. Successful completion of the capstone activities are required as part of the degree requirements for both the BS in Pharmaceutical Science and the Doctor of Pharmacy degrees.
3. PHA 410 must be completed during the summer between the P1 and P2 years.
4. P3 year courses are taught at the University Center North in Sioux Falls. Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) are completed during Summer Sessions, Fall, and Spring Semesters.
5. PHA 610 must be completed during the summer between the P2 and P3 years.
6. General Electives: 6 credits required prior to beginning P3 Year. Credits in excess of System General Education Requirements or IGR Goals may apply toward General Elective requirement.

Pharmacy Regulations
Students in the College of Pharmacy are governed by the regulations which apply to all students at SDSU but are also governed by requirements established by the College. These requirements are presented in detail in the Pharmacy Student Handbook and include:

1. Pharmacy GPA Calculation – Pharmacy GPA is calculated using all pharmacy PHA prefix courses, excluding 201 & 321.
   
   A.  For pharmacy courses repeated at SDSU, only the repeated grade will be used to calculate the pharmacy GPA.
   
   B.  For pharmacy courses repeated at another college of pharmacy, a grade of “C” will be used to calculate the pharmacy GPA in place of the grade received for the   corresponding course at SDSU (grades of “D” or “F” for pharmacy courses from other pharmacy programs do not satisfy the course requirement).
    
2. Probation - A student will be placed on “pharmacy probation” when the student’s pharmacy GPA for a semester falls below 2.0. Each subsequent semester while on “pharmacy probation” the student must earn a pharmacy GPA of 2.0 or better or the student will be placed on “refused status”. The student will be on probation for a minimum of one semester while taking pharmacy courses (PHA prefix, excluding 201, & 321) and will remain on “pharmacy probation” until the student’s cumulative Pharmacy GPA is 2.0 or greater.
    
3. Graduation - A student must earn a minimum 2.0 grade point average for all pharmacy courses (excluding Pha 201, & 321) to qualify for graduation with a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences or to progress to the P3 year.
    
4. Progression –
   
   A. To progress to the P3 year a student cannot have more than 9 credits of “D” and/or “F” grades in PHA prefix courses.
   
   B. The Exit Exam is a capstone activity that each student must take for completion of the P2 year and progression into the P3 year; it is administered during the spring semester of the P2 year. The exam is intended to determine competency in the general and professional curricular outcomes that are pertinent through the P2 year (see Outcome Statements for Pharmacy Curriculum in this Student Handbook). If a student does not pass the P2 exam (passing determined by Assessment Committee based on College and National results), the student will carry out remediation according to instructions provided to the student. The student will also be required to take the exam in the spring of the P3 year, pay for the exam, and achieve a passing score. If a passing score is not achieved in the P3 year, the student will be required to take the exam in the spring of the P4 year, pay for the exam, and achieve a passing score (see Outcome Statements for Pharmacy Curriculum in this Student Handbook). 
   
   C. Standing - Some pharmacy courses have prerequisites such as “P1 Year Standing”, etc. These are defined as follows (note: “completion” means a passing grade in each pharmacy course and maintaining semester and cumulative PHA GPA requirements): 
   
   P1 Year Standing - The student must have been admitted into the professional program. 
   P2 Year Standing - Completion of all PHA 300 level required courses and PHA 109. 
   P3 Year Standing - Completion of all PHA 400 level required courses and PHA 610, a bachelor’s degree, and all capstone activities are required to begin the fall semester. Completion of all required PHA 700, non-advanced practice experience courses are required to progress to the subsequent semester. 
   P4 Year Standing - completion of all PHA 600-700 level required, non-advanced practice courses. 
   
   D. Students must have a C or better (or “S” where applicable) for completion of each 700 level course taken in the Doctor of Pharmacy program. 
   
   E. If completion of an Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) is not achieved by a student, the student may repeat that APPE the following summer according to availability after the next class has selected their APPEs. If completion of an elective APPE is not achieved, the student may select another elective APPE rather than repeating the same elective APPE. If a student fails completion of more than one APPE, the student will not be allowed to progress to another semester of the program.