The College of Pharmacy is admitting students for a new January 2021 start date, marking a second entry point for prospective students in addition to its traditional Fall 2021 start.
As some colleges and universities scale back classes this summer, some prospective pharmacy students may not finish their prerequisites until December, delaying their entry in pharmacy school until Fall 2021. Others already planning to enroll in 2021 who will finish their prerequisites this fall would have to wait eight more months to start their pharmacy education. With Mercer Pharmacy’s new January start, students need not wait to begin pharmacy school. They can start at the College of Pharmacy in January and graduate in May 2024 and enter practice as a pharmacist—a year earlier than if they had started in Fall 2021.
How is pharmacy school structured for students starting in January?
Orientation is Jan. 4 – 8, culminating in a White Coat Ceremony on the 8th in which students will receive their white coat, signifying that they are a Mercer student pharmacist.
The first semester runs from Jan. 11 – April 30, the second semester, May 10 – Aug. 13. First-year classes are the same as for students who started in August 2020.
In August 2021, the January class students will join the rest of the second-year students—those who started in August 2020—for classes. They will move through the rest of pharmacy school together toward graduation in May 2024.
“We expect our January cohort to consist of 10 to 30 students,” said Dean Brian L. Crabtree, Pharm.D. ’80. “There are a number of undergraduate students who will complete their prerequisites or graduate with their bachelor’s degree in December, and this new January class would be ideal for them. It’s an innovative way to accelerate progress to degree completion, enter pharmacy practice and earn a pharmacist’s salary sooner. We hope they will see the advantage of both starting and graduating Mercer College of Pharmacy earlier.”
Applications for the January class, in addition to Fall entry, will be administered through PharmCAS from mid-July until Oct. 31. Admission guidelines are the same for Spring entry as Fall, and more information on admission to Mercer Pharmacy is at pharmacy.mercer.edu/admissions/pharm-d.
About the College of Pharmacy
Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy ranks the top private pharmacy school in the Southeast, according to the 2020 U.S. News & World Report. The college offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.). Founded in 1903 as the independent Southern School of Pharmacy, the school merged with Mercer University in 1959 and in 1981 became the first school in the Southeast to offer the doctor of pharmacy degree as its sole professional degree. In 1988, the College launched its graduate program, offering the Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutical sciences. With an enrollment today of more than 400 students and a distinguished faculty of basic scientists and clinicians, the College of Pharmacy houses four centers focusing on research, teaching and learning. The college’s motto, “A Tradition of Excellence, a Legacy of Caring,” frames its philosophy of providing excellent academic programs in an environment where every student matters and every person counts. For more information about the College, visit pharmacy.mercer.edu.
