Associate Professor University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Objective : To describe collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and Honors College to recruit and retain talented students with dual pharmacy and honors degrees.
Methods: In 2022, the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and Honors College renewed a collaboration to help students graduate with dual pharmacy and honors degrees. The School of Pharmacy was interested in recruitment. The Honors College was interested in retention. At the University of Pittsburgh, students pursuing the Honors Degree must complete 18 academic credits of honors courses, 6 experiential learning credits, and a structured co-curriculum program. Beginning with the PharmD Class of 2025, honors students were assigned an advisor from the School of Pharmacy to shepherd their matriculation towards dual degrees. Additional collaboration between the School of Pharmacy and Honors College resulted in PharmD course and co-curriculum approval for honors credit. These changes were communicated to students via personalized emails from the pharmacy faculty advisor, visuals on School of Pharmacy monitors, and peer-to-peer discussions. The renewed collaboration was also used as a recruitment tool by the PharmD admissions team.
Results: Prior to 2022, honors students matriculating in the School of Pharmacy were discouraged from completing honors recognitions due to the demanding nature of the PharmD curriculum. Following the renewed collaboration, a total of 5 students from the PharmD Class of 2025 are expected to graduate with dual degrees. An additional 11 students from the PharmD Class of 2026 remain enrolled in both programs.
Conclusions: Offering dual pharmacy and honors degrees is one mechanism to recruit talented students to pharmacy. Collaborative efforts between the School of Pharmacy and Honors College have increased the number of students who matriculate towards dual degrees.
