Pre-Pharmacy Transfer to The University of Montana – Missoula

The curriculum offered by the School of Pharmacy at The University of Montana – Missoula consists of a six-year program leading to the entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy degree. By earning the FVCC Associate of Science degree as prescribed below, students will be academically prepared to enter the professional pharmacy program. If accepted, students will complete the additional four years of year-round classes to complete the Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

The application deadline for the two guaranteed seats for qualified FVCC graduates is September 16. The application deadline for general admissions into the Pharmacy program is January 3 of the year for which admission is requested. Admission to The University of Montana – Missoula does not guarantee admission to the Professional Pharmacy Program.

Additionally, students are required to complete at least 20 hours of observation of a medical or social field, preferably in a pharmacy.  A volunteer or paid experience serving a patient population can be substituted for the observation hours. The PharmCAS letter of recommendation must be from someone involved with the applicant in such an observation/experience.

Students interested in transferring to The University of Montana to pursue a pharmacy degree from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy may benefit from a formal agreement guaranteeing FVCC students who meet the following qualifications can transfer to The University of Montana and be guaranteed an admissions interview with the Pharm.D. program and upon acceptance a reserved seat in the Pharm.D. program.

To be considered for a guaranteed admissions interview, a qualified applicant will

1. Complete, or be in the process of completing, a total of 64 semester credit hours that must include all courses from the program’s established prerequisite course list or equivalents. See below for a list of UM courses and their FVCC equivalents.
2. Complete each prerequisite course with a grade no lower than a “C-.”
3. Have a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA.
4. Complete 20 observation hours, preferably in a pharmacy.
5. Complete the Pharm.D. program application through PharmCAS, per instructions on the UM Skaggs School of Pharmacy website.

To be considered for admission with a reserved seat, a qualified applicant will

1. Complete each prerequisite course with a grade no lower than a “C-.”
2. Have a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA for all prerequisite courses.
3. Have a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA for all courses.
4. Complete 20 observation hours, preferably in a pharmacy.
5. Complete the Pharm.D. program application through PharmCAS, per instructions on the UM Skaggs School of Pharmacy website.
6. Successfully complete the program’s admissions interview process.

The Associate of Science (AS) degree requires 60 credits at FVCC, and the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree at Montana University System (MUS) colleges and universities requires 120 credits. FVCC students may earn as many as 75-85 credits in preparation for some transfer majors, thus reducing the number of credits required for the BS degree at MUS schools. Also, by earning the AS degree from FVCC, students will have satisfied the lower division General Education Core (see General Education Requirements for requirements) for all MUS institutions and will not be required to meet additional lower division general education core requirements upon transfer. The suggested course load in AS programs is rigorous and is recommended for only the most prepared students. A more moderate semester credit load can be achieved by taking general education core courses during summer terms or completing one or two additional semesters at FVCC before transfer.