Distance Education Pathway
Four year Online Distance Education Pathway
Earn your PharmD degree in four-years through our online distance education pathway.
The LECOM School of Pharmacy Distance Education Pathway curriculum is a four-year, online Doctor of Pharmacy degree program for US Citizens or US Permanent Residents (F1 Visa Holders do not qualify) which offers full access to LECOM faculty and learning resources.
The curriculum begins by introducing students to the profession of Pharmacy and pharmaceutics sciences while reinforcing foundational sciences. Next students will delve into a system-based curriculum which introduces them to pharmacotherapeutics and clinical exposure from the first year onward. This lays a solid foundation for training in clinical sciences during the entire length of the didactic period and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) in year four. The APPE year consists of six rotations, six weeks each in community and clinical settings.
A majority of the pathway is taught through online courses using state-of-the-art synchronous and asynchronous technologies where students can learn at home from within the United States (study while outside of the US is prohibited). Additionally, students will be required to come to the Erie, PA campus at the end of the second semester of the first two years for one and two weeks in order to fulfill the laboratory, casework, and presentation portion of the curriculum.
The Distance Education Pathway tuition, your cost of attending the distance education pathway, and financial aid application instructions may be found under Tuition & Financial Aid. Note, because testing will be conducted through a virtual proctoring service, there is an additional technology fee for that service. See tuition and fees for the current amount.
The opportunities for Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) graduates are abundant. Pharmacists are currently working as generalists and specialists in community pharmacies, government agencies, hospice and home health care, hospital and institutional settings, independent ownership, long-term care facilities, consulting, managed care, medical and scientific publishing, drug information and research in the pharmaceutical industry, professional associations, uniformed service (public health and military), and academics. Additionally, beginning salaries in each of these areas are well above the national salary means, and with a well-documented long-term shortage of pharmacists ahead of us, the future job availability us very promising.
The LECOM School of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and began the four-year Distance Education pathway leading to the Pharm.D. degree in 2014. If you have any questions concerning the admissions process, contact pharmacy@lecom.edu.
Distance Education Complaint Process for Out-of-State Students
Notification of Professional Licensure
Please note that the PharmD degree earned by graduates from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) Pharmacy Pathways, including the Distance Education Pathway, is accepted as a requirement to obtain a license to practice pharmacy in all states in the United States. Attainment of the PharmD degree is one component of the state licensure process. LECOM Pharmacy graduates are eligible to sit for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and must successfully pass this exam to practice pharmacy in the United States. Individual states may have additional requirements. Most states require that the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) which tests knowledge of federal and state laws also be successfully passed to obtain a Pharmacy license. Specific requirements for obtaining a Pharmacy license in a state where a license will be sought should be obtained from that state’s licensing board.”