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New PharmD/MBA program partners MUSC, The Citadel by Cindy Abole Public Relations Joining higher education’s trend in producing rounded, more complete professionals, the College of Pharmacy is offering its students a chance to earn advanced degrees simultaneously in both Pharmacy and Business Administration.  MUSC's College of Pharmacy and The Citadel’s School of Business Administration have teamed up to create a dual degree program aimed at allowing pharmacy students a chance to achieve both a doctor of pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) and a master's of business administration (MBA) degree  within the same four-year period it would normally take to achieve the Pharm.D. degree alone.  This new dual degree program will give graduates the ability to be more marketable within practice settings and the pharmaceutical industry. On Oct. 1, the College of Pharmacy sponsored an informal information session for students  announcing the joint Pharm.D./MBA degree program. Pharmacy Dean John F. Cormier, Pharm.D., welcomed representatives from The Citadel’s School of Business Administration, Sheila D. Foster, Ph.D., associate professor of accounting and director of decision sciences and MBA, and Associate Dean Mark A. Bebensee, Ph.D.  “We are very excited to be able to provide this educational opportunity to our pharmacy students,” said Cormier. “What began as an informal inquiry with Dr. Earl Walker, dean of The Citadel’s School of Business Administration, very quickly took the form of an integrated curriculum. Getting to this point so quickly is due, in large part to the synergy between our two faculties who approached this project with an open mind and a sense of purpose in making this work. Both institutions are looking forward to getting started.” The impetus for the program originated from student interest and an emerging trend among pharmacy programs across the country to sponsor joint Pharm.D./MBA programs for their students. Elinor Chumney, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacy practice, chaired the working group charged with putting the dual degree program together. The group was composed of COP faculty representatives (Paul Bush, Pharm.D., MBA, and Kelly Ragucci, Pharm.D.) and The Citadel's Foster and Bebensee, in addition to a current student of both programs, Derek Underhill.  “I think we have really put together a terrific program for our students,” Chumney said. “We have been able to take advantage of unique attributes of our respective institutions to respond to a real demand for in-depth training in business practices. The COP and The Citadel's School of Business Administration were able to work together to offer our first-year pharmacy students tremendous economies of scale in terms of both credit  hours and tuition.” The flexible program is designed for COP students, and as constructed, it neither displaces nor rearranges any of the core Pharm.D. courses. Required Pharm.D. courses like Pharmacy Law and Ethics, Pharmacy Practice Management and Grand Rounds will be accepted within the MBA curriculum. In turn, business courses like Financial Management, Management Information Systems and Organizational Behavior can be counted towards Pharm.D. elective credit hours.  The program allows qualified students to begin taking MBA courses beginning the summer after their first year. Students may take one MBA course each semester during their second and third years, and must maintain specific grade requirements throughout the course of the program.  Beginning spring 2004, interested first-year COP students can apply to The Citadel’s MBA program. They must have taken the GMAT, provided letters of recommendation and completed either their bachelor’s degree or its equivalent of 124 credit hours. The Citadel’s MBA program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, an organization that sets one of the highest standards of achievement for business schools worldwide.  For more information, e-mail Chumney at chumneye@musc.edu.   Pharmacy student pursues best of both worlds Fourth-year pharmacy student Derek Underhill had a vision. Entering the doctor of pharmacy curriculum in 2000, Underhill had always like the idea of combining  pharmacy and MBA degrees to augment a career in pharmacy practice. After making some inquiries with pharmacy faculty and The Citadel’s School of Business Administration, he received a quick and positive response.  Almost four years later, Underhill is finishing up his final master's courses in business and will graduate with an MBA this spring 2004. Underhill has grabbed the spotlight becoming the college’s first student to independently pursue an MBA degree in conjunction with a Pharm.D. “This has been a great experience for me,” said Underhill, a Tennessee native. “People from both institutions have been so accommodating and supportive in making this work. I’m grateful for their support and interest in helping me succeed.” Underhill involved faculty and staff from both colleges in helping him map and plan his course work and activities in a way that would not interfere with both curriculums. It was not an easy task juggling scientific and clinical courses by day and business and finance courses at night. He began the program in the summer of his second year in pharmacy school and paced his other courses at night during each semester. How hard was it? Aside from dealing with time constraints, Underhill feels confident that his time and effort was well worth it in the long run. Pharmacists who combine Pharm.D. and MBA degrees are considered highly desirable within the pharmaceutical industry, practice settings and academia. “I’m glad I did it,” Underhill said, without regret. “I feel more ahead of the game when it comes to competing in today’s job market. I feel I have a ‘leg up’ on the business side of the profession. So far, the experience has opened up so many possibilities for me.”           Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.