The pharmacy field is evolving rapidly. A deeper understanding of life’s chemical, physical, and biological bases—together with advances in information technology—has launched a new era of personalized medicine.

Breakthroughs in biopharmaceuticals and gene and stem cell therapies—along with the convergence of therapeutics, diagnostics, and devices—are altering medical care. Meanwhile, new emphasis is being placed on achieving better overall patient outcomes while simultaneously improving the cost-effectiveness of our entire healthcare delivery system.

These advances and challenges mean the pharmacist’s role is more vital than ever. Pharmacists are instrumental in every stage of patient care—from coordinating clinical trials that lead to innovations in treatment to managing chronic disease through direct care.

The Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) in Claremont, CA, prepares students for the increasingly diverse roles pharmacists play in providing healthcare. Whether at the corner pharmacy or in the pharmaceutical industry, KGI educates PharmDs for the future.

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Program Quick Facts

Fact
Details
Program length
It takes eight semesters (four years) to complete the PharmD program.
Full or part-time program
The PharmD program is a full-time program with classes during the day.
Online or in-person classes
All classes are done in-person along with experiential education essential for learning.
Experiential education
Students complete 10 different rotations prior to graduation: three IPPE rotations and seven APPE rotations.
Certificates/PharmD+
Along with a PharmD degree, KGI students specialize in one of three areas.
Accelerated program
KGI offers a six-year accelerated PharmD for those coming directly from community college.

PharmD Program Details

  • KGI has built upon its leadership by leveraging close biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry ties with strengths in computational sciences and entrepreneurship to create a Doctor of Pharmacy program unlike any other. Required and optional industry experiential education provides students with a breadth of hands-on training designed to enhance their skills and knowledge, while increasing their competitiveness in the job market.

  • The PharmD curriculum ensures a clear and defined focus on the diverse set of skills needed for the evolving range of opportunities in pharmacy. Students take courses that provide them with foundational content, exposure to emerging topics, as well as elective courses and rotations within the certificate program. Generally, the overall curriculum is arranged into four categories: basic sciences, clinical skills, professional development, and experiential education.

    KGI’s integrated curriculum combines the foundational science content with the clinical and therapeutic content for each disease state and organ system. For example, when the students are studying Cardiology, in the morning they learn about the pathophysiology of a particular disease and then they study the drugs to treat that disease and the chemistry and mechanism of the drugs. That same day, clinical faculty talk to the students about how to use the drugs safely and effectively in various patient populations. In this way, the basic science topics serve as the foundation upon which the clinical topics are built.

  • “Pharmacy” is a loaded term. There’s more than one type of pharmacist. Within the profession, you’ll find positions such as:

    • Ambulatory care pharmacy
    • Clinical pharmacy
    • Compounding pharmacy
    • Home care (infusion) pharmacy
    • Hospital pharmacy
    • Regulatory pharmacy

    For KGI PharmD graduates, career opportunities extend beyond retail pharmacy. While the majority of the Class of 2019 entered the pharmacy profession, another substantial group—18 percent—entered fellowships or jobs within the pharmaceutical industry.

    How does KGI’s PharmD program introduce students to industry? A wide range of networking and coursework opportunities, including:

  • Along with a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree, KGI graduates receive a certificate in one of three main areas:

    • Healthcare Management/Pharmacy Informatics (HCM/PI)
    • Medical and Clinical Affairs (MCA)
    • Medication Therapy Outcomes (MTO)
  • The pathway is an accelerated six-year comprehensive PharmD degree, with the first two years at community college (providing students take all required coursework on time) and the remaining four as a student in KGI’s School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Latest PharmD News

How Much Do Pharmacy Techs Make?

The $1.3 trillion pharmaceutical industry is a leading economic driver in the U.S., with nearly 300,000 people employed in everything from research to distribution. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are essential […]

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Students Share Their Love for KGI While Supporting and Inspiring Future Students in the Admissions Ambassador Program

The Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) experience can be life-changing for many students. Some students channel their appreciation into becoming passionate advocates for the school through the KGI Admissions Ambassador Program. The […]

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Team of PharmD Students Named Winners in AMCP Local Pharmacy & Therapeutics Competition, Guided by Dr. Nazia Rashid

A team of students in Keck Graduate Institute (KGI)’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program were recently named as winners for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Local Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) […]

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Dr. Talia Puzantian Receives 4-Year Grant to Provide Mental Health First Aid Training to L.A. County Community Pharmacists

Dr. Talia Puzantian, Professor of Clinical Sciences for Keck Graduate Institute (KGI)’s School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (SPHS), recently received a four-year grant from the Department of Health and […]

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Program Faculty

Derick Han, PhD

Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacology
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Jeniffer Hernandez, PhD

Associate Professor of Immunology, School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
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Srikanth Kolluru, BS Pharm, PhD

Associate Dean of Assessment and Faculty Development, Professor
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John Krstenansky, PhD, MBA, FRSC

Interim Program Director PharmD
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Quintin Broussard, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, BCNSP

Associate Professor, Clinical Sciences
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Kanika Bhandari, PharmD

Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences
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Stephanie Kourtakis, PharmD, BCACP

Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences
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Daniel Kudo, PharmD, FCSHP, APh

Professor of Practice
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Mostafa Elgebaly, PhD, RPh

Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Pathophysiology
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Talia Puzantian, PharmD, BCPP

Professor of Clinical Sciences
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Nazia Rashid, PharmD, MS

Associate Professor of Administrative Sciences
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Gregory Reardon, RPh, MS, PhD

Associate Professor of Administrative Sciences, Certificate Coordinator for Healthcare Management
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Armen Simonian, PharmD

Associate Professor of Clinical and Administrative Sciences
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Rebecca Tran, PharmD, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, CLS

Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences
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"Pharmacy is an exciting field due to the fact that there are many different avenues one can take, whether it be clinical, community, pharma, or research, just to name a few."
Sagar Bhakta
Doctor of Pharmacy, '18

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