Introduction
The Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences programs provide advanced education and skills in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. The curricula expose students to valuable knowledge and practice in the areas of pharmaceutical products, as well as their therapeutic uses and side effects, herbal medicines and their active ingredients, pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturing, and control.
The students will be prepared for careers related to manufacturing and quality control of pharmaceutical products, research and development in the pharmaceutical industry, herbal medicine studies, and diagnostic laboratories.
Graduates could also continue their education in postgraduate programs including pharmaceutical areas such as medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, and biochemistry, or pursue their education for a PharmD degree. The program seeks to develop students’ skills of self-management, teamwork, problem-solving, and research. The Pharmacy Program is offered in ten semesters (5 years) with a total of 164 credit units and the student is required to conduct a research thesis at the end. However, the Pharmaceutical Sciences Program is offered in eight semesters (four years) with a total of 148 credit units with a final project at the end. Students are required to choose either a pharmacy or pharmaceutical sciences path at the end of seventh semester of their studies. The minimum GPA to continue the pharmacy path is 2.7 out of 4. If the student cannot meet the requirements for the Pharmacy Program or if the student prefers, s/he can pursue the pharmaceutical path.
Vision
The BIHE’s Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences intends to become one of the leading programs in pharmacy and its related disciplines locally and globally. The program seeks to have a position of international preeminence in pharmaceutical research, education, outreach, and practice and house the most creative and dynamic courses that train the next generation of pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, and educators in an inclusive and welcoming working/learning environment. Excellence, innovation, professionalism, ethics, and caring are our core values. We also hope to contribute efficiently to the generation and dissemination of knowledge.
Mission
We aim to produce pharmacy graduates committed to life-long learning and equipped with sufficient knowledge of the principles and techniques of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences to be able to communicate and deliver pharmaceutical care in the community and who are also able to assume professional responsibilities for the manufacture and testing of medicinal products. We support an environment of civility, diversity, and mutual respect by building a sense of community and caring among faculty, staff, students, and trainees. Likewise, we support an academic environment that fosters the future-directed growth of students and faculty as it relates to education, practice, research, and scholarship initiatives. Additionally, we empower our students to achieve their highest intellectual potential, develop a confident sense of self, and act on their ability to contribute to the betterment of the world.
Admission
Registered students of this program are required to take 58 undergraduate courses equal to 152 credits. After completion of the courses, students should perform a final research thesis (3 credits) in the Pharmacy Program under the supervision of one of the faculty members and defend it successfully. Alternatively, students in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Program should conduct a final research project (1 credit) under the supervision of one of the faculty members and present it as a departmental seminar.
Curriculum
The following summarizes the course requirements for both Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Programs.