College of Pharmacy
Welcome from the Dean
Welcome to Southwestern Oklahoma State University! The faculty, staff, and students of the College of Pharmacy (COP) truly believe that we are one of the top colleges of pharmacy in the nation. The COP at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the accrediting agency for Colleges of Pharmacy in the United States, and a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. The College celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2009 and has maintained a tradition of excellence in pharmacy education since 1939.
The COP offers a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D.) degree; which is a 2 + 4 program. Students must complete 2 years of pre-professional study, including general education courses, as well as prescriptive courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and math. The pre-professional courses are followed by 4 years in the COP, including courses in the pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacy practice and an academic year of full-time experiential education and training. Admission to the Pharm. D. program is competitive. Your academic performance in required math & science courses, overall GPA, ACT or SAT scores, and PCAT scores is a significant factor in gaining admission to the College. Each year, students are admitted to the Pharm. D. program in the fall and spring semesters. Approximately 85 students are admitted into the Pharm. D. program annually.
The primary mission of SWOSU and the COP is teaching. The SWOSU motto is, “The focus is on you!” The COP faculty exemplifies the university’s focus on teaching and educational excellence. All full-time faculty members in the COP have earned a terminal degree in pharmacy and all the courses in the Pharm. D. program are taught by the faculty.
Graduates of the COP continue to perform above average on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), the national licensing examination for pharmacy. Since, 1997, over 96% of our graduates passed NAPLEX the first time they took it. Recently, nearly 100% of our graduates were employed when they graduated from the COP. Approximately 30 companies a year seek out SWOSU pharmacy graduates for employment in pharmacy practice because of our reputation for excellence throughout the region. Salaries for new graduates are typically more than $90,000.
The COP has more than 5,000 alumni. Many are leaders in their community, while others are leaders in the state and have attained national and international recognition.
Make the best choice – SWOSU -- because “The focus is on you!” Join us!
