Dual Degrees
Pharm.D./MBA and Pharm.D./MPH
The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy partners with the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health to offer dual degree programs. Both dual degree programs allow students to earn a doctor of pharmacy degree and a master of business administration or master of public health in five years.
Pharm.D. + Ph.D.
While the School does not offer a formal combined Pharm.D./Ph.D. program, Pharm.D. students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. may choose to expedite their training by choosing elective courses from the graduate curriculum and by using a research immersion experience to explore potential topics for dissertation and research.
The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, in partnership with UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, offers a five-year Pharm.D./MBA dual-degree program.
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School is consistently ranked among the world’s best MBA programs. The MBA curriculum features highly coordinated, flexible classes with a global perspective that prepares students to achieve new levels of professional and leadership success in their chosen career.
When combined with our enriched Pharm.D. program, dual degree graduates are prepared for highly competitive management and administrative positions in business, health care and pharmacy. Our dual-degree students receive their education from two schools that are among the leading institutions in their respective fields.
Potential applicants:
Students must first apply to and be accepted by the Pharm.D. program at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. In the fall semester of their second year in the Pharm.D. program, students can apply to the MBA program at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
*In order to be eligible for the MBA program, students must have a four year degree.
Current students:
To help ensure each student’s success, potential applicants should meet with the director of curricular and student affairs in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy before applying to the MBA program. Information sessions are held each fall for current Pharm.D. students to learn more about the dual degree program and the application process. For more detailed information regarding the MBA admissions process at Kenan-Flagler, visit their admissions website.
*Students at the Asheville campus can apply for the Pharm.D./MBA program, but must move to Chapel Hill for their third and fourth years in order to take MBA courses.
Curriculum
The combined curriculum allows students to complete both programs in 5 years. (versus 6 separately)
Overview
The MBA curriculum requires 63 total credits for graduation. Pharm.D. dual degree students transfer 12 credits from the doctor of pharmacy curriculum leaving 51 hours of required MBA credits. These credits are split across an MBA core and MBA electives.
- Year 1: Pharm.D. curriculum (PY1 year)
- Year 2: Pharm.D. curriculum (PY2 Year). Apply to UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School during the fall semester.
- Year 3: Core and elective M.B.A. courses
- Year 4: Pharm.D. curriculum (PY3 Year) plus MBA electives
- Year 5: Pharm.D. MBA advanced immersion experiences (PY4 Year)
Tuition
Tuition is billed each semester following the schedule below. Dual degree students pay 7 semesters of Pharm.D. tuition (not including summer immersion) and 3 semesters of MBA tuition.
[table “” not found /]Current tuition and fees at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Current tuition and fees at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Contacts
Brad Wingo, MEd
Office of Curricular and Student Affairs
UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
brad_wingo@unc.edu
Stephanie Peterson
Senior Associate Director of Academics and Operations
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
stephanie_peterson@unc.edu
A shortage of public-health professionals in the United States presents unique opportunities for pharmacists. The Pharm.D./MPH dual-degree program lets pharmacy students take advantage of those opportunities.
Program at a Glance
- Earn both a doctor of pharmacy and a master of public health in five years.
- Offered by the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
- Open to Pharm.D. students with a bachelor’s degree.
- Apply in the fall of your second year.
- The UNC Pharm.D. program is ranked number one in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
- The Gillings School is ranked number two by U.S. News & World Report.
The dual-degree program grooms students to be health promoters and educators in their roles as pharmacists. As one of the most accessible health-care providers, pharmacists are well-positioned to help address public-health concerns such as immunization and chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma.
Students in the dual-degree program gain the knowledge of drug therapy and public health needed to plan, organize, manage, and perform medication-related activities within a specific public-health focus or setting.
Students at the Asheville campus can apply for the Pharm.D./MPH program, but must move to Chapel Hill beginning in the fall of their third year in order to take MPH courses.
Notes
- Only Pharm.D. students with a bachelor’s degree will be eligible to apply to the MPH program.
- When applying to the MPH program, students will indicate their interest in one or more MPH concentrations:
- Applied Epidemiology
- Environmental Health Solutions
- Global Health
- Health Behavior
- Health Equity, Social Justice, and Human Rights
- Health Policy
- Leadership in Practice
- Maternal, Child, and Family Health
- Nutrition with Registered Dietician (RD) Training
- Nutrition
- Population Health for Clinicians
- Public Health Data Science
The School of Global Public Health will accept PCAT scores in place of GRE scores for applicants to the dual-degree program.
Students will pay tuition to the pharmacy school for years one, two, four, and five. The School of Global Public Health will receive tuition for the summer sessions outlined in each department/program outline and year three.
Faculty and administrators from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the corresponding department in the Gillings School of Global Public Health will serve as mentors and advisers for students. The director of curricular and student affairs at the pharmacy school and the student services manager in each Gillings School department will serve as key contacts for the students. Students interested in the dual degree program should first schedule a meeting with the director of curricular and student affairs to discuss their plans and the application process
The dual-degree program does not change the curriculum requirements for either the PharmD or MPH degree.The Gillings’ One MPH program requires 42 total credits for graduation:
- 12 credits, MPH Core
- 15 credits, MPH Concentration
- 3 credits, Applied Practice Experience (APE)
- 3 credits, Integrated Learning Experience (IPE)
- 9 credits minor/electives (7-8 hours transfer from Pharm.D. curriculum)
Here’s how a student will progress through the program:
- Years 1-2: Enrolled full time in the Pharm.D. Program
- Year 3 (including summer after Year 3): Enrolled full time in the MPH Program
- Year 5: Enrolled full time in the Pharm.D. Program and part time in the MPH program