Program Overview

The UTPA CPP was developed to encourage students from the Rio Grande Valley and Laredo Regions to consider pharmacy as a professional career. In consideration of the CPP Mission, students who reside in the following counties are encouraged to apply: Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg, Brooks, Kenedy, Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron. However all complete applications received prior to the deadline will be afforded full consideration.

Curriculum

The CPP is structured so that the students admitted into the program complete their first two years of pre-pharmacy requirements at UTPA, and then matriculate to UTA CoP to complete their first two years of the pharmacy curriculum. Students then return to UTPA and the Rio Grande Valley to complete their third and fourth years of the pharmacy curriculum. The CPP is often described as a 2 + 2 + 2 program.

Pre-Pharmacy – Years 1 and 2 at UTPA
Years 1 and 2: Coursework in English, mathematics and the natural sciences

Pharmacy Curriculum - Years 3 and 4 at UTA CoP
Year 3: A broad foundation in physiology, pathology, pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy administration
Year 4: An interdisciplinary approach to disease management and patient care through case-based learning

Pharmacy Curriculum - Year 5 and 6 at UTPA and the Rio Grande Valley
Year 5: Advanced coursework in disease management and patient care
Year 6: Calendar year consisting of seven 6-week experiential rotations at pharmacy practice sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley

CPP Benefits

• Personal academic advisement and mentoring by faculty
• Peer support – small class sizes; collegiality and camaraderie is emphasized
• Opportunity to engage in research with faculty
• Opportunity to complete over 60% of the curriculum in the Rio Grande Valley
• Conditional acceptance to UTA CoP, which is currently ranked as the #2 CoP in the USA

Accreditation

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredits both the University of Texas-Pan American and the University of Texas at Austin. In addition, the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60602-5109, 312/664-3575, 800/533-3606; FAX 312/664-4652, web site www.acpe-accredit.org. Only graduates of accredited programs are eligible to sit for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination™ (NAPLEX®) and Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination® (MPJE®), both of which are required for licensure in the state of Texas.