Doctor of Pharmacy & Master of Science in Health Informatics

Year 2, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

Year 2, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

Year 2, Summer A, Trailer (5/4/26-8/14/26)

Year 3, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

Year 3, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

Year 3, Summer A, Trailer (5/4/26-8/14/26)

Year 4, Fall A (8/18/25-12/19/25)

Year 4, Spring (1/5/26-5/1/26)

*Student enrolled in the combined degree do not have to complete eight hours of electives.

• Minimum 320 hours of Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) (300 hours required by ACPE) will be satisfied by two four-credit (four-week) externships in the summers of Year 1 and Year 2.
  
  
• Minimum 1440 hours of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) (as required by ACPE) will be satisfied by nine four-credit (one-month) externships in Year 4. Courses include: two acute medicine, one ambulatory care, one community, one health-system, and four electives.
  
  
• COP652, IPPE I, and COP653, IPPE II, in Year 2, Fall and Spring if COP650 or COP651 are not completed in Year 1, Summer.
  
  
• COP751, Longitudinal IPPE Hospital I, and COP752, Longitudinal IPPE II, in Year 2, Fall and Spring if COP750 or COP753 are not completed in Year 2, Summer.

Application Process

Students interested in completing this program should apply for admission during the Spring of Year 1 of their Pharm.D. program (P1). To ensure proper planning and advising, students should seek assistance from the Assistant Dean for Curriculum in the College of Pharmacy.

This program accepts new students each fall. Admission requirements must be completed and submitted to the MSHI Program Director prior to the beginning of May to start in the fall semester. Additionally, students will be required to submit transcripts from undergraduate and completed Pharm.D. courses.

Eligibility for admission is based on the applicant’s GPA, personal statement, and resume. Qualified candidates may be interviewed by the Admissions Committee and/or program director; the interviews will be held in person or via distance.

For more information about this program, contact Abby Swanson Kazley, Ph.D.

Application Requirements

Applicants must:

• Receive a letter of support from the Associate Dean of Student Affairs in the MUSC College of Pharmacy based on Fall P1 GPA
• Submit transcripts from undergraduate and completed Pharm.D. courses
• Submit a brief personal statement between 250 and 500 words

Admission requirements must be completed and submitted to the MSHI Program Director prior to May 1 of P1.

Cost of Attendance

Direct Costs

Indirect Costs

Total - In-state/Out-of-state

Disclaimer: The Estimated Total listed above reflects an approximation of educational costs for planning purposes only. Actual expenses may vary based on individual circumstances, program requirements and annual changes in tuition, fees and other costs. The Medical University of South Carolina reserves the right to adjust tuition, fees and other charges at any time without prior notice.

Scholarships

MUSC offers scholarships for which you may be eligible. Some are awarded based on academic achievement; others are awarded based on community service, for example. However, the majority of scholarships awarded at MUSC are based on financial need. This means that these scholarships are only awarded to students who need some financial assistance to cover the cost of tuition and fees. If you would like to be considered for a financial need-based scholarship, you must have an up-to-date Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file. Make sure you list the Medical University of South Carolina on your FAFSA form, along with MUSC's code: 003438. We encourage you to submit your FAFSA as early as possible. It is recommended to submit your FAFSA in January if you plan to enroll in the fall.

Competencies

Upon completion of the Pharm.D./MSHI program, graduates will be able to:

• Integrate foundational and clinical knowledge with informatics methodologies to design, implement, and assess health information systems
• Apply advanced data analytic techniques to inform patient care and system-level research
• Conduct ethically rigorous scholarly inquiry, demonstrating ability to generate, interpret, and disseminate findings in clinical informatics through scholarly publications or capstone work
• Evaluate health information systems through a systems lens, assessing functionality, usability, safety, equity, and impact on clinical workflows
• Collaborate effectively in interprofessional teams, demonstrating leadership and communication across pharmacy, informatics, health services, and administrative domains
• Articulate and adhere to ethical principles in informatics practice, including patient privacy, data governance, health equity, and responsible decision-support system deployment

Vision

To integrate pharmaceutical expertise with informatics scholarship for advancing patient‑centered, data‑driven health care delivery and research.

Mission

Prepare clinician-researchers to critically apply health informatics methodologies and evidence-based pharmaceutical knowledge in serving diverse populations, advancing interprofessional inquiry, and informing health system transformation.

Values

At the core of our program, we are guided by a commitment to the following values that drive our mission:

• Compassion: We act with kindness, empathy and dignity.
  
• Collaboration: We achieve common goals through teamwork and partnerships.
  
• Innovation: We drive transformation by embracing new ideas, discoveries and practices.
  
• Integrity: We do the right thing and commit to accountability in words, actions and use of resources.
  
• Respect: We value everyone and their many perspectives to build trust and a sense of belonging.