College launches new concurrent degree program

The College of Pharmacy has launched, in collaboration with the College of Health Professions, a new concurrent degree program. To earn a concurrent master’s in health informatics (MSHI), Pharm.D. students must apply in the spring of their first year and begin in the fall of their second year. The MSHI program is online and students in the program finish both degrees in four years.

The need for information technology is particularly acute in health care, and increasingly the ability to understand and communicate the issues between medical and technical disciplines is a requirement for businesses to succeed and grow. Students with both a Pharm.D. and a MSHI will have a wealth of career opportunities.

“This program is a great way for us to help students quickly finish two-degree programs, start their careers sooner, and meet current workforce needs,” said Shannon Drayton, assistant dean of curriculum and assessment. “It will also give them a significant advantage in a cross-disciplinary future that seems both inevitable and filled with potential to improve patient care.”