Tri-County Technical College and MUSC announce partnership

Pendleton, S.C. – Tri-County Technical College (TCTC) and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have announced a new partnership that allows highly-qualified TCTC students to transfer to the MUSC College of Pharmacy to earn their doctor of pharmacy degree.

Dr. Ahmad Chaudhry, dean of TCTC’s Health Education Division, and Dr. Philip D. Hall, dean and professor of the MUSC College of Pharmacy, announced the new memorandum of understanding December 14 at a signing event in Pendleton, S.C.

While admission is competitive, the many benefits for students include:

• An opportunity for rigorous instruction in courses jointly agreed to be acceptable academic prerequisites for admission to the MUSC College of Pharmacy.
• Academic advisement, professional development, and learning opportunities to prepare as candidates.
• Information programs on both campuses, such as MUSC’s Pharmacy Readiness Engagement Program (PREP).
• Guaranteed interview for qualified candidates and a waived supplemental application fee.

“We’re excited to partner with Tri-Country Technical College,” said Dr. Hall. “It broadens opportunities for their students and gives us a chance to talk with new potential contributors to the MUSC pharmacy experience. It’s a win-win situation for everybody.” 

Pharmacists play a critical role not only in dispensing medications but in educating patients and ensuring patient safety. The essential role pharmacists play in the health care field has been even more pronounced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Like other healthcare professions, highly-trained pharmacists are in short supply, and the need for this role has been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Dr. Chaudhry. “As a community college, it is Tri-County’s role to meet the workforce needs of our region, and we are proud to partner with the MUSC College of Pharmacy to create a pipeline of pharmacists who can serve our region while ensuring a seamless transition for our students.”

Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs typically require two years of undergraduate coursework followed by four academic years of professional study. Tri-County’s pre-pharmacy program provides students with the same opportunities to enter a school of pharmacy that a four-year college or university does – at a fraction of the cost. In addition, class sizes are small, allowing for more student-faculty interactions.

“At Tri-County, student success is our number one priority. Through effective skills-based training and program-specific preparation, we ensure our students are well-prepared for the rigor and demand found at the graduate level,” said Dr. Chaudhry. “Students from our program typically take on leadership and research opportunities at their pharmacy school, further emphasizing the preparedness of our students for graduate work at schools like the MUSC College of Pharmacy.”

Students interested in pursuing a degree in pharmacy can start their education at little to no cost at Tri-County Technical College this spring thanks to Governor McMaster’s Workforce Scholarships for the Future initiative. As part of the initiative, tuition and required fees at the state’s 16 technical colleges will be covered for South Carolina residents enrolled in a high-demand field for the spring 2022 semester. If the General Assembly elects to allocate an additional $124 million in federal funds for the initiative, tuition and required fees could be covered for eligible students through June 2024.

To learn more about Tri-County’s pharmacy program, visit tctc.edu/programs/career-programs/pre-pharmacy/. To learn more about the Workforce Scholarships for the Future initiative, visit tctc.edu/covered.

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About Tri-County Technical College
Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, industrial electronics, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities. To learn more, visit tctc.edu.

About the MUSC College of Pharmacy
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is home to the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state’s only integrated academic health sciences center, with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. The College of Pharmacy, one of six colleges at MUSC, is home to a robust research program and one of the country’s oldest and largest residency programs. A pharmacy leader in interprofessional education, the college was recently ranked as having the country’s highest Phase I residency match rate, and the college is among the top 25 percent of the U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 rankings. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu. For more information on the MUSC College of Pharmacy, visit pharmacy.musc.edu.