Archived News | Return to News Center

June 20, 2012

ULS board member commends ULM for “entrepreneurial” new pharmacy degree

The University of Louisiana at Monroe College of Pharmacy, the only state-supported program in Louisiana, is preparing to offer a new degree—Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences—that will provide a competitive advantage to students who choose to work in pharmaceutical sales, government regulatory affairs, and more.

Currently, ULM offers the professional (Doctor of Pharmacy) and the graduate (Ph.D.) degrees. The Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Science will be awarded to all ULM College of Pharmacy students upon successful completion of their first year of pharmacy school.

The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors formally approved the degree at their regular board meeting earlier this week in Baton Rouge.

Board member E. Gerald “T-Boy” Hebert commended ULM “for the entrepreneurial nature of this degree and the competitive advantage that it will provide graduates when they are seeking employment in the pharmaceutical industry.”

ULM President Nick J. Bruno said, “This new degree will benefit Louisiana’s workforce in that graduates will possess sufficient knowledge in the pharmaceutical sciences to be employed in a variety of occupations.”

Michael B. Cockerham, MS, PharmD, is the associate dean for academic affairs and a professor in ULM’s College of Pharmacy.

The new BS will assist ULM in its recruiting efforts, he said.

“In recruiting, students will enroll in the College of Pharmacy with the knowledge their hard work in the rigorous pre-pharmacy curriculum will pay dividends as an awarded degree as well as entry into the professional program. The student is also able to receive appropriate recognition and credit for the pre-pharmacy plus P1 professional curriculum.”

Gina C. Biglane, Pharm. D., ULM's newly-appointed Associate Dean of Assessment in the College of Pharmacy, said, "This degree appropriately recognizes the challenging curriculum these students have completed at this point in their academic career. For those students who ultimately choose to leave the pharmacy program prior to completion, this degree will prepare them for a variety of industry positions or graduate degrees in pharmacy-related fields."

PLEASE NOTE: Some links and e-mail addresses in these archived news stories may no longer work, and some content may include events which are no longer relevent, or reference individuals and/or organizations no longer associated with ULM.