News Center

Published April 21, 2026

MONROE, La. — It is no secret that the University of Louisiana Monroe has taken an aggressive approach to aligning with the workforce needs of Louisiana, evidenced by a strong commitment to bolstering industry advisory boards within academic programs, reviewing curriculum relevance to ensure students are day-one ready, and engaging more broadly with executive workforce leaders to understand the true needs on the “other side” of a degree.  

A new study published by the Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center (PEER), which was featured in several national media outlets, including the Washington Post and Inside Higher Ed, highlighted the ROI of certain graduate degrees across fields within the state of Texas. This study showed that a pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) is one of the highest in earnings after graduation, with average annual earnings of $132,520.   

“The highest returns among the 18 degrees come from pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs, medicine (M.D.) programs, and law (J.D.) programs, which increase the earnings of students by 114 percent, 110 percent, and 59 percent, respectively,” the report states. The average earnings for pharmacy ranked second only to the M.D. degree. 

Dr. Michael Cockerham, President of the Louisiana Pharmacists Association, indicates that Louisiana pharmacists serve as the state’s most accessible frontline providers, offering a critical lifeline for patient care across our rural and underserved parishes.  

“The impact is reinforced by the high return on investment of the Pharm.D. degree, second only to an M.D. This ensures Louisiana can attract and retain the talent necessary to drive pharmaceutical excellence and quality patient care for our citizens,” said Cockerham. 

ULM is proud to be the leader in training Louisiana’s pharmacy workforce through its College of Pharmacy—the state’s only publicly supported comprehensive center for pharmaceutical education, research, and service. Founded in 1956, ULM’s College of Pharmacy celebrates 70 years of training pharmacists who have been employed all over the state of Louisiana. Additionally, the College offers a Ph.D. program that is more research-focused, and the research of faculty—such as cancer, neuroscience, drug development, drug delivery, and nanotechnology—is literally changing lives. 

“In a state with a high burden of chronic disease, accessibility creates meaningful opportunities for preventive care, chronic disease management, medication counseling, and ongoing patient support,” said Dr. Gina Craft, Dean of ULM’s College of Pharmacy. “At ULM, the College of Pharmacy is uniquely positioned to contribute to that work as Louisiana’s only publicly supported college of pharmacy, educating approximately 70 to 75 percent of the state’s pharmacists.” 

ULM’s College of Pharmacy job placement rate is 100%, with a 5-year residency match rate of 80% as compared to 78% nationally. The licensure outcomes of the program are equally noteworthy: 

• The College’s recent North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) results show an 89% first‑time pass rate, which places ULM above the national average of 86% and within the top third of all ACPE‑accredited pharmacy programs nationwide.  

• The College’s 5-year NAPLEX pass rate is 84%, compared to a national rate of 81%. 

• The College’s 5-year Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MJPE) pass rate is 90%, compared to a national rate of 78%. 

These statistics underscore the competitive advantage of graduates of the program, but the real beneficiaries here are the people and communities that receive the care of the pharmacy graduates. As the value of a college degree is questioned, ULM’s pharmacy graduates provide the answer—on the frontlines, improving lives across Louisiana every day. 

To learn more about ULM’s College of Pharmacy including information on how to apply, visit https://www.ulm.edu/pharmacy/.