Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
2025 Best National Universities1
U.S. News & World Report
Best Four-Year Institutions in the Midwest, 2025
The Princeton Review
2024 Best Graduate Schools - Pharmacy2
U.S. News & World Report
Your Flexible Pathway to a Rewarding Career in Pharmacy
One of the few programs of its kind, the University of Findlay’s Distance Doctor of Pharmacy (Distance PharmD) program is a rare opportunity to achieve your PharmD online from a reputable and accredited university. This pioneering program is divided into four academic years with increasing responsibility and independence and includes didactic coursework, on-campus immersions, and experiential learning.
4-Year Distance Format
No summer courses*
Graduate Dual Degree
Options Available
One-Week Campus Immersions
*APPE Internship begins in July during late Summer of P4 year
Your Weekly Commitment to the Online Pharmacy Program
2-4
HOURS*
SYNCHRONOUS
Scheduled, real-time virtual classroom with an instructor
33-40
HOURS*
ASYNCHRONOUS
Self-paced, independent online coursework
17-20
HOURS*
ASSESSED ACTIVITIES
Discussions, assignments, projects, and study for test taking
8-9
HOURS**
IPPE EDUCATION
On-site rotations with a preceptor
60-73
HOURS
TOTAL HOURS
Total hourly commitment for the program on average per week
* Students will be taking 18 credit hours, which is the typical rigor for a doctoral level program.
**Experiential education hours vary due to IPPEs and APPE schedules. IPPEs occur for a maximum of six weeks for the first six terms. APPEs are generally full-time at 40 hours per week and will not be accompanied by any additional coursework.
This course introduces the basic principles of physical pharmacy and pharmaceutics. The course integrates the principles of physical pharmacy with dosage forms (pharmaceutics) and the use of dosage forms in pharmacy practice. The course correlates physical pharmacy, pharmaceutical, and biopharmaceutical principles with product design and preparation. (4 credits)
This laboratory course will reinforce the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process approach by preparing students to apply clinical assessment and therapeutic management skills in the treatment of one or more disease states, including the demonstration of medication administration and therapeutic monitoring techniques, assessment and management of comorbid conditions, effective sourcing, application and communication of drug information, and the development of the soft skills necessary for effective patient counseling and education. The course may also include case-based sessions and the introduction of new material as appropriate to the learning session. (1 credit)
This course requires the student to demonstrate mastery of essential knowledge and skills necessary for the completion of Advanced Pharmacy Practice Rotations (APPEs) in the fourth professional year. Activities for this course will include, but are not limited to, topic discussions, patient case simulations, communication simulations with patients and other healthcare personnel, topic/case presentations, drug information questions, and journal clubs. Successful completion of the course requires the student to achieve competency on a variety of written knowledge assessments as well as verbal and written objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). (5 credits)
Rotations for the pharmacy practice experience include a required two-month rotation each for advanced institutional/general medicine and ambulatory/advanced community pharmacy, one required two-month special populations rotation (e.g., geriatrics, pediatrics, critical care) and three months of rotations chosen from a list of electives. Some possibilities for one-month elective rotations include nuclear pharmacy, toxicology, neonatology, cardiology, drug information, compounding, and infectious disease. Each course may be completed only once for credit. (4 credits)
LEARN MORE
We’re here for you and ready to help you with enrollment and answer your questions about the program, including tuition, admission requirements, curriculum details, and more.
Meet Your Academic Team
Laura A Perry, Pharm.D.
Dr. Perry's research interests include evaluating medication use and adherence in the outpatient setting, self-care and over-the-counter medication use, and evidence-based methods to teach and evaluate pharmacy practice skills in the laboratory setting.
Richard W Dudley, Ph.D.
Dr. Dudley graduated with his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry in 2006. He joined The University of Findlay College of Pharmacy in July 2007 as an assistant professor and has been responsible for teaching medicinal chemistry and pharmacology.
Tonya A. Dauterman, Pharm.D.
Dr. Dauterman's areas of interest are diabetes, lipid management, public health and pharmacy economics, and healthcare literacy. Areas of research include experiential education, patient outcomes, appropriate medication use, and diabetes.
I would advise all pharmacy students to get involved in pharmacy organizations. There are many ways you can grow as a student pharmacist, such as through making connections, growing in leadership, and showing your dedication to the profession of pharmacy. I was able to meet many upperclassmen in pharmacy who serve as role models for me, and I learned a lot from working alongside them in my organizations.
Sarah Zimmerli, Pharmacy Student Candidate Class of '26
I never expected to be close to the other students in my pharmacy class as well as the professors. During the school year, however, I consider my pharmacy class to be a second family. The professors truly care about the students and want us to be successful.
Katie Harris, Class of '24 University of Findlay
My education at Findlay paved the way for me to enjoy an amazing experience in the Air Force, serve our veterans in the VA hospital settings, and on to my current position, helping millions of patients to be able to afford their medications.
Kyle Dresbach, PharmD ‘14
01
What is experiential learning?
Experiential learning is the practice component of the University of Findlay’s Distance PharmD program, where you participate in interactive learning experiences under the supervision of a PharmD preceptor in your community to develop and refine practical pharmacy competencies.
02
What are Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE)?
During the program's first three years, you will complete 300 hours (100 each year) of supervised and structured training in a clinical setting with a licensed pharmacist. These guided experiences follow standard U.S. practice models and help you gain confidence while building practical pharmaceutical and patient-focused communication skills.
03
What are Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE)?
In the program's final year, you will complete at least 1,440 advanced, experiential-based learning hours. An assigned preceptor directs these experiences at a designated site near you. A minimum of 160 hours must be completed in each of the ACPE-required APPE areas, including community practice, ambulatory patient care, hospital/health system pharmacy, and inpatient general medicine. The remaining hours include specialty and elective areas.
04
Where will my experiential learning rotations take place?
Findlay’s placement team helps you find experiential learning sites and preceptors within driving distance of your residence. The practical experience you’ll gain during your IPPE and APPE hours complements classroom learning and prepares you to develop and refine practical pharmacy competencies.
05
How do I benefit from Findlay’s experiential learning support services?
Finding preceptors and sites near you for your experiential learning rotations can be time-consuming. We manage the logistics of this process so that you can focus on your education and the competencies you need to become an accomplished pharmacist.
Numbers Tell the Story
The University of Findlay’s Doctor of Pharmacy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). The University of Findlay is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
This innovatively designed program can be completed in 4 years (9 semesters) without any summer courses and includes online coursework (synchronous and asynchronous), (3) one-week campus immersions, an APPE Internship taking place in July of the P4 year, and experiential learning in clinical settings.
The Distance PharmD total program investment is approximately $165,000 (includes textbooks). Financial aid may be available to our distance students.
Yes. Our faculty members are experienced pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences professionals who use an interactive teaching style and a system-based curriculum to support your personal and professional development.
1Best National Universities (2022) U.S. News and World Report. Ranked in 2022.
2Best Graduate Schools - Pharmacy (2022) U.S. News and World Report. Ranked in 2022.
