As the fall semester begins, Santiago Canyon College is launching a new partnership with Keck Graduate Institute to provide students with an accelerated pathway to a doctor of pharmacy degree.
Through this opportunity, students can complete a series of prerequisite courses at SCC and then apply for transfer to KGI’s School of Pharmacy to pursue a PharmD degree. The partnership reflects SCC’s ongoing commitment to providing students with diverse academic options.
“This aligns with the vision and mission of our college to create pathways and future potential qualifications for our students,” said Martin Stringer, dean of SCC’s Mathematics and Sciences Division.
As one of the seven independent private nonprofit institutions that comprise the Claremont Colleges consortium, the institute’s focus is strictly on graduate applied life sciences and health care programs. The institute’s School of Pharmacy has been preparing the next generation of pharmacy leaders for the last decade.
“We are excited about the relationship with SCC because it gives their students an opportunity to explore this program and take advantage of it,” said Mohamed Abousalem, president at Keck Graduate Institute.
The PharmD program can be completed in as little as four years (after completion of prerequisite courses at SCC) and offers students three different certifications — community pharmacy, which prepares students for a career as a community pharmacist; clinical pharmacy, in which students can choose to become part of a health care system and provide coordinated care to patients; or industry focus, where graduates can work for biotech or pharmaceutical companies in research and development.
“We make sure that the curriculum is well-aligned with the market needs and the industry needs and also gives opportunities to connect with industry partners for mentorship, internships and then for employment,” Abousalem said. “The unique academic brand that we have is all about hands-on education and experiential learning.”
One of SCC’s goals with this pathway is to challenge the perception that a bachelor’s degree is a required step before pursuing postgraduate studies. Additionally, SCC aims to take the guesswork out of the transfer process.
“The pathways to transfer are often challenging, and different institutions have different requirements,” said Jason Parks, SCC vice president of Academic Affairs. “Historically, it’s been incumbent on the students to navigate these waters. We’re taking the approach to navigate it before they get to us so that when they arrive, it’s a clean pathway for them.”
Jason Parks (Photo courtesy of RSCCD Communications)
SCC students who maintain a 3.0 GPA in the required prerequisite courses are guaranteed admission to Keck’s Doctor of Pharmacy program. All other applicants will receive a holistic review. In addition, the institute is offering $20,000 scholarships for select qualified SCC students ($5,000 per year over four years), which can be combined with other institutional scholarships or discounts.
“This sort of guarantee really provides that stability to students,” Parks said.
Abousalem cited the growing need in Southern California for Spanish-speaking pharmacists, and with SCC a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution where roughly 60% of students identify as Hispanic or Latinx, the partnership and pathway are well-positioned to help meet this demand.
“One of the reasons for our excitement around this program with Santiago Canyon College is the chance to support the communities we are in and the region we are in by highlighting the opportunity to Hispanic students,” Abousalem said. “They can come in, get this degree and then give back and use their knowledge of the Spanish language as an asset to not only succeed as professionals but also support their community.”
In addition to PharmD program admission, Keck is offering SCC students guaranteed seats and waived fees for the school’s Pre-Pharmacy Enrichment Program, a three-day summer course that gives prospective students a glimpse into the pharmacy profession. This allows SCC students to connect with the institute early on and help them make informed decisions.
“We’ve found it to be more effective if we work with the community college administration to define those connections with their students, with the student counselors and with our counselors, to make sure that the information is made available to the students at the different stages of their journey at the community college,” Abousalem said.
For students interested in pursuing the community college to PharmD path at Keck Graduate Institute, SCC is aligning communication through academic advisors as well as SCC’s Division of Mathematics and Sciences to provide details on the required coursework and how to connect with the program and admissions resources.
Stringer stated that SCC will continue to pursue these unique academic program offerings to demonstrate to students that pathways to titles such as Doctor of Pharmacy are within their grasp locally.
“We’re both creating a sense of belonging,” Stringer said of the partnership between SCC and Keck. “We’re both saying, you belong here, and we’re going to make you successful.”