About Us

California Northstate University College of Pharmacy (CNUCOP) is a pharmacy college dedicated to educating, developing, and training individuals to provide competent, patient-centered care.

CNUCOP offers a progressive educational program that emphasizes active learning, direct patient care experiences, and the role of research in advancing the profession of pharmacy. The goal is to graduate highly skilled pharmacists and promote the expanding role of pharmacy through leadership and lifelong services in the health care system.

CNUCOP is a traditional four-year Doctor of Pharmacy program dedicated to educating, developing, and training future pharmacists to provide competent, evidence-based care focused on improving patient outcomes and advancing the profession of pharmacy. CNUCOP provides unique learning experiences to our students through the use of active learning, such as team-based learning, to deliver our curriculum. Through teamwork, students are exposed to a diverse population of classmates from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Students assume a more proactive role in the program as they learn to effectively interact with team members to enhance learning and practical application of the material taught in class. Team-based learning prepares our students to play a key role in a multidisciplinary team setting, enabling our students to serve as drug information experts, as they work collaboratively to improve patient care and enhance patient outcomes. Students who matriculate into CNUCOP must be prepared to participate in distance or hybrid learning.

California Northstate University was developed after the successful launch of the College of Pharmacy. The founders of the College of Pharmacy built a progressive program that includes active learning, direct patient experiences, and research.

As a result of several publications and studies which indicated the need for an increase in the number of primary care physicians trained in California, senior operations staff at the College of Pharmacy began discussions for a new medical school in the greater Sacramento area early in the spring of 2010. With federal health care initiatives in combination with the needs of the aging baby-boomer population, primary care physicians are seeing ever-increasing patient loads. It was also recognized that as a result of the financial crisis facing California, the State had been unable to increase the number of medical students trained within the State.

It is the goal of the University to create life-long learners that are trained to serve the community as leaders in health care science, education, and research. With this goal in mind, senior University officials have developed a strategic plan that addresses education, partnership, and scholarship.

Mission

To advance the science and art of pharmacy through interprofessional education, active learning, and innovative patient care.

Vision

We are passionate about the strategic planning process at CNUCOP. It is our opportunity to implement our ideas and achieve our vision in an actionable plan. Our vision is to become a nationally recognized leader in educating the next generation of pharmacists in integrated patient healthcare.

Core Values

We value:

  • Innovation in student centered teaching methods
  • Open and clear communication
  • Diversity of experience, culture and thought
  • Inspiration of altruism, empathy and civic virtue
  • Professionalism and integrity in all interactions with stakeholders
  • Innovation in teaching, scholarship and research
  • Fostering leadership and advocacy for patients and the profession

Goals

The following goals will help us accomplish our mission:

  • An academic program that fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, clinical reasoning, and self-directed learning skills.
  • An experiential program that progressively develops student skills, attitudes, values, judgment, professional behavior, and expertise in patient-centered care.
  • Graduates who attain effective oral and written communication skills.
  • Graduates who use technology to support life-long learning, research, and practice.
  • A research infrastructure that promotes collaboration, innovation, and discovery.
  • A faculty engaged in discipline-related research and other scholarly activities.
  • A faculty development program that nurtures and supports a learning-centered curriculum and the scholarship of teaching.
  • Faculty engaged in professional and community activities.
  • A continuing education program responsive to the needs of alumni, pharmacy practitioners, and other health care professionals.
  • Student participation in professional organizations and community projects to learn skills needed to be an advocate for the profession.

By partnering with PioneerRx Pharmacy Software, our program allows students to learn in a real-world environment using the most installed software for independent pharmacies. Students enhance their clinical and functional skills by training in a pharmacy system that is innovative, robust, and feature-rich.