Programs & Pathways

Doctor of Pharmacy Program

California Northstate University College of Pharmacy (CNUCOP) is an accelerated three-year Doctor of Pharmacy program, located just outside of Sacramento in Elk Grove, California, 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. By reducing the duration of the program from four years to three years, our graduates can join the workforce or pursue postgraduate training opportunities earlier in their careers. CNUCOP alumni have assumed coveted leadership positions and have attained significant achievements within various fields of pharmacy including the pharmaceutical industry sector, managed care, hospital administration, academia, and research.

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.

The first two-years of the pharmacy program consists of didactic lectures and Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs) rotations, where students gain hands-on experience applying concepts learned in the classroom to their experiential rotations. The core curriculum covers a series of courses within the major sub-disciplines of biomedical, pharmaceutical, social/behavioral/administrative, clinical, and integrated sciences. The third and final year of the pharmacy program is dedicated to completing Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences in a variety of practice settings.

Admission to the PharmD Program

PharmD-MD Pathway

In conjunction with the College of Medicine, will now offer a PharmD-MD Pathway for pharmacy students interested in pursuing a medical degree upon graduation.

Please email our COP Admissions

Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MSPS)

Students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program have the option of applying to the Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences program offered through the College of Graduate Studies. The Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MPS) program, which is one to two years in length, provides a rigorous background in a wide range of pharmaceutical and biomedical disciplines that are critical to the preparation of the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists.

Please visit our Master Science of Pharmaceutical Sciences website for more detailed information.

Bachelors of Science to Doctor of Pharmacy (BS-PharmD) Pathway

The BS-PharmD Pathway allows students to complete prerequisites for admission to pharmacy school while attending the College of Health Sciences (CHS) for two or three years.

Learn more about the BS-PharmD Pathway