UAMS is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA):
The Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, Illinois 60604-1413
Phone: 800-621-7440 or 312-263-0456
Fax: 312-263-7462
info@hlcommission.org
The HLC is an independent corporation founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits, and thereby grants membership in the Commission and in the NCA, degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central Region.
The UAMS College of Pharmacy’s Doctor of Pharmacy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE):
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
190 South LaSalle Street, Suite 2850
Chicago, IL 60603-3499
Phone: 312-664-3575
Fax: 866-228-2631
www.acpe-accredit.org
ACPE is the national agency for the accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education. ACPE was established in 1932 for the accreditation of pre-service education, and in 1975 its scope of activity was broadened to include accreditation of providers of continuing pharmacy education.
ACPE is an autonomous and independent agency whose board of directors is derived through the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (three appointments each), and the American Council on Education (one appointment). The UAMS COP is accredited by ACPE through June 30, 2022.
The College of Pharmacy is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, an organization composed of all the colleges of pharmacy in the United States. It is concerned with the promotion of all aspects of pharmacy education, research, and service.
Summative Assessment and NAPLEX performance
Student learning is assessed formatively throughout the Pharm.D. curriculum on course examinations, summatively at the end of the second professional year (Summative Exam 1, SE1), end of the third professional year (Pharmacy Curriculum Outcomes Assessment), and the midpoint of the fourth professional year (Summative Exam 2, SE2), and longitudinally across Advance Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) rotations. Average scores on both summative exams show the achievement of individual competency statements and demonstrate our varied assessment of skills achieved in our program.
Additionally, SE1 scores serve as the baseline comparison between campuses; there were no differences in performance on SE2 based on-campus assignment showing consistency between campuses since the Class of 2016. As for APPE performance, students achieve acceptable proficiency in all competency areas.
Summative Assessment Data
UAMS College of Pharmacy Comprehensive Assessment Plan
The North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) is offered by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) and required for all graduates of an accredited college or school of pharmacy to pass prior to state licensure. ACPE monitors each college or school’s performance on the NAPLEX as per 11.6.1 of the ACPE Policy & Procedures January 2020. Comparisons with other colleges/schools of pharmacy can be done at the NABP website.
Of note, UAMS College of Pharmacy graduates have outperformed the NAPLEX national average for 8 out of the past 10 years.
| Year | UAMS First-time Pass Rate (%) | National First-time Pass Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 94.6 | 92.6 |
| 2016 | 80.7 | 85.9 |
| 2017 | 91.5 | 88.0 |
| 2018 | 93.7 | 89.5 |
| 2019 | 94.4 | 88.3 |
| 2020 | 93.8 | 88.4 |
Graduation and Placement Rates
The UAMS College of Pharmacy closely monitors on-time graduation rates. In addition to on-time graduation rates, entering class size, academic dismissals, withdrawals, and all causes attrition rates are monitored according to 11.6.3 of the ACPE Policy & Procedures June 2012.
The data below represents the graduating classes by year indicated in the top row.
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students Entering | 123 | 120 | 121 | 120 |
| On-time Grad Rate | 82% | 90% | 89% | 93% |
| Overall Grad Rate | 94% | 94% | 93% | 95% |
| Student Withdrawals | 4* | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Academic Dismissals | 4* | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Delayed Graduation | 14* | 5 | 4 | 2 |
As of June 1, 2021, 93 graduates completed the College’s New Graduate Pharmacist Employment Survey. At that time, 63% of non-residency bound graduates had accepted a position. The majority accepted a position in a community pharmacy setting.
The number of students who were accepted into a residency program was 22 (24%). The average salary for the 2021 graduating class taking positions other than residency was $104,630.