Doha: The Qatar University Board of Regents has approved the pharmacy curriculum’s restructuring to align with the latest developments in pharmacy education globally in North America, Europe, and New Zealand.
Qatar University College of Pharmacy (QU-CPH) set out to introduce curricular reform and upgrade the level of curricular integration into the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BSc Pharm) programme.
The BSc Pharm programme currently consists of 173 credit hours and five years of study. With the new approved modular curriculum, students will complete 165 credit hours in five years of study, with a programme that provides the graduating students a better approach to patient-centered care, enriches the student experience, optimizes integration between courses, and updates the overall assessment plan.
The students will complete the same number of experiential hours, and a series of eight (four credits) modular systems-based courses will be part of the new curriculum. These modules cover different diseases and medication management, including cardiology, oncology, respiratory, infectious diseases, endocrinology, etc. These courses will integrate the different disciplines, including pathophysiology, pharmacology, and pharmacotherapy.
The current curriculum will be phased out gradually, and the new curriculum will start from September 2021.
QU-CPH Dean Dr. Mohamed Diab said, “No doubt that the restructuring of CPH BSc. modular curriculum and the relaunch and restructuring of the part-time PharmD Program will open new doors and learning opportunities for our respected students. This is a huge achievement and milestone for the College of Pharmacy."
The Board of Regents also approved the relaunch and restructuring of the qualifying courses within the part-time Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at Qatar University College of Pharmacy. The part-time PharmD program targets practicing pharmacists with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree interested in pursuing an advanced degree in clinical pharmacy.
The newly restructured qualifying courses were reduced from 11 courses (23 credits) to 8 courses (20 credits). They will integrate a blended learning approach with online and face-to-face sessions that will provide flexibility to complete the courses over a 1-to-2-year period before entering the PharmD program.
The program is looking forward to welcoming the first batch of pharmacists into the newly restructured program.
The part-time PharmD program will commence in August 2022 and begin accepting applications in Fall 2021.
