We receive many emails from applicants who have various questions concerning our graduate program. The most frequently asked questions and their answers are listed below.

1. What types of employment opportunities are available to me with an M.S. and/or a Ph.D. degree offered by Pharmacy Care Systems (PCS)?

2. Should I apply to a Master's or Doctoral degree program?

3. What are the admission requirements for graduate programs in Pharmacy Care Systems?

4. Do I need a degree in pharmacy to get into the graduate program?

5. What is the length of time required to complete a degree?

6. How many courses do I need to take?

7. What type of financial assistance is available?

8. Where can I find more information about requirements for and responsibilities of graduate assistants?

9. Does PCS or Auburn University have any tuition waiver policies for graduate students?

10. I want to be a pharmacist. Is this the program that I should apply to?

11. If I give you a summary of my background and scores, can you tell me my chances of getting into your program?

12. Can the application fee be waived?



1. What types of employment opportunities are available to me with an M.S. and/or a Ph.D. degree offered by Pharmacy Care Systems (PCS)?

Teaching/research positions in academia

Research positions in the pharmaceutical industry

Corporate positions in chain pharmacies

Management/research positions in managed care organizations

Research positions in Pharmacy Benefit Management companies

Management positions in institutional pharmacy/health care organizations

Management/research positions in federal and state governments or agencies

2. Should I apply to a Master's or Doctoral degree program?

It depends on many factors (e.g., time and resources). Some students pursue a master's degree because they are not certain they want to spend the time and resources for a doctoral degree. Some consider a master's program as an intermediate step in their education towards obtaining a doctoral degree.

3. What are the admission requirements for graduate programs in Pharmacy Care Systems?

Please click HERE for more detail.

4. Do I need a degree in pharmacy to get into the graduate program?

No. You do not need a pharmacy degree to enroll in graduate programs offered by PCS. Applicants to our graduate programs have had previous degrees in business, sociology, psychology, nursing, communication, engineering, and others.

5. What is the length of time required to complete a degree?

Actual time to earn a degree varies due to differences among students (e.g., whether they are full-time or part-time students, number of courses taken per semester, etc). The average time to earn the Master’s degree is about 2-3 years. The average time to earn the doctoral degree is approximately 5-6 years, after achieving the bachelor’s degree. Please note that some may require less time and others may require more.

6. How many courses do I need to take?

For students pursuing the M.S., at least half of the student’s coursework will be completed in the chosen field. The remainder may be selected in other pharmacy fields or may be taken in a related area outside of the Harrison School of Pharmacy such as accounting and finance, computer sciences, economics, education, industrial engineering, industrial design, architecture, management, psychology, sociology and communication. The M.S. requires a minimum of 30 semester hours and a thesis. The thesis may be counted toward part of the semester hour requirement. A student may earn a maximum of six credit hours for the thesis.

The student pursuing the Ph.D. will be expected to complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of course work in the chosen field of study. Similar to the M.S. program described above, Ph.D. students will take courses offered by the PCS department and by other departments in Auburn University relevant to the student’s chosen field of study. In addition, general examinations and a dissertation are required. A student must earn a minimum of 10 credit hours for the dissertation.

7. What type of financial assistance is available?

Assistantships in teaching and research are available on a competitive basis. If you are interested in applying for an assistantship, you will need to submit a written request for an assistantship. We do not have a standard form for this request. In the request, an applicant is expected to: (a) explain why you should be considered for an assistantship and (b) describe your qualifications and skills. The decision to award an assistantship will be determined by all PCS faculty. The decision will be based on a composite evaluation of the student's qualifications and the availability of funds.

8. Where can I find more information about requirements for and responsibilities of graduate assistants?

Please click HERE for more information about graduate assistantships.

9. Does PCS or Auburn University have any tuition waiver policies for graduate students?

Auburn University has a program to provide in-state tuition fellowships (waivers) to graduate students awarded a Graduate Assistantship. Those graduate students with fellowships pay no tuition, although a $237 enrollment fee is charged (the amount increases as tuition increases). Details about graduate tuition fellowship can be found HERE.

10. I want to be a pharmacist. Is this the program that I should apply to?

No. To become a pharmacist, you must complete the professional degree program in pharmacy. Please click HERE for more information about Harrison School of Pharmacy Pharm.D program.

11. If I give you a summary of my background and scores, can you tell me my chances of getting into your program?

No. The admissions review committee will need to see your complete application in order to decide whether you are qualified for admission.

12. Can the application fee be waived?

No. We recognize that the application fee is a financial burden for some applicants. However, since the Auburn University Graduate School requires it, we do not have the option to waive it.