College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Dean John Pezzuto

Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Beth Welch

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Amy Burton

Assistant Dean for Experiential Affairs Melissa Mattison

Assistant Dean for Assessment and Accreditation Kimberly Pesaturo

The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University is known for excellence in health sciences education and in the preparation of professional healthcare professionals.

Undergraduate Programs

BS in Neuroscience

Neuroscience is a field of study that integrates psychology, biology, physics, and chemistry for the common goal of understanding the structure, development, and function of the brain and nervous system. Through research, neuroscientists are able to describe the normal function of electrical tissue. For example, improving our understanding of the brain allows us to understand and find ways to prevent or treat many devastating neurological and psychiatric disorders. Students majoring in neuroscience will have access to a range of tools including behavioral testing, electrophysiology, histology, and molecular biology, as they participate first-hand in basic exploratory research. Students are involved in all stages of research including project design, data collection, and results reporting. This major is housed in a research-rich environment that supports a curriculum steeped in scientific investigation, where students and faculty work as partners in research and education. Students who receive an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience typically continue their studies at the master's or doctoral level or pursue advanced degrees in a variety of medical professions (e.g. MD, DDO, DDS, VDM, or OD). Career options include positions within neuroscience, psychiatry, medicine, academia, pharmaceuticals, forensic science, health and allied health professionals, science writing and communications, and state and federal government science agencies (e.g. CIA, FBI, NIH, CDC, or FDA).

BS in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Management  

The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Management major integrates the fields of pharmacy, healthcare, and business, while delivering a firm foundation in the sciences. Students majoring in Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Management develop a knowledge base to prepare them for entry into the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical diagnostic device, and other healthcare-related industries. To help Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Management majors understand careers available to them, students explore and investigate relevant career opportunities through their business, sciences, and interdisciplinary pharmacy courses.   A capstone experience in their senior year includes an internship in the pharmaceutical, medical technology, or healthcare business industries. The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Management major is preparing for entry into a highly specialized and unique industry. Entry points into the industry include business operations, marketing, and management careers.

BS in Pharmacy Studies

The Pharmacy Studies curriculum prepares students for pharmacy-related careers and enables a strong foundation in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, administrative/social/ behavioral, and clinical sciences required in pharmacy. In addition, the curriculum prepares students for other health-related fields as well as graduate programs in biomedical or pharmaceutical sciences. Students who receive an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy Studies typically continue their studies at the doctoral level in Pharmacy (PharmD) or other advanced degrees in health-related professions or biomedical/pharmaceutical sciences. Graduates with this undergraduate degree may directly enter careers as pharmacy technicians or other pharmaceutical fields.

Transfer Agreements

Recognizing the important role of community colleges in the overall system of higher education and in cooperation with other four-year colleges and universities, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences makes every effort to coordinate its programs with those of other institutions offering preliminary and related programs.

Minors

The course work for a degree may include one or more of the minors offered by the University. A minor may not be completed in the same discipline as the major. Students interested in a minor should see related information in the Undergraduate Academic Information section of this catalog.

Professional and Graduate Programs

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)

The Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum is designed to prepare learners to enter the practice of pharmacy as general practitioners in a variety of practice settings and deliver optimal patient care to diverse populations. The primary intention of this comprehensive educational program is to transition dependent learners into independent professional practitioners who are dedicated to serving the community in which they live. The curriculum provides learners opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become licensed professionals who will provide optimal patient care in a caring, collaborative, safe, and culturally aware manner. Students may be admitted as freshmen into the 0-6 program. Students complete the first two years of pre-professional coursework as undergraduates. A cumulative GPA of 3.100 following the first three semesters of the pre-professional curriculum is required to maintain seat assurance in the professional phase (years 3-6) of the curriculum. The admissions decision is based on a thorough review of submitted application materials, including GPA for required prerequisite coursework, PCAT composite score (if submitted), letters of recommendation, and other considerations relevant to the mission, vision, and values for the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (including service, advocacy, and leadership). Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in an admissions interview and timed writing sample, both of which must be successfully passed by the student. For individuals seeking admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program outside of the 0-6 admissions pathway, a GPA of 2.700 in the required prerequisite courses is preferred.

The curriculum entails a competency-based framework, using integrated content and teaching, problem-based approaches when appropriate, integrated technology, and experiential exposure threaded throughout. The program is available through different pathways: a 4-year campus-based pathway, a 4-year distance learning pathway (DLP), and a 6-year extended distance learning pathway (DLPx, pending ACPE approval). The curriculum is designed to incrementally develop strong scientific foundations (in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, social and administrative, and clinical sciences) and professional skills. During pharmacy practice experiences, learners have many opportunities to demonstrate and apply these skills in progressively advanced methods.

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

The OTD program at Western New England University is responding to the national and international call for changing the way healthcare is delivered and the way healthcare professionals are educated. This program emphasizes population health perspectives that focus on community health, wellness and prevention, and health literacy; interprofessional practice models in traditional and community-based health settings that focus on collaborative teams; and practitioner, leader, and scholar roles and competencies to revolutionize the delivery of inclusive, equitable, client-centered, evidence-based, culturally-competent, and distinctive occupational therapy. Rapidly changing healthcare systems are demanding more from entry-level practitioners. The OTD curriculum is meeting this call by providing academic preparation beyond a generalist level, including advanced graduate knowledge, skills, and fieldwork/experiential opportunities. This full-time program is completed over eight consecutive semesters including summers. The program combines opportunities for classroom learning, the development of hands-on clinical skills, and on-site practice experience. The program integrates sequential course content with a series of five Level I Fieldwork experiences (Year 1 and 2), providing a strong foundation for Level II Fieldwork (Years 2 and 3), and the Doctoral Experiential Capstone (Year 3, Semester 8). The OTD curriculum supports students in the development of entry-level skills in current and emerging occupational therapy practice areas. The doctoral experiential capstone is completed in collaboration with a community partner and provides students with advanced skills beyond generalist practice in areas of leadership, research, advocacy and program development/implementation/evaluation.

The Doctor of Occupational Therapy program is offered through two pathways: a traditional 8-semester campus-based pathway and an 8-semester distance learning pathway which includes 11 short, on-campus residencies throughout the program.

MS in Medical Sciences

The 30-credit MS in Medical Sciences (“MSMS”) program can be completed in as few as two full-time semesters (fall, spring). With an MSMS program from WNE University, a graduate will be ready to make the most of emerging opportunities in various medical/health care fields through a well-rounded program that aligns with one’s personal career goals. The MSMS is designed to assist students who would like to enhance their academic credentials for entry into medical, dental, veterinarian, pharmacy, nursing or other professional healthcare programs, and could open opportunities in clinical work, research positions, or public health or administrative careers. Students have the ability to MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences

The 38-credit MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences ("MSPS") program can be completed in five full-time semesters (fall, spring, summer, fall, spring). Students can customize the focus area of their research degree through available elective courses and by the selection of a thesis advisor in a specific field of medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacogenomics, toxicology, oncology, biomedical engineering, or cosmeceutical sciences. The available research focus areas for this MS degree are: Pharmacology or Neuropharmacology; Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development; Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery; Pharmacogenomics; Biomedical Sciences; and Pharmacoeconomics and Healthcare Data Analytics.

MS in Pharmacogenomics

The 37-credit MS in Pharmacogenomics ("MSPGx") program can be completed in as few as three full-time semesters (fall, spring, summer). The MSPGx is designed to enhance students’ knowledge and academic credentials for entry into subsequent programs, including medical doctor, genetic counselor, pharmacist, geneticist, cancer biologist, or other professional or research-based healthcare related programs, as well as opportunities to directly enter career paths in basic academic or industrial research, and clinical implementation or research in the field of PGx. Pharmacogenomics is a fast-growing field that helps medical practitioners prescribe personalized treatment plans to patients based on how they may respond to medications due to their DNA sequence. Pharmacogenomics supports personalized or precision medicine, which explores a patient’s genetics, environment, and lifestyle as a way to design a treatment plan that will best suit the patient. The goal of this modern approach to medication therapy is to limit adverse effects while optimizing response and beneficial outcomes.  The WNE Master of Science in Pharmacogenomics has purposely integrated all major aspects of this field, from basic genetics to clinical implementation to provide a strong foundation and well-rounded education to graduates.

College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS) Student Handbook

The COPHS Student Handbook is the authoritative handbook for Academic Standards and the Honor Code for students enrolled in professional programs.