The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and Mississippi College have boosted their commitments to public health with an admissions partnership.

With the preferred admission program, qualified Mississippi College students who express an interest in pharmacy may be admitted to the School of Pharmacy after the first semester of their freshman year. Students must show high achievement in pre-pharmacy coursework and be involved in service activities.

MC students will then finish their pre-pharmacy coursework in Clinton before joining the pharmacy school in Oxford and continue working toward a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

“As a proud three-time graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, I am thankful to work with my alma mater to advance pharmacy education,” said Blake Thompson, president of Mississippi College. “This agreement brings excellent value to students in the pre-pharmacy program at Mississippi College. It ensures the courses they are taking at MC keep them on track with the admissions requirements for the School of Pharmacy.

“It also helps to confirm their calling to a world-class education in health services. I look forward to seeing a generation of MC-UM pharmacy graduates.”

Students admitted via the preferred admission program will be on the School of Pharmacy’s standard graduation track and held to the pharmacy school’s academic and service expectations.

MC becomes the sixth in-state institution to collaborate with the pharmacy school’s preferred admission program. Other participants are Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, Millsaps College, Mississippi State University and Tougaloo College.

The newest partnership will continue to enhance pharmacy education in the state, said Donna Strum, the pharmacy school’s interim dean.

“Adding these exceptional Mississippi College students will have a tremendous impact on our school as well as the pharmacy profession,” Strum said. “We are committed to strengthening public health in Mississippi, and with the preferred admission program, our schools provide those educational opportunities for future health care innovators.”