Curriculum & Student Life

Founded in 1991, the College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove Campus (CPDG) offers the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Its successful curriculum emphasizes patient-centered care, communications, and uses group learning to develop team-oriented work skills needed for today's healthcare environment.

CPDG alumni work in hospital settings, community pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, educational institutions, and managed care organizations. Graduates of the College are well-positioned to be offered full-time positions in rewarding and challenging practice environments with excellent salaries. 

New Three-Year Curriculum

During the first professional years in the program, students complete required courses, elective courses, and introductory pharmacy practice experiences. The final professional year transitions into experiential learning at diverse clinical rotation sites.

CPDG now offers a single three-year, year-round curriculum that begins in June, with an eventual May graduation date. This new curriculum continues to provide the high quality pharmacy and experiential education that Midwestern University is long known for, in an efficient timeframe for the benefit of our students. For details, you may review the Three-Year Curriculum Overview.

Sample Block Schedules

Each class of pharmacy students follows the same schedule of courses each quarter, also known as a "block schedule." With this system, the University will enroll students in their required courses on the days and times they are offered. There is no option to create a custom schedule of required courses.

After the first few quarters in the program, students may sign up for elective courses of their choice (subject to availability) in addition to their required courses.

To better understand how block schedules work, please click on the links below. Block schedules for the new three-year curriculum are not yet available. These block schedules reflect the more recent Three-and-a-Half-Year Pharm.D. Curriculum.

Please note: Quarterly block schedules are subject to change each year for each class. The following are posted for informational purposes only.

3.5-Year Curriculum 

First Professional Year:
Fall Quarter
Winter Quarter
Spring Quarter

Second Professional Year:
Fall Quarter
Winter Quarter
Spring Quarter

Third Professional Year:
Fall Quarter
Winter Quarter
Spring Quarter

Course Descriptions

Required Courses - Subject to some modification with the development of the new three-year curriculum.
Elective Courses - Must complete at least nine hours of elective coursework (subject to change).

Additional Information

Visit these helpful links to learn more about the pharmacy curriculum:

• Pharmacy Student Rotation Opportunities
• Pharmacy Departments
• Faculty Members
• Research Participation

Students who are strong in math and science have the greatest success rates in pharmacy school. Other helpful qualities include possessing a high desire to help people, analytical thinking, communication skills, attention to detail, high ethical standards, a natural desire to learn, as well as good judgment and professionalism.

Our caring faculty take a personal approach to teaching our students. Meet two of our faculty members who balance their professional pharmacy endeavors with their passion for teaching our students:

Dr. Shridhar Andurkar
Dr. Jennifer D'Souza

Meet one of our recent graduates who reflects back on how his time at CPDG has impacted his career:

Dr. Tolu Akinwale, CPDG Class of 2013

For additional details, please fill out our Request Information Form. Select our Illinois campus, then select "College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove Campus" and complete the remainder of the fields. Or email us at AdmissIL@midwestern.edu.

Student Life

There are many pharmacy-related student organizations, so students can develop leadership skills, get involved in projects that serve the community, and work with professional pharmacy organizations. Guided by dedicated faculty members, these are great opportunities to collaborate with professors, get to know more about their leadership in professional pharmacy organizations, offer the opportunity for students to build their own networks, as well as build their resumes.

Student Performance Data

CLASS OF 2024 SIZE

• 108 students
  
  

CLASS OF 2024 PROFILE

• Female: 67%
• Male: 33%
• Average Age: 24
• Top Home States: Illinois (70%), Michigan (12%), Florida (4%)

GRADUATION AND RETENTION RATES

Class of 2020 

• On-time graduation rate: 83% ¹
• Delayed graduation due to an academic or personal issue: 10%
• Overall retention rate: 93%

Class of 2021

• On-time graduation rate: 83% ²

LICENSING EXAMINATION 

2020 NAPLEX first-time pass rate: 85.63% ³

JOB PLACEMENTS & RATE

Class of 2020 Total Job Placement Rate: 95% ⁴

Job Placements:

CPDG GRADUATE RESIDENCY MATCH RATE

1. Based on the Class of 2020, which had 203 matriculants. This percentage is reflective of those students admitted in Fall 2016 and graduated on time. This percentage accounts for students who voluntarily withdrew from the program, as well as students who had their graduation delayed due to an academic or personal issue, or were dismissed.
2. Based on the Class of 2021, which had 180 matriculants. This percentage is reflective of those students admitted in Fall 2017 and graduated on time. This percentage accounts for students who voluntarily withdrew from the program, as well as students who had their graduation delayed due to an academic or personal issue, or were dismissed. Retention data will be available in spring 2022.
3. Based on 2020 data published on the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Website.
4. To determine Job Placement Rate, the following methodologies were used: Two surveys were administered: 1.) three weeks prior to graduation in February 2020 in which 178 (100%) of the graduating students responded, and 2.) In October 2020, a follow-up survey was administered to the graduates who had indicated they had not yet secured employment at the time of the earlier survey. Additional confirmations of employment were received from graduates' correspondence with CPDG faculty, as well as reviews of LinkedIn profiles in November 2020. Collectively, a total Job Placement Rate of 95% was achieved (141/148) within nine months of graduation in the COVID-19 environment, based on those who had reported such information to the College. There are 30 graduates where no information is available, as of November 2020.
5. Based on 2021 National Matching Service (NMS) data obtained from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in April 2021. Match rates are calculated by dividing the number of individuals who matched to a residency program by the number of individuals who submitted a rank list to NMS in 2021. The CPDG Graduates' rate is based on students from the Class of 2021 exclusively, and does not include students from previous graduating classes. These rates also represent the entire match process. National Phase I and Phase II combined PGY1 match rate is 64.9%.