At the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, we’ve been helping pharmacists like you advance their careers for more than 20 years.
The International-Trained PharmD (ITPD) Program is an advanced standing entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program for pharmacists who have a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in pharmacy from any approved program outside the United States.
Interested in more information? Take a look at our ITPD Admissions Requirements to learn how to apply, or fill out this form to have us reach out with more information.
The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE).
PLEASE NOTE: Successful completion of the ITPD program’s pathway to the PharmD degree does not ensure eligibility for licensure in the US, as each state sets its own requirements for licensure.
“I recommend this program to my colleagues and working pharmacists all over the world . . . It’s the best program that fits with working pharmacists because the program is given online, it’s accredited, you can keep your job, and you can have time with your family while studying this program.”
“The program allows me to study and at the same time keep my work. This degree is accredited and will give me the chance to advance my career to a higher level. It will open the doors in front of me . . . to being a clinical pharmacist, seek a residency or specialize in one area.”
Online courses – spring, summer and fall semesters
On-Campus Live Sessions and U.S.-based Practice Experiences
See detailed timeline of online and on-campus requirements - ITPD Program Timeline
March 15, 2024 – application deadline
New students begin in summer semester (July) each year
July 15, 2024 – ITPD Live Session 1 begins on campus in Denver, Colorado
$75,910 estimated total tuition cost for ITPD program
See detailed tuition and fees - Tuition and Fees
3 years full-time, up to 6 years part-time
The ITPD curriculum meets the same abilities-based outcomes as the school’s on-campus entry-level program, with advanced standing achieved through coursework earned in the applicant’s baccalaureate Pharmacy degree, prior professional experience, and successful of passing of two pre-admission foundational exams (one on basic biomedical sciences and the second on pharmaceutical sciences). These exams assure that knowledge obtained from coursework provided in the applicant’s baccalaureate pharmacy program may be accepted as credit for previous degree work. Alternatively, applicants may demonstrate this competency through successful passing of the US Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Exam (FPGEE). These applicants will submit an official copy of their FPGEE exam results.
The ITPD Program then requires the completion of 54 credit hours of didactic coursework, which includes introductory/advanced introductory pharmacy practice experiences and 36 credit hours experiential training in advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), or rotations, totaling 90 credit hours.
Curriculum Planning
The ITPD Program is primarily a distance-based program, yet the ITPD Program does require students to come to Colorado during the curriculum. During these visits, students complete program requirements through live sessions, which occur at the beginning and toward the end of the curriculum.
The first live session includes four weeks of on-campus training, which provides in-person interaction, individualized education and support, and introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs).
The second live session includes the advanced IPPE and on-campus training and assessments to prepare students for the advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) rotations, which are completed in the US over 30-36 weeks. ITPD students do not have to complete the APPE rotations consecutively, so students do have the option to come to the US for multiple short periods of time during the second live session. Additionally, ITPD students have the opportunity to complete two (2) elective APPE rotations at an international rotation site, upon approval.
Learn more about the didactic curriculum and experiential training for the ITPD Program on the next tabs.
All students have six years to complete the program requirements. To offer maximum flexibility, the 90 semester credit hours can be completed in a part-time or full-time format. The ITPD Program encourages students to complete, at a minimum, four to six credit hours per semester for a part-time format; 7-9 credit hours per semester of didactic courses will lead to program completion in three years.
Upon admission into the ITPD Program, all students will schedule an advising call. During the advising call, every student will receive an individualized plan defining how and when the student will complete the didactic and experiential requirements. Any student can request an advising call at any time during the program.
PLEASE NOTE: Successful completion of the ITPD program’s pathway to the PharmD degree does not ensure eligibility for licensure in the US, as each state sets its own requirements for licensure.
The ITPD curriculum meets the same abilities-based outcomes as the school’s on-campus entry-level program.
Advanced standing in the ITPD didactic curriculum is achieved through coursework earned in the applicant’s baccalaureate Pharmacy degree, demonstration of competency in biomedical sciences and pharmaceutical sciences on two pre-admission exams, and prior professional experience. These exams assure that knowledge obtained from coursework provided in the applicant’s baccalaureate pharmacy program may be accepted as credit for previous degree work. Alternatively, applicants may demonstrate this competency through successful passing of the US Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Exam (FPGEE).
The ITPD Program’s didactic curriculum is 54 credit hours, including 300 contact hours of introductory and advanced introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs/aIPPEs) for students to immediately apply their new knowledge.
This didactic curriculum focuses on a combination of professional skills courses (e.g. Evidence-based Medicine, Interprofessional Education, Public Health, Clinical Capstone, and others) and pharmacotherapy courses, which are the core of the didactic curriculum. Pharmacotherapy courses address the pathophysiology, advanced pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacokinetics and professional skills development specific to the disease state. For example, the cardiovascular course includes:
Students fulfill the 54 credit hours through live and online didactic courses. Online didactic courses are delivered in a format which requires one to two hours of “class time” per credit hours each week, plus one to two hours to complete assignments. Additional study time is student specific.
Since 1998, we have consistently tailored the delivery technology and methods of the distance-delivery programs to assure that our graduates are prepared to practice patient-centered pharmacy care.
The ITPD experiential training curriculum begins within the didactic curriculum, where we provide 300 contact hours of introductory and advanced introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs/aIPPEs). Students start with a 4-week session in Colorado at the beginning of the program, and end with a 4-week live session in Colorado that assures readiness for advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), or rotations.
Upon completion of the live and online didactic curriculum, the experiential program continues with six, six-credit hour advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), in the following practice areas:
Elective APPE rotations may be selected from a variety of medicine subspecialties, such as neurology, oncology, nutrition, infectious diseases, critical care, psychiatry and pediatrics, or other elective rotation choices such as pharmaceutical care projects, education, administration, industry, managed care and clinical research.
All APPE rotations are six weeks in length (or 240 hours) completed on a full-time basis, totaling 36 weeks or 1440 APPE rotation hours.
ITPD students must complete all required APPE rotations and at least one (1) elective APPE rotation in the United States (US) ITPD students do not have to complete the APPE rotations consecutively, so students have the option to come to the US for multiple shorter periods of time during the second live session. ITPD students have the opportunity to complete one (1) elective APPE rotation at an international rotation site. To be considered for this opportunity, the student will submit a request for review and approval. Students can locate more information about rotations within the Current Students section.
The International-Trained PharmD (ITPD) Program is open to pharmacists who possess a bachelor degree (or equivalent) in pharmacy from any locally-approved or accredited college or university program outside of the United States. Applicants must be licensed pharmacists and be in good standing with the licensing agency in their country. Successful applicants must also demonstrate a desire and commitment to expand patient-centered pharmacy care in their home country. (PLEASE NOTE: Successful completion of the ITPD program’s pathway to the PharmD degree does not ensure eligibility for licensure in the U.S., as each state sets its own requirements for licensure.)
There is no minimum grade point average to apply to the ITPD Program. University policies require background checks for all students upon admission. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to consider exceptions to the admissions policies on a case-by-case basis.
Students begin the ITPD Program once per year in the summer semester. Applications are accepted at any time with a January 15 priority deadline. The DDP Office will continue to accept applications beyond this deadline until all spaces have been filled. If the deadline falls on a weekend or United States holiday, then the deadline will be the next business day. Please contact the DDP Office if there are concerns about meeting the application deadline. Acceptance into the ITPD Program will be honored for one year from the start of the summer semester; otherwise, the applicant will be required to reapply.
After March 15 or once all spaces have been filled, the School of Pharmacy Admissions Committee will review each applicant's admissions packet. Those applicants who will move forward in the admissions process will be contacted to complete an admissions interview.
New tuition rates are established each spring and normally go into effect fall semester. An outline of the current tuition and fees (US dollars) is located below in the tuition tab.
Once students have registered for classes, a bill for tuition and fees will be generated through the Bursar’s Office; students will not receive a paper bill. All tuition and fees are due within 30 days of the first day of class.
Students will not be able to register for subsequent semesters unless the bill from previous semesters has been paid in full. Once the payment is received and processed, an official statement of payment will be available online for use with taxes or for employee reimbursement programs.
Refunds - Students who drop a class within the guidelines specified below will receive an adjusted tuition bill. The drop/add date is located on the DDP academic calendar. Any refunds due will be processed automatically by the Bursar's Office.
Drop Date | Remaining Course Load | Tuition Due | Tuition Refund |
Before Drop Date | Zero or any course load | 0% | 100% |
After Drop Date | Zero or any course load | 100% | 0% |
Scholarships sometime become available for students. A CUAnschutz email will be sent to each student's UCDenver email account to inform students of any scholarship opportunities. In addition, scholarship information may be included in the News section of the School of Pharmacy website.
Financial aid information is available from the Anschutz Medical Campus Financial Aid & Scholarships Office.