University Of Tennessee Health Science Center Expands Pharmacy Program

By Tennessee Lookout Staff

December 7, 2022

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center plans to open Nashville and Knoxville campuses for its College of Pharmacy beginning in Fall 2023.

Courses will be open to a limited number of first-year pharmacy students to begin their four-year training at either campus.
Presently, all pharmacy students must spend their first semester on the flagship Memphis campus and have the option of transferring to either the Nashville or Knoxville campuses.

“This new change means that students now can go straight to Nashville or Knoxville and complete all four years, all eight semesters of our program, at either one of those campuses,” said Jennifer Schoelles, PharmD, associate dean for Student Affairs. “We have removed the requirement of all students relocating to Memphis for coursework.”

Pending approval by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, this change will mean that the college now offers the option for students to spend all four years of their training in Memphis, Nashville, or Knoxville.

Schoelles says the adjustment will help extend the program’s footprint, giving East Tennessee students the ability to complete their pharmacy education at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, rather than having to move across the state to Memphis.

“The benefit for students is that if they’re from Middle or East Tennessee, they don’t have to leave that area,” Schoelles said. “This allows students to stay closer to their families and their support systems. Students from surrounding states that are closer to East Tennessee or Middle Tennessee, benefit as well, as this change allows those students to stay near their support systems as well.”

The college established its Middle Tennessee footprint in 2014, when it opened its campus in Nashville.

Applications for the Fall 2023 cohort opened in July and the deadline is February 1. Schoelles said the new first semester spots in Nashville and Knoxville are highly sought after.

“We have had an overwhelming response and interest,” she said. “And the best thing that a student can do to increase their chances of getting placed in one of those highly sought-after seats is to apply early.”

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is the state’s only public, statewide, academic health system and includes the colleges of Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.

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