9 Best Pharmacy Schools in Texas: Schools, Salary, Cost, Requirements

Medications are important especially when your health is failing. However, when you use the wrong medication, you can easily worsen your situation.

In order to avoid a lot of damaging self-diagnosis, pharmacists help you choose the right medication for you. Their training has helped them gather enough data to make such decisions accurately.

You can learn to make such decisions too but first, you will have to attend a quality pharmacy school. And here are some of the best pharmacy schools in Texas.

According to The Recovery Village, many people who are living from more serious health conditions, particularly mental health conditions, turn to self-medication as an alternative to seeking appropriate care.

This has never helped and will continue to cause harm. The best alternative remains professional help.

Although this article will basically concentrate on the best pharmacy schools in Texas, it will also discuss key concepts of pharmacy. The table of content below shows you all you can learn about.

Why Study Pharmacy in Texas?

Lack of information and guidance solicits for 50% of the mistakes we hear about when it comes to drug abuse. This is very rapid in places where there are old people.

With new drugs entering the market every day, there’s a lot of confusion regarding what to use and avoid. Most times, some individuals sell medication basically as a business.

There is a strong demand for professional pharmacists in so many communities in Texas. Apart from the need to help reduce drug abuse and self-medication, pharmacists will give hope to such individuals in times of sickness.

As a pharmacist, you have job stability, earn very well, and help people gain their health back. Furthermore, you earn respect and admiration of your community, the government and many industries.

What is the Salary and Job Outlook of a Pharmacist in Texas?

There are so many medications and every day, new ones enter the market. All these medications have functions and they react differently depending on who is taking the medication.

As a pharmacist, the duty of separating and issuing the best is a difficult task which demands a huge reward. According to Salary, the average salary of a pharmacist in Texas is $134,128.

In the same vein, the BLS projects that the employment of pharmacists is projected to show little or no change from 2018 to 2028. Employment in retail pharmacies will be affected by increasing sales via mail orders and online pharmacies.

How Long Does it Take to Study Pharmacy in Texas?

Due to the nature of the pharmacy program, you need to take time to develop yourself fully in the profession. You need to build a strong theoretical knowledge backed up by practical insight.

According to AACP, the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D.) degree program requires at least two years of specific undergraduate college study followed by four academic years (or three calendar years) of professional pharmacy study.

Most students enter a pharmacy degree program after completion of three or more years of college.

What are the Requirements for Pharmacy School in Texas?

If you want to get into a pharmacy school in Texas, you can’t just walk into the university and tell them you want to study. Instead, you have to follow the stipulated requirements meted out for interested students.

Some of the requirements for pharmacy schools in Texas are;

  • Qualifications
  • ID Documents
  • Entrance Tests
  • References
  • Interviews

Qualifications

You must possess a set of qualifications if you want to pursue a program in a pharmacy school in Texas. While the most important is your high school diploma, other qualifications such as language proficiency remain important.

Entrance Tests

An entrance test gives you the eligibility to join a league. The entrance test is usually the PCAT exam. However, some pharmacy schools in Texas use CGPA majorly.

You must ensure you hit a high pass mark in all of them.

ID Documents

There are documents you must have in order to start a pharmacy program.

These documents are statement letters, acceptance letters, recommendation letters, visa permits – for international students.

References

You need references. References actually give you the one missing credibility that can grant you an admission when you don’t have it.

You can get references from your religious leaders, family members and former teachers.

Are there Pharmacy Schools in Texas That Don’t Require PCAT?

PCAT is The Pharmacy College Admissions Test. It is a simple test that seeks to expose the ability of a student to excel in pharmacy school.

This exam is important and has helped a lot of schools handpick the best students who want to study their pharmacy program. Today, a lot of universities in Texas don’t see the necessity of a PCAT exam as they use other requirements.

Some of these universities in Texas are;

  • University of North Texas Health Science Center College of Pharmacy
  • Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
  • The University of Texas at Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy
  • University of Houston

Best Pharmacy Schools in Texas: Schools, Cost, Requirements

In order to determine the best pharmacy schools in Texas, we used a set of ranking factors.

Ranking Factors

In order to rank the best pharmacy schools in Texas, we have the following factors which include;

Acceptance Rate – All the following schools have an acceptance rate which shows the difficulty involved in getting admission into them.

Number of Programs – Every school has a standard number of pharmacy programs they offer interested students

PCAT Score: Each score has a minimum PCAT score it uses to accept students.

The Best Pharmacy Schools in Texas are;

  • University of the Incarnate Word
  • University of Houston
  • Texas Southern University
  • The University of Texas at Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy
  • The University of Texas at Austin
  • University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy
  • University of North Texas Health Science Center College of Pharmacy
  • Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
  • Texas A & M University-College Station

#9. University of the Incarnate Word

Acceptance Rate: 87.9%

PCAT Score: 43

The Feik School of Pharmacy is the pharmacy school at the University of Incarnate Word. For over 10 years, they’ve built a strong commitment towards providing quality medication in healthcare.

Historically, they are the first pharmacy school in the country to offer Spanish certification in pharmacy. Another visible example of their growth is that 77% of their graduates get into pharmaceutical positions at community and personal retailer levels.

Their commitment to build and train high-quality pharmacists in Texas and beyond makes them one of the top pharmacy schools in Texas.

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Read more: Easiest Pharmacy Schools to Get Into In 2023 | Expert Guide

8. University of Houston

Acceptance Rate: 62.3%

PCAT Score: NR

The University of Houston College of Pharmacy unites the overall understanding of the Texas Medical Center’s world-class healthcare community with assets of the University of Houston, a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university.

The UH College of Pharmacy seeks to build a commitment to continuous learning and an environment wherein students sharpen their knowledge, attitudes, and skills.

All students of this school have established themselves in research, patient care, and service competitions in addition to occupying leadership positions of international, national, regional, and state professional and scientific organizations.

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#7. Texas Southern University

Acceptance Rate: 56.6%

PCAT Score: 20

Texas Southern University has over 100 undergraduate and graduate programs and concentrations. Gradually, the university’s enrollment has grown from 2,303 students to more than 9,700 undergraduate and graduate students from across the world.

There are about ten colleges in this institution wherein students can pursue a wide range of programs. Unlike a lot of other schools, this college has wide acceptance for African American students.

The Doctor of Pharmacy program is a four-year full-time academic program that prepares graduates to pursue a career as a pharmacist. Each graduate of this program will need to complete a residency program after graduation.

Texas Southern University is one of the most diverse institutions in Texas. Indeed, they’re one of the best pharmacy schools in Southern Texas.

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#6. University of Texas at Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: N/A

PCAT Score: NR

The University of Texas at Tyler Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy offers the Pharm.D. degree in a student concentrated setting for a fantastic pharmacy career.

As a pharmacy student at UT Tyler, you greatly benefit from a curriculum built around team-based learning as well as an interactive learning format.

Basically, they seek to attend to the unmet health care needs of the rural and underserved populations through education and intervention. So, you will be active throughout your building process, with guidance from a faculty of experts devoted to your success.

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#5. University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: N/A

PCAT Score: 40

The University of Texas at El Paso is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The UTEP School of Pharmacy (SOP) remains committed to building a bridge for new pharmacists to the Paso del Norte region and beyond. This effort comprises of basically supporting undergraduate UTEP students interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy.

The Doctor of Pharmacy program of the University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy is an exceptional program with many learning opportunities. All students interested in pharmacy school are required to join the Pre-Pharmacy Organization.

Indeed, this school stands alone as one of the top pharmacy schools in El Paso, Texas.

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#4. University of North Texas Health Science Center College of Pharmacy

Acceptance Rate: N/A

PCAT Score: NR

UNT Health Science Center is one of the nation’s premier graduate academic medical centers, with six schools that specialize in patient-centered education, research, and health care.

The U.S. News and World Report have called the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine one of the nation’s top 50 medical primary care schools. Over 60% of the primary healthcare physicians in the country stem from this school

The University of North Texas Health Center trains tomorrow’s leaders in the healthcare industry.

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#3. The University of Texas at Austin

Acceptance Rate: 38.5%

PCAT Score: <70%

The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy is one of the quality colleges of pharmaceutical education and research in the country.

The Doctor of Pharmacy program generally prepares future pharmacists to challenge many issues regarding healthcare. This college offers a range of graduate programs leading to research-focused M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in pharmacy.

An exceptional faculty introduces the opportunity for astounding research and clinical expertise to the classroom. With strict supervision and a superior student-learning experience, you are building the right foundation for a stellar career.

Graduates of this school occupy top pharmacy positions in huge industries, hence, they are one of the best pharmacy schools in Austin, Texas.

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#2. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Acceptance Rate: 11.6%

PCAT Score: NR

TTUHSC-SOP has shifted to use new classroom technologies to advance its curriculum as well as prepare students for the ever-increasing opportunities that exist in pharmacy today.

A vivid example of this transition was their desire to ensure every pharmacy student had a laptop. Basically, the whole idea behind this was to introduce an ability to perform coursework and deliver materials through email services.

Students who enroll in TTUHSC’s pharmacy program have an open option of attending their first two years of classes at the main campus in Amarillo or at the SOP’s Abilene and Dallas regional campus sites.

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#1. Texas A & M University-College Station

Acceptance Rate: 9.6%

PCAT Score: 40

Texas A&M University offers you a strong foundation of pharmacy knowledge and skills that students can utilize in a real-world application. Each student receives precise, engaging instruction from devoted faculty members.

Every student learns to make professional decisions in a variety of clinical and community health care settings. Furthermore, every student gets unique opportunities to unite with other health care professionals.

Graduates of Texas A&M pharmacy school are competently highly qualified practicing pharmacists, solving community and worldwide problems.

So, it’s clear to see why they’re top when it comes to the best pharmacy schools in Texas.

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Read more: How to Become a Pharmacy Technician? A Simple Process

Are there Online Pharmacy Schools in Texas?

Texas has a lot of pharmacy schools that offer online degree programs. However, these programs are only for a bachelor’s degree program.

So, you can simply enroll when you fulfill the requirements – which are the same – for these universities.

FAQ on Best Pharmacy Schools in Texas

Can I attend Pharmacy school online in Texas?

Yes. You can attend pharmacy school online but only at the bachelor’s degree level.

How many years does pharmacy school take?

A basic pharmacy program takes about four years to complete. However, when you add pharmacy school and residency, it takes about 6-7 years.

How much does pharmacists in Texas earn?

Yes, pharmacists in Texas are rich as they earn a salary amounting to $102,000 per year.

Conclusion

As a pharmacist, you play a key role in ensuring your community gets the best medication every time. Generally, this goes a long way to stop the menace of drug abuse and self-medication.

With awesome pharmacy schools in Texas, you’re sure of learning in a suitable and bolstering environment. More so, you get access to use quality facilities to prune your knowledge.

You would be making a bad decision if you fail to fulfil your dream of becoming a pharmacist in Texas.

References

  • Kaptest – What is the PCAT? | Kaplan Test Prep
  • AACP – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Pharmacy
  • AACP – Top Ten Reasons to Become a Pharmacist
  • Pharmacy For Me – Pharmacy School Admission Requirements
  • Salary – Pharmacist Salary in Texas
  • BLS – Pharmacist

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