The Big One

The College of Pharmacy (in Tucson) welcomed 90 students into its PharmD program this year, making this the largest incoming class since the degree program was initiated in 1985. That's a lot of growth from the seven students who graduated from the program in 1985. Last year's incoming class numbered 89.

"As the only public college of pharmacy in the state, we take our role as provider of new pharmacists very seriously," says Dean J. Lyle Bootman. "We have been expanding our enrollment as much as possible to help meet the demand for new pharmacists in Arizona."

Over the past few years, Arizona repeatedly ranked among those states with the highest need for pharmacists, according to the Pharmacy Manpower Project, Inc. In August 2007, the Western U.S. had the highest demand in the country for pharmacists.

Here are a few interesting statistics about the students enrolled at COP as of August 17:

• 333 PharmD students (among all four years)
• 85 master's and doctoral students in five fields
• 61 percent of student pharmacists in the new class are women
• 38 percent of student pharmacists in the new class hail from underrepresented ethnic groups

The class of 2011 takes the Oath of Professionalism