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University of Florida’s Distance Learning Pharm.D. Degree Program to Pass Major Milestone with 1,000th Graduate
8/4/2006
Gainesville, FL (August 4, 2006) – The University of Florida’s College of Pharmacy is proud to announce that it will confer its 1,000th Working Professional Doctor of Pharmacy (WPPD) degree in August. The UF WPPD program began in 1994 as a means to help working professional pharmacists attain the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) through the university’s distance learning program. Students can finish the degree entirely via distance learning with a combination of Clinical Practice Assessments in their workplace or local community and online courses.
The milestone 1,000th graduate of the program will be recognized in a special presentation during a graduation ceremony August 12, 2006 in the UF College of Pharmacy Auditorium.
“I have always considered the WPPD program the crown jewel of our College offerings,” said William H. Riffee, Ph.D. Dean, College of Pharmacy University of Florida. “The WPPD students put their education to use the day after mastering the content, raising the level of pharmacy practice immediately in their workplace. Our WPPD students are among the most highly motivated learners I have ever encountered.”
The need for the WPPD program began in mid-90s when college and university pharmacy degree programs began phasing out baccalaureate degrees in pharmacy and in its place began offering the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree as a first professional degree program. This left working pharmacists in a difficult situation. They lacked the education and some clinical skills that new graduates received despite many years of work experience. For many, taking off time from their careers to re-enroll in a pharmacy program was not an option. From the need to provide advanced education to working professional pharmacists the UF WPPD distance learning program was born.
Over the past 12 years, the UF WPPD program has grown to be the largest and most sought after pharmacy program for employed pharmacists to earn the Pharm.D. degree. The program saw its first class of graduates in 1997. Through the following decade more than 900 more graduates earned the UF Pharm.D. distance learning degree.
The online component of the degree is carried out in the student’s home via the internet while a clinical component is done through a network of local preceptors who work in the student’s community and through periodic meetings and assessments by UF faculty. The University of Florida’s College of Pharmacy is ranked as one of the top tier schools in the nation by US News and World Report. The Working Professional Pharm.D. (WPPD) program began in 1994 as a partnership with Compass Knowledge Group, Inc. a leader in distance education.
About Compass Knowledge Group
Founded in 1993, Compass Knowledge Group, Inc. or "Compass" located in Orlando, Florida partners with higher education institutions to create successful distance learning programs. Our industry-leading consultants assess institutional readiness and degree program viability. Using best-in-class marketing, recruitment, and student retention services, Compass Knowledge Group introduces degree programs to the world and enables colleges and universities to succeed in the competitive online education marketplace.
