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Searching for the right pharmacy school?
Belmont University's PharmD program equips you with the skills needed for a thriving career in pharmacy.
Real world preparation is one of our biggest priorities. This is why we offer simulations and collaborative environments that promote cross-practice learning and a team approach to patient care—exactly like you’ll see on the job. Our dedicated, expert faculty bring their real-life expertise and passion to prepare students for real-world practice—while cultivating a Christian community of learning and service.
From your first year onward, you'll build clinical confidence through simulation, interprofessional education and hands-on patient care experiences that culminate in 10 months of immersive rotations across Nashville's world-renowned healthcare community.
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Study Pharmacy in the Nation's Health Care Capital
Location is everything. As the nation's health care capital, Nashville boasts a $92 million health care industry, more than 500 health care companies, and many major health care facilities. Our hometown offers a wealth of clinical and professional opportunities to students pursuing a pharmacy degree.
As part of Belmont's College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, you'll learn alongside future physicians, nurses and other health care professionals through Belmont's signature Interprofessional Modules for Practicing Collaborative Teamwork (IMPACT) Labs. Across four immersive, hands-on learning experiences, students build skills in communication, teamwork, ethics and collaborative patient care while working through realistic clinical scenarios. Combined with training in Belmont's Center for Interprofessional Engagement & Simulation, these experiences prepare graduates to thrive in today's team-based health care environments.
Start your journey with us and prepare for the rewarding career you've always wanted.
PharmD Alumni Referral Scholarship
Belmont’s Doctor of Pharmacy program is launching a new benefit for our alumni community. When you refer a prospective student to the PharmD program who enrolls, that applicant will receive a scholarship of $2,500 a year for four years; $10,000 in total!
This scholarship is our way of honoring the role our alumni play in helping future Doctor of Pharmacy students find their path. If you know someone who would thrive at Belmont, share their name with our admissions team, and we’ll reach out to guide them through next steps.
Help a future PharmD student discover Belmont.
School of Pharmacy
By the Numbers
Curious about your coursework? View requirements for this degree in the course catalog.
Learn and serve outside the classroom
As a Belmont PharmD student, your opportunities are endless.
You can work in Belmont's on-campus pharmacy, research in the lab, pursue internships and volunteer in the Nashville community. Because of Belmont's unique mission-minded, Christ-centered community, students are empowered to make the world around them a better place.
Dozens of students in the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences live this out each year through mission trips across the country and throughout the world.
During your final professional year, you'll also complete 10 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations over 10 months of immersive clinical training. Leveraging Nashville's expansive health care network, these four-week rotations allow you to gain hands-on experience in a variety of practice settings while exploring the career paths that interest you most.
Student Organizations
At Belmont, learning doesn't stop in the classroom. Student organizations create more opportunities to engage and build meaningful experiences. There are many existing organizations Pharmacy students can join, or if you don't see what you're looking for, the process to start a new one is simple and streamlined.
The College of Pharmacy annually admits an ideal class of 70 to 75 students to the professional entry-level Doctorate (PharmD), to begin the program each Fall.
The College of Pharmacy receives applications for admission and most applicant credentials exclusively through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS), provided by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).
Learn more about Admissions Requirements and Process
On average, 100% of admitted candidates receive a 4-year scholarship between $5,000 and $20,000 per a year!
Embark on a transformative journey with our pharmacy program as we present unique medical mission opportunities in countries across the globe, including Honduras, Guatemala, and many more to come. Alongside students, faculty, and providers across the interprofessional healthcare spectrum, mission trip participants make a meaningful impact on underserved populations by applying the skills and expertise acquired throughout our pharmacy curriculum. By participating in these missions, students not only contribute to the well-being of those in need but also emerge as compassionate and equipped individuals, ready to make the world a better place. This is an unparalleled chance to integrate knowledge into action, bridging the gap between education and service while embodying the principles that define our institution.
Outcomes & Alumni Success
Graduates from Belmont University School of Pharmacy have a wide range of job opportunities including traditional roles in retail and hospital settings. They can work in pharmaceutical industry roles such as drug development, regulatory affairs, or medical science liaison positions. Belmont School of Pharmacy graduates also pursue careers in academia, research, or public health, focusing on improving medication use and patient care. With the growing demand for healthcare professionals, opportunities in telepharmacy, clinical consulting, and long-term care are also expanding.
Committed to Your Success
Belmont's pharmacy program is deeply committed to fostering the success of every student. We offer a supportive and dynamic learning environment, where students are equipped with both the academic knowledge and practical skills needed to thrive in the healthcare field. With a strong emphasis on personalized mentorship, hands-on experience and collaborative learning, we ensure that each student is well prepared for the challenges of the profession. From accessible faculty to tailored resources, we are dedicated to guiding our students every step of the way, helping them reach their full potential and become compassionate, skilled pharmacy professionals.
One of the key indicators of the program's success is its strong first destination rate. About 95%-100% of Belmont pharmacy graduates begin careers or residency programs within six months of graduation, launching careers in hospitals, community pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, industry, research and other healthcare settings.
Students pursuing postgraduate training are equally successful. In the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' 2026 PGY1 match, Belmont achieved a 100% residency match rate, exceeding the national average of 84.4% for programs with 10 or more applicants.
The program's robust curriculum, clinical experiences and extensive networking opportunities contribute to these outstanding first destination rates. Additionally, the dedicated career services team at Belmont provides personalized support to students, helping them navigate job searches, internships and residency placements, ensuring that each student is equipped to enter the workforce with confidence and competence. This combination of rigorous academic training and career-focused support sets Belmont's pharmacy program apart as a launch pad for successful careers in pharmacy.
Within six months of graduation, 98% of College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences graduates are employed, continuing their education or serving in the military, and 96% of employed graduates hold positions aligned with their short- or long-term career goals. Both figures are college-wide, Class of 2025.
Learn more about Career & Professional Development at Belmont
Riguin Zengotita-Borges
Doctor of Pharmacy
“I serve in areas designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas or Populations (MUAs/MUPs), addressing critical gaps in healthcare access. Approximately 75% of my time is dedicated to diabetes education, empowering patients to manage their condition effectively. Additionally, I provide chronic care management services, collaborating with patients to develop personalized care plans, conduct regular follow-ups, and coordinate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure comprehensive care. My role also involves consulting with healthcare providers on medication management, reviewing and adjusting treatment regimens to optimize patient outcomes. I handle prior authorization processes to facilitate timely access to necessary treatments and medications. Furthermore, I assist in connecting patients with Hepatitis C and HIV to appropriate care and treatment services, ensuring continuity and adherence. When needed, I support retail pharmacies, contributing to the seamless delivery of pharmaceutical services.”
Katie Vandenberg, Pharm.D.
"During my time at Belmont’s School of Pharmacy, one of my professors, Dr. Thompson-Odom, had a positive impact on my life. She believed in my abilities to pull through rough times, even when I didn’t. Her support helped me develop a sense of security in my abilities when I faced what seem like unsurmountable challenges."
Megan Joosse
Doctor of Pharmacy
“Megan Joosse is a stalwart within Belmont’s American Pharmacist’s Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter and has championed numerous patient care and patient education events. She has led HPV vaccine information efforts, organized drug take-back events, and most notably has had great success increasing Belmont’s footprint with naloxone education and access. Through partnerships with music venues and Belmont’s music business department, Megan has helped grow our network of contacts and has opened many doors which will allow for Belmont students to make an impact in the community for years to come.”
Sara Thompson, PharmD, MEd, BCACP
“I currently serve as the Director of Pharmacy Education and Academic Affairs at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. In that role, I oversee education initiatives and guide expansion of programs across a spectrum of specialties. I lead alongside a team of education professionals, including leaders in experiential education, workforce development, and pharmacy technician education. Our mission is to “provide innovative and inclusive education opportunities to strengthen and empower learners on their journey toward growth and excellence.” Everything we do is anchored in the Mayo Clinic values, and especially the primary value, where the needs of the patient come first.”
Kaylee Heflin
“I am actively engaged in pharmacy advocacy and policy at the state level, working to empower student pharmacists in legislative advocacy. I recently secured a $1,500 Civic Engagement Microgrant to fund the Pharmacy Advocacy Initiative: Preparing Voices for Change, a series of events focused on independent pharmacy, policy challenges, and the legislative process. Through this initiative, I have organized educational discussions and provided resources to help students find their voice in advocacy. I have also represented student pharmacists at the Tennessee Pharmacists Association Winter Meeting and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores RxIMPACT Hill Day, advocating for the advancement of pharmacy practice and patient care.”
Shaneika Guice, Pharm.D.
“Belmont allowed me to be true to myself and helped me grow deeper in who I am in Christ. It’s important to me to show others that if you lean into God, He will make a way when it seems like there is no way-- I am a walking example of that. I always thought I wouldn’t be qualified to be in a role like the one I am today, but now I know that God qualifies me. I love how God has pre-written each of our stories so uniquely and unfolds His plans for us in such a beautiful way.”
Career Possibilities
Belmont's pharmacy graduates find great success in all aspects of pharmacy practice. And as healthcare becomes increasingly reliant on interdisciplinary, team-based approaches, pharmacists are continually called on to provide more wellness and preventive care, chronic care maintenance, community health education and public health advocacy.
Graduates have gone on to find career opportunities ranging from local independent pharmacies to retail chains, hospitals, long-term care facilities, medical clinics, public health agencies and more. About 95% to 100% of graduates secure employment or residency within six months of graduation.
Learn from Experienced Faculty
Robin Bandaccari
Email: robin.bandaccari@belmont.edu
Office Location: MCWH 209C
Erin Behnen
Email: erin.behnen@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 221
Effie Berry
Office Location: McWhorter 209C
Hope Campbell
Email: hope.campbell@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 330
Tavajay Campbell
Email: tavajay.campbell@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 201
Karlee Carney
Email: karlee.carney@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 329
Angela Clauson
Email: angela.clauson@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 209A
Fernando Diggs
Email: fernando.diggs@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 306
Catherine Fair
Email: catherine.fair@belmont.edu
Office Location: MCWH 211
Cathy Ficzere
Email: cathy.ficzere@belmont.edu
Office Location: MCWH 218
Tracy Frame
Email: tracy.frame@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 209C
Elisa Greene
Email: elisa.greene@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 335
David Gregory
Email: provost@belmont.edu
Office Location: Barbara Massey Rogers Center 235
Lindsay Hahn
Email: lindsay.hahn@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 333
Yasmin Hassler
Email: yasmin.hassler@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 216
Amy Henneman
Email: amy.henneman@belmont.edu
Office Location: MCWH 328
Phillip Lee
Email: phillip.lee@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 309
Michael McGuire
Email: michael.mcguire@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 200
Jarod Parrish
Email: jarod.parrish@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 331
Traci Poole
Email: traci.poole@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 314
Rachel Sutcavage
Email: rachel.sutcavage@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 209
Kristy Wahaib
Email: kristy.wahaib@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 332
Yulonda Warren
Email: yulonda.warren@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter 312
Jarett Worden
Email: jarett.worden@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 203
Evan Young
Email: evan.young@belmont.edu
Office Location: McWhorter Hall 209B
Frequently Asked Questions
The Belmont University College of Pharmacy curriculum is designed to prepare graduates to provide exceptional patient care, be leaders in the profession of pharmacy, work collaboratively with other health professions and serve humanity. The curriculum also prepares graduates to help those most in need, with an intentional focus on strategies to improve health equity.
Belmont built the curriculum to align with the University's Christian, student-focused mission, ensuring student success in the classroom and after graduation. The curriculum is delivered in an integrated modular format using a blend of traditional didactic instruction and innovative active learning to engage all learners. A robust integrated pharmacotherapy sequence empowers students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills to provide exceptional patient care. Students develop leadership skills and learn strategies to advance pharmacy practice so they can lead the profession. Frequent interprofessional experiences and the integration of healthcare technology give students the ability to work collaboratively with other health professions. Opportunities for mission work and exposure to research prepare students for service to humanity. Finally, a longitudinal pharmacy skills lab allows students to apply concepts learned in the classroom.
What courses will be integrated?
- System-based modules: Pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, pathophysiology, self-care, medicinal chemistry, pharmacogenomics, special populations
- Skills: Applied skills that align with the modules, advanced skills from previous introduction courses, nonsterile compounding, sterile compounding, patient assessment, counseling, drug information, informatics, technical writing
What does it mean to have an integrated curriculum?
An integrated curriculum combines different academic disciplines into a cohesive unit in which the relationships between those disciplines are strategically interconnected. That includes teaching the scientific principles of pharmacology alongside how those principles relate to clinical practice.
What does it mean that our curriculum will also aim to be competency-based?
Competency-based education allows learners to progress based on their ability to demonstrate that they have learned the expected knowledge and skills. It allows for a more holistic approach to remediation, uses early intervention strategies and balances depth and breadth in courses.
Yes. Students have the opportunity to engage in meaningful research collaborations with faculty across a variety of areas. Recent topics include:
- Assessing the impact of affirmative action on diversity in pharmacy education, where students can explore the effects of policy changes on representation and inclusion in academic programs.
- Evaluating the stability of omeprazole oral suspension using forced degradation techniques, a pharmaceutics project focused on the efficacy and safety of medications.
- Determining whether medication packaging and synchronization improve adherence and patient satisfaction, a chance to contribute to patient-centered research on real-world issues in medication management.
- Improving methods of exosome isolation and purification for use in cancer research, allowing students to work in molecular biology with an emphasis on oncology.
Additional areas of focus include:
- Pharmaceutics and proteomics, offering opportunities to explore drug formulation and protein analysis.
- Social, community-based and scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research, suited to those interested in the broader impacts of pharmacy education and practice.
- Molecular biology with a focus on oncology and pharmacogenomics, allowing students to investigate personalized medicine approaches and the genetic factors influencing drug response.
These projects provide hands-on experience, build critical thinking skills and give students the chance to collaborate with faculty on work that advances both the science and the practice of pharmacy and healthcare.
- A Maymester mission opportunity supporting a locally run pharmacy in El Zamorano, Honduras.
- An advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) rotation exploring the public healthcare systems and wellness programs of the United States and Italy from an interprofessional perspective.
- A spring break study abroad trip with the College of Business examining the pharmaceutical industry, health technology and startups in Barcelona, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal.
Below are opportunities for international study or externships:
- We have several faculty-led mission trips each summer. These trips have carried students to Honduras and Guatemala. We also have a relationship with Hillside Clinic in Belize, where students can spend a month participating in clinic activities with Belizean practitioners.
Graduate and undergraduate students from Belmont will once again travel to Antigua, Guatemala, for a week of providing interdisciplinary care to coffee workers in that region. Students will conduct health screenings, observe living and working conditions for this vulnerable population and provide health promotion education. They will have the opportunity to work with a local physician and obtain medications from a local pharmacy. Conditions vary but often include diabetes, overuse injuries, infections and respiratory complaints.
Two fourth-year pharmacy students will spend one week in Guatemala with an interdisciplinary team, then three weeks with Dr. [First Name] Greene at Siloam Family Health Center, a primary care clinic serving patients without insurance. Students will continue to practice interdisciplinary interaction, patient education and care for vulnerable populations locally after doing so internationally.
The rotation includes one week in the field in Honduras, hosted by the Honduras Baptist Medical Dental Mission and supervised by a full-time missionary family from the United States working with a Honduran staff. The primary activity that week is participation in a medical brigade. The team travels by bus to a designated location, where a medical clinic, pharmacy and dental office are set up temporarily in a school or similar facility. Pharmacy students assist in the setup and operation of both the clinic and the pharmacy. Conditions seen vary by region but almost always include infectious diseases and parasites. After returning to the United States, students round out their APPE by spending several days on site with the preceptor and completing a local mission project.
Below are the types of clinical experiences available:
- We are proud to partner with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where students take part in many different types of clinical experiences. At this world-renowned hospital, students work alongside pharmacy professionals in pediatrics, oncology, transplant and critical care, to name a few.
- Each year, students are accepted into competitive national APPE rotations at sites such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Procter & Gamble. We are honored to have Belmont students selected for them.
- Students also have the opportunity to work with underserved populations through clinical experiences with faculty members at Siloam Health, Neighborhood Health and Saint Thomas Holy Family Clinic. These experiences teach students how to care for vulnerable populations, knowledge that translates to any area in which they practice.
- ~80% of students interested in post-graduate training match with a program
- Post-graduate training co-sponsored by Belmont
- FDA
- HealthTrust Two-Year Fellowship
- Teaching Certificate Program for Residents
Professional Organizations
- Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP)
- Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International (CPFI)
- College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP)
- American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
- American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP)
- Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA)
- Student Society of Health-System Pharmacy (SSHP)
- Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists (TSSP)
- Bruins4Peds Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group
Pharmaceutical Fraternities
- Kappa Psi
- Phi Delta Chi
Honor and Leadership Societies
- Phi Lambda Sigma
- Rho Chi
Belmont University is committed to fostering an environment of hope, unity and belonging. Recognizing that an inclusive campus community enriches the educational experience for all, Belmont welcomes individuals from various backgrounds, perspectives, and identities. The School of Pharmacy prides itself on being the most diverse health professions programs on campus! Our student body is approximately 35% male and 65% female. Sixteen percent of our program identifies as Black/African American, 10% are Hispanic/Latino, another 10% are Asian, 7% are two+ races, 2% are international, and 56% identify as White. We welcome students of differing faith backgrounds, with more than 10% of students observing religions other than Christianity.
Contact Us
College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Michael Lavigna
Director of Admissions
615.460.6107
Email Michael
Plan Your Visit
There's no better way to experience Belmont than by visiting campus. Whether you attend an admissions event, take a student-led campus tour or explore Nashville while you're here, a visit helps you picture yourself as part of the Belmont community.