Why Pharmacy?

Students consider several factors when deciding on a college and a career. At St. Louis College of Pharmacy, 95% of recent applicants mentioned wanting to help people or society as their primary reason for choosing the pharmacy profession. Student were additionally influenced to choose the profession and College by the following factors:

34% were influenced by someone in another health profession

23% know a pharmacist

18% have a pharmacist in their family

13% are related to, or know, a STLCOP graduate

9% were working in a pharmacy at the time they applied to the College

For students who are passionate about the profession, and the challenging studies that come along with it, a Pharm.D. degree can open many doors. Because of the rise in the use of prescription drugs and new discoveries in pharmaceuticals, employment in the pharmacy profession is expected to grow by 22% between 2006-2016, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The high demand for pharmacists is complemented by high earnings. Many future pharmacists can expect to make more than $90,000 per year upon graduation and licensure.

Pharm.D. degree holders can go into several areas of pharmacy, including:

• Academics
• Armed services
• Clinical
• Development
• Government
• Health care facility
• Home health care
• Insurance companies
• Marketing/Sales
• Public health care services
• Retail
• Research
• And other specialized areas of medicine including intravenous nutrition support, oncology, nuclear pharmacy, geriatric pharmacy, and psychiatric pharmacy.