Online Degrees in Pharmacy
An online degree in pharmacy may qualify students for a career position as a pharmacy aide or as a pharmacy technician. Although an online pharmacy Doctorate degree is available, the pharmacy Bachelor degree program is no longer offered either online or on-campus in the United States, so we have excluded the Doctorate degree from this article.
- Online Pharmacy Certification is an excellent credential for people aspiring for a career as a pharmacy technician. However, this certification is not necessary because pharmacy technicians, in many states, are not regulated. Also, since pharmacy technicians are not regulated in most states, they often receive on-the-job training. On the other hand, a pharmacy aide seeking advancement or a pharmacy technician seeking employment elsewhere may benefit from having this certification.
- Online Pharmacy Associate Degree provides students with the education and training they need to enter a career in a retail pharmacy or health care center. Individuals with this degree who are currently employed in the pharmacy field may be able to qualify for management positions in some employment settings.
Online Pharmacy Courses
Coursework in programs for online pharmacy degrees may vary depending on the college and degree level. However, some common courses to expect include information on pharmacology and therapeutic principles, introduction to pharmacy practice, microbiology, pharmacy law and ethics, basic pharmacology, communication skills, drug interactions, ethics in medical care, pathology, medical terminology, pharmaceutical calculations, anatomy and physiology, inventory management, psychology, pharmacy technology, human relations, and technical writing.
Pharmacy Degree Careers and Salary Information
An online degree in pharmacy enables people to enter a career as a pharmacy technician. The median entry level salary for people with a degree in pharmacy is $30,547. However, this may range from $24,435 to $37,051 depending on the person's employment setting, level of education, and on-the-job experience. Employment settings may include retail pharmacies, hospitals, mail-order and Internet pharmacies, offices of physicians, pharmaceutical wholesalers, and the Federal Government. The number of pharmacy careers is projected to grow by 32% by 2016, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. A growing middle-aged and elderly population will drive the demand for prescription drugs, leading to a rise in the need for pharmacy employees such as pharmacy aides, pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, and other positions.