Pharmacy Schools in Florida - 2024

The 'Sunshine State' with a population of 22 million has an increasing demand for pharmacists, paying them a salary, which is amongst the highest in the healthcare career. As of 2021, there are approximately 19,620 pharmacists working in Florida, earning an average annual salary of $121,970. To become a licensed pharmacist, you must complete the Doctor of Pharmacy program from any of the accredited schools. To help you find the best pharmacy program in your state, we have ranked the ACPE accredited pharmacy schools in Florida, based on their NAPLEX performance.

Our Ranking Methodology

Our ranking of pharmacy schools in the state of Florida is mainly based on the NAPLEX first time pass rates. Each school in the state was closely evaluated for its NAPLEX performance in the last four years, with 40% weightage given to 2021, 30% to 2020, 20% to 2019 and 10% to 2018. As the exam measures a student's competence to practice as a pharmacist, its success greatly indicates a school's favorable educational outcome by providing an environment and faculty that drives students to pass NAPLEX at their first attempt.

2024 Ranking of ACPE Accredited Pharmacy Schools in Florida

#1. University of Florida

Ranking Score: 88.39%
Location: Gainesville, Jacksonville & Orlando, Florida
Accreditation: ACPE
Program Length: 4 Years

About the College: University of Florida College of Pharmacy is the one of the top-rated pharmacy college in Florida. The College, which is one of the six schools that comprise the University's J. Hillis Miller Health Science Center, is also a renowned research center: In 2016 alone, the College received nearly $15 million in federal funding grants.

Program Details: More than 1,000 students are currently enrolled in the College's Pharm.D. program, which is taught at all three campuses. The first three years of the curriculum emphasize classroom learning although students have the opportunity to gain clinical experience through rotations that are timed for summers following the end of their first and second years. The fourth year of the program is entirely experiential. Students also have the opportunity to pursue subjects of personal interest through an eclectic range of electives such as veterinary pharmacy, forensic genetics and travel medicine.

#2. University of South Florida

Ranking Score: 87.41%
Location: Tampa
Accreditation: ACPE
Program Length: 4 Years

About the College: University of South Florida's College of Pharmacy is a relatively new school with big ambitions. The College was founded in 2011 and aspires to become a leading center for interprofessional excellence in the fields of pharmacological leadership, geriatrics, personalized medicine and pharmacy informatics.

Program Details: The size of incoming Pharm.D. classes is restricted to 100 so that students can benefit from mentoring relationships with faculty members. The deadline for applying through the Early Decision program is September 4; the regular application deadline is February 1. Candidates submit applications through the Pharmacy College Application Service. The University's Pharm.D. curriculum is a traditional four-year program, but undergraduate honors students at the University have the option to apply to a seven-year accelerated Pharm.D. program. Clinical rotations take place at an assortment of hospitals, clinics and pharmacies throughout central Florida.

#3. Nova Southeastern University

Ranking Score: 84.59%

Location: Fort Lauderdale
Accreditation: ACPE
Program Length: 4 Years

About the College: Nova Southeastern University is the one of the few institutions in the U.S. to grant both allopathic and osteopathic medical degrees. This innovative, interdisciplinary approach to the acquisition of clinical skills also carries over its College of Pharmacy's Pharm.D. program.

Program Details: As is the case with other Pharm.D. programs in Florida, Nova's Pharm.D. curriculum consists of three years of basic pharmacological sciences interspersed with summertime clinical experiences. In the fourth and final year of the program, students complete seven or eight six-week clinical rotations in the following fields: internal medicine, ambulatory care, advanced hospital care, community pharmacy. Students will not be allowed to participate in these advanced clinical rotations unless they have demonstrated a satisfactory level of competence in classwork and previous pharmacy practice experiences.

#4. Palm Beach Atlantic University

Ranking Score: 84.43%

Location: West Palm Beach
Accreditation: ACPE
Program Length: 4 Years

About the College: Though Palm Beach Atlantic University is a Christian institution of higher learning, its Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy welcomes students from all religious backgrounds. The University's "Workship" offering is a unique community service program that endeavors to teach students their professional path is as much a calling as a career choice.

Program Details: The School keeps class sizes small so that students can benefit from personalized attention. Applicants must apply through the Pharmacy College Application Service, and the Pharmacy College Admissions Test is required. The Pharm.D. program is a traditional four-year curriculum in which the first three years are mostly devoted to coursework, and the last year consists of clinical rotations. Motivated students have the opportunity to enroll in the concurrent Pharm.D./MBA program or to complete extra coursework during their first year of Pharm.D. classes and earn a Bachelor of Science degree in medicinal chemistry.

#5. Florida A&M University

Ranking Score: 83.30%

Location: Tallahassee
Accreditation: ACPE
Program Length: 4 Years

About the College: Florida A&M University's College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is not only a center for professional training but also a nexus for vital research that has received more than $29 million in contracts and grants from the National Institutes for Health and other agencies. The College houses a Center for Health Equity that studies solutions for eliminating health disparities in underserved populations.

Program Details: The Pharm.D. program at the College is a six-year program that students enter as undergraduates. Students can also transfer into the program at the beginning of the professional curriculum component in Year 3. Students attend classes at either the Tallahassee or Crestville campus; lectures are simultaneously transmitted from the Tallahassee campus in real time. The first three years of the professional curriculum focus on classroom work. In the fourth year, students rotate through a variety of clinical placements in health care facilities and pharmacies throughout the community. The College also partners with St Vincent's HealthCare to offer a more intensive one-year postgraduate fellowship program.

Typical Pharm.D. Program Details in FL

Why Should I Apply for an ACPE Accredited Pharm. D. Program?

Well, for starters an ACPE program adds credibility to your degree as graduation from an ACPE accredited pharmacy school is widely recognized all across the nation. An accredited school maintains the standards of education established by ACPE, so you are assured of receiving education that is relevant and of high quality. Your accredited degree also helps you find a job sooner as employers pay more credence to it.

Program Length

Completing a Pharm. D. program as a standalone degree will take you 4 years. However, before you enroll for the program you will require at least two to four years of undergraduate study to complete the pre-pharmacy curriculum requirements. So, in actual it will take six to eight years of college study to complete your pharmacy education.

Tuition

The cost of pharmacy education in Florida will greatly vary depending on the school you choose to study. Your in-state or out-of-state status too will affect your tuition costs. The tuition costs of pharmacy schools in the state ranges between $79,618.72, on the lower side and $154,147.72 on the higher end. Before you enroll, verify what all is inclusive of the tuition costs.

Curriculum

The Pharm. D. curriculum is innovative and integrates new approaches that better prepare students to take on the role of 21st century pharmacists. While the curriculum and coursework of Doctor of Pharmacy programs in Florida vary, looking into the curriculum of University of Florida College of Pharmacy will give you a fair idea into it. A combination of required and elective courses, it spans across 4 years and takes students through a coursework covering pharmaceutical, social, administrative, clinical and biomedical sciences. Students get an opportunity to build up on the knowledge and skills developed with the community and hospital Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience at the end of the first and second year, respectively. During the fourth year, students go through seven Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences amounting to 42 weeks in general medicine, hospital practice, ambulatory care, community, patient care and non-patient care.

Sample Curriculum

Licensure - Passing the NAPLEX and MPJE in Florida

To become a licensed pharmacist in FL, you must pass two exams administered by NABP, the NAPLEX and the MPJE. You must apply to the Florida Board of Pharmacy for both these exams. Once granted eligibility you will receive an email prompting you to create your e-profile on the NABP. You can then purchase your NAPLEX and the MPJE test from the site. This is followed by receiving an email from Pearson VUE with your Authorization to Test.

Florida Pharm. D. Graduates NAPLEX Performance (2018-2021)

Florida has seen an inconsistent performance of its Pharm. D. students on the NAPLEX over the past 4 years. While in 2021, 655 students passed the exam with an impressive 88.00%, in 2019 the state saw a below average performance of 754 students passing the NAPLEX with an 82.60%.

How Much Do Pharmacists Make in Florida?

As of 2021, the annual average salary of a pharmacist in FL is $121,970, which is 3% lower than the national annual wage. Pharmacists working part-time earn an hourly wage of $58.64. Cape Coral-Fort Myers pays their pharmacists highest salaries in the state, with annual packages of $130,840. The lowest salary comes from Gainesville, paying $111,850, annually.

Pharmacist 10-Year Job Outlook in Florida

The 'Sunshine State has a large geriatric population who has this state as their retirement destination. This transforms into an increased demand for pharmacy practitioners to cater to their health and wellness needs. Besides with pharmaceutical industries springing up, pharmacists are required to play key roles in research. FL is projected to witness an employment growth of 5.28% for its pharmacists from 2020 to 2030, being higher than the national average of -2.14% in negetive. There will be 990 job openings created each year, including replacement positions for retiring pharmacists.

Past 5-Years Employment Growth in FL

Considering 2016, as the base year, FL has seen an overall growth rate that is encouraging for pharmacists in the state. While, 2020 saw the highest demand, with a growth of 1.56%, the growth in 2017 has been dismal with a negative demand for pharmacists being at 4.78%. Overall the employment growth rate from 2017 to 2021 has been at negative 8.70%

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