The PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) became the required entry-level degree for pharmacists in the United States starting with students who enrolled in pharmacy school in the year 2000. The last Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degrees were awarded in 2004 and 2005, with zero BS Pharmacy degrees conferred after 2005. If you hold a BS in Pharmacy from before the cutoff, you can still practice with a valid license, but every new pharmacist entering the profession since then has needed a PharmD.
Why the Degree Changed
For most of the 20th century, pharmacists were trained primarily to compound and dispense medications. A four-year baccalaureate degree became standard in the 1940s, then a five-year Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy took over as a compromise after a proposal for a six-year curriculum met resistance. A handful of schools offered a two-year post-graduate PharmD focused on clinical practice, but it was optional and uncommon.
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the profession was shifting from a product-focused role to a patient-centered one. Pharmacists were increasingly expected to counsel patients, catch dangerous drug interactions, and collaborate with physicians on treatment plans. The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) formally adopted “pharmaceutical care” as the guiding philosophy for pharmacy education, calling on all member schools to redesign their curricula around clinical competencies rather than just dispensing skills. That philosophical shift made the old five-year BS degree feel inadequate for what pharmacists were actually being asked to do.
The Key Dates
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) announced it would stop accrediting BS Pharmacy programs and recognize only the six-year entry-level PharmD degree beginning with students enrolling in 2000. Schools had some flexibility built into the guidelines, allowing a final BS graduating class as late as 2004. AACP data confirms this played out on schedule: 388 students earned a BS Pharmacy degree in 2004, just 26 did in 2005, and the number dropped to zero in 2006.
So while 2000 is the official policy year, the transition had a built-in runway. Students already partway through a BS program when the rule took effect were allowed to finish. The practical result is that every pharmacist who graduated from a US school after 2005 holds a PharmD.
What Changed in the Curriculum
The PharmD adds roughly one full year of education compared to the old BS, bringing the total to six years (typically two years of undergraduate prerequisites followed by four years of pharmacy school). The biggest difference is clinical training. PharmD students complete two tiers of hands-on experience: introductory pharmacy practice experiences woven into earlier coursework, and advanced pharmacy practice experiences during the final year. These rotations place students in hospitals, community pharmacies, and specialty clinics where they work directly with patients and healthcare teams.
The 2016 accreditation standards pushed this even further, requiring programs to produce graduates who are “practice-ready” and “team-ready.” Schools now integrate interprofessional education, meaning pharmacy students train alongside medical, nursing, and other health professions students to prepare for real-world collaborative care.
What Happened to BS Pharmacists
Pharmacists who earned a BS degree before the transition were grandfathered in. They kept their licenses and can continue practicing without any additional degree requirements, as long as they maintain their state licensure and complete continuing education. There is no expiration date on this. A pharmacist who graduated with a BS in 1985 has the same legal authority to practice as a 2024 PharmD graduate.
That said, some BS-trained pharmacists have chosen to upgrade their credentials through nontraditional “bridge” programs. These post-baccalaureate PharmD programs are offered by ACPE-accredited schools and are open to pharmacists who hold an active US license and graduated from an accredited BS program before June 30, 2004. The programs focus on filling in the clinical training gaps rather than repeating foundational coursework, making them shorter than a traditional PharmD. Motivations for pursuing one vary: some pharmacists want the credential for career advancement, academic positions, or personal satisfaction, though it is not legally necessary to keep practicing.
Foreign-Trained Pharmacists
The PharmD requirement creates a specific pathway for pharmacists educated outside the United States. If you completed the equivalent of a five-year pharmacy degree abroad and held an unrestricted license in your home country, you can pursue the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certification process, then enter a nontraditional post-BS PharmD program. If you don’t meet those criteria, the only option is to complete an entire entry-level PharmD program at an accredited US school, including all practice experience requirements. Individual programs decide whether any prior coursework can be waived, and even then, only a limited number of classroom courses qualify.
The Controversy at the Time
The transition was not universally welcomed. Critics argued that an accrediting body should not force schools to eliminate a degree program whose graduates were already meeting state board of pharmacy requirements. Some saw the move as anticompetitive, pointing out that only individual colleges or state boards should have the authority to dictate degree offerings. The concern was that mandating a longer, more expensive degree would reduce the supply of pharmacists and increase education costs without a guaranteed improvement in patient care. Supporters countered that the expanding clinical role of pharmacists made deeper training essential, not optional. The ACPE ultimately moved forward, and every accredited pharmacy program in the country completed the switch within the timeline.