DRAKE UNIVERSITY
Programs of Study
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)/Masters of Sciences in Health Informatics and Analytics (HIA) Program

First Year
FALL
BIO 012/LPre-professional Biology I & Lab (LIFE AOI)4 CR
CHEM 001/3General Chemistry I & Lab (PHSC AOI)4 CR
ELEC ---Drake Curriculum/Gen Elec./Honors3 CR
FYS First Year Seminar3 CR
INTD 025Blueprint for Success1 CR
PHAR 011CAPS I (Career, Academic & Professional Success)1 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

16
SPRING
CHEM 002/4General Chemistry II & Lab4 CR
ELEC ---Drake Curriculum/General Electives/Honors3 CR
HSCI 141/LHuman Anatomy/Lab4 CR
MATH 050Calculus I (QUAN AOI)3 CR
PHAR 031CAPS II (Career, Academic & Professional Success)1 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

15
Second Year
FALL
BIO 095Medical Microbiology3 CR
CHEM 097/98Org Chem/Lab I4 CR
ELEC ---Drake Curriculum/General Electives/Honors6 CR
ELEC ---Drake Curriculum/Gen Elec. (WRIT AOI)/Honors3 CR
PHAR 051CAPS III (Career, Academic & Professional Success)0.5 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

16.5
SPRING
CHEM 108/10Organic Chemistry II & Lab4 CR
ELEC ---Drake Curriculum/General Electives/Honors6 CR
ENG 037Public Voices (CITZ AOI)3 CR
PHAR 071CAPS IV (Career, Academic & Professional Success)0.5 CR
STAT 060Stats for Life Sciences (OR HSCI 060) (CRIT AOI)3 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

16.5
Doctor of Pharmacy 1
FALL
ELEC ---Drake Curriculum/General Electives/Honors2 CR
PHAR 122Continuing Professional Development (CPD) I1 CR
PHAR 125Physiology4 CR
PHAR 130Biochemistry4 CR
PHAR 131Intro to Pharm Science3 CR
PHAR 144Basic Pharmacy Skills & Applications 12 CR
PHAR 149Immunizations1 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

17
SPRING
PHAR 123Continuing Professional Development (CPD) II1 CR
PHAR 132Pathophysiology4 CR
PHAR 133Principles of Drug Action I5 CR
PHAR 138Pharmaceutical Calculations2 CR
PHAR 140Pharmaceutics I2 CR
PHAR 145Basic Pharmacy Skills & Applications 2 (INFO AOI)2 CR
PHAR 171Health Care Systems and Policies3 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

19
SUMMER
MS HIA 2--** See MS HIA Course List 6 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

6
Doctor of Pharmacy 2
FALL
PHAR 134Principles of Drug Action II5 CR
PHAR 141Pharmaceutics II3 CR
PHAR 142Kinetics3 CR
PHAR 154Intermediate Pharmacy Skills & Applications I2 CR
PHAR 167Continuing Professional Development (CPD) III1.5 CR
PHAR 172Literature Evaluation Methods3 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

17.5
SPRING
MS HIA 2--** See MS HIA Course List 3 CR
PHAR 135Principles of Drug Action III4 CR
PHAR 143Therapeutic Drug Monitoring2 CR
PHAR 155Intermediate Pharmacy Skills & Applications II2 CR
PHAR 168Continuing Professional Development (CPD) IV1.5 CR
PHAR 169Self-Care and Non-Prescription Products3 CR
PHAR 190Therapeutics I3 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

18.5
SUMMER
MS HIA 2--** See MS HIA Course List 6 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

6
Doctor of Pharmacy 3
FALL
MS HIA 2--** See MS HIA Course List 3 CR
MS HIA 2--** See MS HIA Course List 3 CR
PHAR 174Management in Pharmacy3 CR
PHAR 175Continuing Professional Development (CPD) V2 CR
PHAR 184Advanced Pharmacy Skills & Applications I (EI AOI)2 CR
PHAR 191Therapeutics II5 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

18
SPRING
MS HIA 2--** See MS HIA Course List 3 CR
PHAR 162Pharmacy Law & Ethics (VE AOI)3 CR
PHAR 173Applied Social and Administrative Pharmacy3 CR
PHAR 176Continuing Professional Development (CPD) VI2 CR
PHAR 185Advanced Pharmacy Skills & Applications II2 CR
PHAR 192Therapeutics III5 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

18
SUMMER
MS HIA 2--** See MS HIA Course List 3 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

3
Doctor of Pharmacy 4 (12 months/May through May)
FALL
HSCI 285** Practicum/Capstone3 CR
PHAR 285Rotations22 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

25
SPRING
PHAR 285Rotations18 CR

Semester Total Credit Hours

18
Total Program Hours: 230


Program Notes:

To view the remaining MS HIA requirements that should be taken in the above course slots, see the Drake MS HIA curriculum pages. Students may take summer course work or courses the semester after graduation to complete the MS HIA.


Following completion of 90 credit hours and admission into the MS HIA program, students may enroll in MS HIA coursework.

There is no Entrance Exam Requirement for this program. 

RECOMMENDED SUMMER COURSE WORK: Students who wish to complete both degrees in the four professional years will need to plan to complete MS HIA courses during the summer sessions. This program requires a careful selection of courses for the MS HIA degree as electives in the pharmacy curriculum. Students may enroll in additional summer coursework or complete final MS HIA courses after PharmD completion.  If the dual curriculum requires more than 18 credit hours in the fall or spring semesters, an overload credit fee waiver will be requested on the student’s behalf. If students wish to take beyond the required credit hours for the semester, they will need to request an “Over 18 Hours Request Form," which can be found in the Forms Library, and the additional course work will not qualify for an overload fee waiver.

A total of 211 credits are required to complete the pharmacy degree.

Students will be expected to complete the Drake Curriculum requirements if they do not meet the General Education Articulation Agreement. Drake Curriculum requirements not fulfilled through required course work: Artistic Literacy, Historical Foundations (2 courses), Global and Cultural Understanding, and Written Communication.

Professional Electives (5 cr.) are satisfied by MS HIA coursework. P1 students entering Fall 2019 and prior are required to complete six (6 cr.) credits of professional elective credits, which will be satisfied by MS HIA coursework.

Professional Electives Policy: Core curricula of CPHS degree programs may require professional elective courses that permit exploration of and/or advanced study in areas of professional interest within the student’s primary degree. Professional electives provide the student with an opportunity to not only pursue areas of intellectual interest, but also to develop an individual “brand” that may benefit them in their professional or academic future. Students who desire to have a non-approved electives count toward professional elective credit should apply for an exception to program policy prior to taking the course whenever possible. Professional electives must be taken for a grade unless the course is designed as credit/no credit. Students should refer to their degree audit for determination of the total number of required professional electives. Students should review the student handbook for the complete professional elective policy and details specific to their degree program.

Core MS HIA Coursework  (18 credit hours, 3 credits each)

HSCI 201 - Introduction to Health Informatics & Analytics 

HSCI 260 - Survey of Evidence Based Health Care 

IS 231- Data Management and Visual Analytics  

STAT 240 - Statistical Modeling  

HLTH 264 or HLTH 266 - Beyond Ethics: Policy & Healthcare or Healthcare Regulation, Law and Advocacy 

** HSCI 285: Health Informatics Practicum/Capstone – If completed during the APPE year, the course must be completed during your open block. You must inform your APPE Coordinator that you are a MS HIA candidate and seek to complete your capstone during the APPE year. Your APPE Coordinator will collaborate with MS HIA faculty to assign your open block to match your HSCI 285 capstone requirements.

Potential Professional Electives: (12 credit hours required, 3 credits each)

  • • IS 210 – Business Analytics, Teams, and Projects 
  • • IS 220 – Information Technology Legal and Ethical Issues 
  • • STAT 260 - Applied Analytics Project
  • • MBA 245 – Leading with Data 
  • • MBA 254 – Leadership & Human Capital Development 
  • • QUAN 270 – Quantitative Analytical Methods 
  • • HSCI 261 – Review of Statistics for Evidence-Based Healthcare
  • • HSCI 262 – Critical Appraisal in EBHC 
  • • HLTH 261 – Healthcare Policy 
  • • HLTH 263 – Healthcare Administration
  • **You may choose a max of 3 (9 credits) of the following electives: IS 210, IS 220, STAT 260, MBA 245, MBA 254, QUAN 270.

    Certificate Program Options: Students may also earn the Evidence Based Health Care or the Business  Analytics Leadership Certificates by completing the following courses:

  • • Evidence Based Health Care:  HSCI 260, HSCI 261, HSCI 262, HSCI 270
  • • Business Analytics Leadership: IS 210, IS 220, IS 231, STAT 240, STAT 260