The Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has received confirmation from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) that the college has been successfully reaccredited for its doctor of pharmacy program through June 2031. The standard length of accreditation is 8 years (some programs may be accredited for fewer years, but never beyond 8 years).
“I’m so pleased with the overwhelmingly positive responses we received from our accreditation site visitors,” said Mark Leid, dean of the college. “I have been privileged to be a part of a total of five accreditation site visits over my 30 years in academic pharmacy. This one by far exceeds all the others in terms of the sheer volume of positive feedback,” he added.
The reaccreditation process spanned 18 months beginning with the submission of materials to ACPE for review which culminated in a site visit in October 2022. All doctor of pharmacy programs in the United States are required to undergo the ACPE accreditation process. The purpose of accreditation is to ensure that the quality of pharmacy education and training provided by a college supports the advancement of the pharmacy profession. Currently 140 PharmD programs are accredited by ACPE which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
A total of 6 ACPE representatives visited the college’s two locations in Spokane and Yakima. During the visit, they met independently with students, faculty, staff, preceptors, and university stakeholders to assess the quality of the doctor of pharmacy program offered at WSU. The college was evaluated on many standards including curricular delivery, quality of faculty and staff, and approach to practice and care among many other factors.
The college was founded in 1891 and has been accredited since 1912, when accreditation of pharmacy schools came into existence. The college’s main degree programs include the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD), and the doctor of philosophy in pharmaceutical sciences and molecular medicine (PhD).
