MBA Stands for Master of Business Administration and there are many concentrations to an MBA that you can acquire. MBA programs are designed to teach you how to work in the world of business, including finance, consulting, marketing, management, entrepreneurship, leadership, healthcare, criminal justice and many more. By choosing your core concentration early, your courses could provide a means to study one area in depth and then, learn to apply strategy to problem-solve in that field. If you are looking to fast track your career and earning potential, then a great way to do this is by earning your master’s degree.

Master's Degree Benefits:

  • Become an industry leader
  • Increase career opportunities
  • Increase earning potential
  • Become more marketable
  • Strategic and critical thinking skills

Career Options with an MBA in Pharmacy:

  • Pharmacy Manager in Health and Personal Care Stores - $122,860
  • Pharmacy Manager in General Medical and Surgical Hospitals - $128,310
  • Pharmacy Manager in Food and Beverage Stores (4451 and 4452 only) - 124,120
  • Pharmacy Manager in Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) - $124,470
  • Pharmacy Manager in Outpatient Care Centers - $147,130

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Pharmacy Managers, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291051.htm (visited March 24, 2022).

Graduate Degree Types for Medical Technology Concentrations:

  • M.S. in Pharmacy
  • M.A. in Pharmacy
  • MBA in Pharmacy

Find an online bachelor's or master's degree:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Your path to graduate is personal and individual. While someone else may graduate later even though they started school when you did, they may have had other academic commitments to satisfy. Others may be able to finish their programs sooner than you because they don't have to deal with Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) or work during their college years.


Look at how many credits are required for a masters. This is usually between 36-54 semester credits, which equals 12 to 18 college courses. Depending on how many credit hours you can take each semester will determine if you will graduate with a masters in 2 or 3 years. If you can take more classes, this will shorten the time you're in school. Don't forget to seek information from your assigned advisor. Doing so means you're less likely to miss a required class, which could delay your graduation.

Before choosing a major there are some important facts you should know about.


Before you enroll in a college, make sure that they have the major you are considering. For pharmacy programs, many universities have whole departments devoted to the subject. If that is the case, then make sure they have the specific branch of pharmacy that interests you.


This is a very important question to ask yourself. Your major should play a big part in the schools you are considering. Not every college may offer the major of your choice, so doing your homework is the first step of the selection process.

The two most prominent types of master levels in pharmacy are: Master of Arts degree (MA degree) in pharmacy and a Master of Science degree (MS degree) in pharmacy. An MA degree normally requires pupils to take fewer concentration courses as well as to focus more on discovering about pharmacy. These students have a little bit more flexibility when it pertains to customizing their education to meet their occupation objectives as well as goals.


The Master of Science degree in pharmacy, on the other hand, is much less concentrated on exploration and even more targeted to a specific focus. Master of Science students, usually, focus specifically on the area of their major and have a tendency to be more career focused. Master's degrees in the clinical field, for example, are most likely to be a Master of Science degree. You can find some sample classes for a doctoral below:

  • Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy
  • The Science of Health Care Delivery
  • Big Data, Genes, and Medicine
  • Drug Commercialization
  • Impacting the Opioid Crisis: Prevention, Education, and Practice for Non-Prescribing Providers
  • Materials in Oral Health
  • Introduction to the Biology of Cancer
  • Population Health: Fundamentals of Population Health Management
  • Case Studies in Personalized Medicine

If you're concerned about the specific graduation rate at each school you're most interested in, the Office of Institutional Research should have that information. According to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Admissions nationwide shows the completion rate for master’s programs at 61%.


This can get very expensive. Students have to pay for additional terms of tuition. Universities and colleges may also penalize students who are taking too long to graduate. So, you need to have a plan that enables you to graduate within two to three years. See an advisor for your major every semester. Take the classes that they tell you are required. Try to take more than just the 9 minimum full-time credits per semester—instead, take 12; if you don't have to work more than 10 to 15 hours a week, try to take more credits if your college permits that. Take summer classes to get ahead (or catch up if you fail a class).


Try not to change degree concentrations. If you're not sure of your specialty major, take just your general education credits and try a few majors you're interested in—take an introductory class for each major and find the one that fits you best.

Accreditation is a very important facet of your career since, if the college you attend is accredited by a reputable association, the doctorate degree you earn from that college will have more value and some employers include this information when evaluating you for employment.


The reason why accreditation is so important is that, without it, it's hard to determine what kind of standards the training programs hold and if they are up to date with technology and innovation.


A college gets accredited voluntarily by an association of their choice. The association will interview and inspect the college thoroughly to see if they meet their standards of everything from cleanliness to academics and, if the college passes the inspection, the association puts their stamp on them as an assurance that they meet all their requirements.


Employers today want only the best of the best working for them. Some businesses are even willing to pay for the education of potential candidates. So, when it comes to degrees, most employers look at the accreditor of the school you earned your degree from, since this says a lot about the kind of education you acquired. If an employer is willing to go so far as to pay for a student's education, imagine what kind of salary they will offer to those holding a degree from a highly reputable association.

Estimates for the costs of a graduate pharmacy degree run from $15,000 to $60,000 per year depending on the university and its tuition charges. For both private and public universities, there may or may not be a difference between in-state vs out-of-state tuition costs. The difference can be remarkable.


Based on all schools and all majors, some estimates that can help guide the student. Data from the College Board and the NCES provide ranges for costs that add tuition, living expenses, and fees into price ranges. Based on 2017 data, the costs of a four-year degree at a public school is in the range of $85,000 for in-state students, $150,000 for out-of-state students, and $190,000 for private school students. When projected to the year 2019 through 2020 one can anticipate an increase in the area of three to four percent. In regards to a graduate or master’s program, FinAid.org reported that the average cost of a two-year doctorate program was between $30,000 and $120,000. These prices seem high of course and in many cases most students are not paying the full amount of tuition because they are receiving financial aid. When applying to the school of your choice also reach out to them to discuss scholarship and grant opportunities to help pay for your doctoral pharmacy education.

When looking for a college program to attend, you need to look at all the potential advantages of a doctoral pharmacy program. Post-graduate job assistance should rank high on the list of important things to consider when selecting where you will enroll. A good job placement program, while it cannot guarantee you a position in pharmacy, will help you make sure you have the best classes and experiences under your belt. That way, you will have the best possible chance of getting the position you want. The time spent in school is a great time to prepare for your future career in pharmacy management. That can begin with a great internship, referral, mentorship, or hire. Schools that offer extensive job placement and career assistance can help you get all those things and more.