JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State University is expanding early admission opportunities for ETSU undergraduates who want to attend Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy.

The university recently approved a new 3+1 degree completion program for biology and chemistry majors in the College of Arts and Sciences and health sciences majors in the College of Public Health.

The 3+1 program allows students in these majors to matriculate after three years to Gatton College of Pharmacy, if accepted, and complete their Bachelor of Science in their respective majors after successful completion of their first year in the PharmD program.

“We are excited to partner with the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Public Health to offer this opportunity to help students get an early start on their pharmacy education,” said Dr. Debbie Byrd, dean of Gatton College of Pharmacy.

In the past two years, nearly two dozen students in the College of Public Health have been accepted into pharmacy schools.

“Many students choose a major in the College of Public Health with the specific goal of gaining knowledge and experiences that will prepare them for careers in pharmacy,” said Dr. Randy Wykoff, dean of the College of Public Health. “This program will allow these students to pursue their dreams even sooner, while still allowing them to complete their education in the College of Public Health.”

Biology and chemistry have also proven to be majors that students choose to lay the groundwork for their graduate education in pharmacy.

“We are fortunate to have a nationally recognized college of pharmacy here at ETSU, so the 3+1 program was a natural way to create an expedited path for our biology and chemistry majors who want to remain here for their pharmacy education,” said Dr. Gordon Anderson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

In addition to the 3+1 degree completion program, Gatton College of Pharmacy created an Early Admission Pathway earlier this year. This program is for high school seniors choosing to attend ETSU or current ETSU freshmen who can apply to be accepted directly into Gatton College of Pharmacy through the Early Admission Pathway. Students may earn both a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy studies and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) in six years, participate in the new 3+1 degree completion programs in biology, chemistry and health sciences over seven years, or matriculate to Gatton College of Pharmacy with a traditional four-year degree.

To learn more about the 3+1 degree completion program, email youngdc@etsu.edu (health sciences) or eddem@etsu.edu (biology and chemistry). More information about Gatton College of Pharmacy’s Early Admission Pathway is available at www.etsu.edu/RxEarlyAdmit.