Coogs on the Rise

UHCOP Climbs to 31st in US News & World Report's Latest Rankings of Nation's 'Best Pharmacy Schools'

March 17 — The University of Houston College of Pharmacy has climbed to 31st in the nation among the 134 ranked programs comprising the "2021 Best Pharmacy Schools" rankings released March 17 by US News & World Report.

USNWR updates its rankings every four years. UHCOP was ranked 44th place in the 2017 rankings, 48th in the 2013 rankings and 51st in the 2009 rankings.

According to the USNWR website, the ranking methodology is based on survey responses of academics at peer institutions, with respondents rating "the academic quality of programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding)." For the newly released results, the organization surveyed programs offering Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education in fall 2019 and early 2020.

UHCOP Dean F. Lamar Pritchard, Ph.D., R.Ph., cited several factors that likely accounted for the college's steady rise in the rankings. Among these factors are:

• Completion of the college's new 138,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art academic and research facility in Health 2 on the UH campus;
• Consistently high first-time pass rates on the North American Pharmacy Licensure Examination (NAPLEX), including state-best results for the past three consecutive years;
• Increased research funding, including a 217% increase from Fiscal Year 2013 to Fiscal Year 2018 (ranking 23rd in the nation by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy);
• Recruitment of innovative translational researchers to further strengthen the college's existing highly productive faculty; and
• An array of national awards, honors and leadership positions to students and faculty members.

"We're very proud of the recognition from our peers of the great strides the college has made in all areas, especially in the education and training of practice-ready pharmacists and the discovery and development of life-saving novel drugs and drug targets by our faculty and graduate students," Pritchard said. "We're grateful for the support and hard work of our students, faculty, university administration and alumni as well as our community and institutional partners in continuously striving to position the college to provide the best possible care and health outcomes for our patients and communities, as well as providing an impactful cutting-edge research program."