Senior VP of Academics Dr. William Cario shakes hands with Edgewood College Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Dean Pribbenow after a May 23 signing agreement.
Concordia University Wisconsin’s School of Pharmacy has signed an agreement with Edgewood College that streamlines students’ pathway to receiving an undergraduate degree and doctor of pharmacy degree from the two institutions.
Concordia’s 3+4 Dual Degree agreement with the Madison-based liberal arts school articulates that students may complete three years of undergraduate coursework at Edgewood College and, with successful admission into the Pharm.D. program at CUW, earn a Bachelor of Science in chemistry: pharmacy concentration from Edgewood after successful completion of the first year of pharmacy school at Concordia.
In other words, students now have the opportunity to receive degrees from both institutions in fewer years than what it would take to bypass the dual degree program.
“These kinds of partnerships are mutually beneficial for private, liberal arts institutions such as our own,” said Senior VP of Academics Dr. William Cario. “I hope that Concordia can continue to seize opportunities of this sort as they come along.”
The two institutions officially entered into partnership on Tuesday, May 23, during a signing luncheon that was attended by administrators from both campuses. Among the attendees were Cario and the School of Pharmacy’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Dr. Michael Brown, as well as Edgewood’s Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Dean Pribbenow, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Dr. John Fields and Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Christine Benedict.
“I truly believe the way of the future for institutions like Edgewood and Concordia is not to retrench but to actively pursue and invest in educational partnerships, and the partnership that we have formed today is one great example of that effort,” said Pribbenow. “These types of partnerships show that we are responding to the interest of our students and the needs of the times, and they allow us to leverage our own distinct missions and academic programs.”
School of Pharmacy administrators say they aim to continue forging more partnerships of this kind with other institutions across the state. Already, a similar agreement has been signed with Alverno College.
The same opportunity is also available to students interested in a CUW undergraduate experience. With Concordia’s own 3+4 program, the typical student would complete three years of undergraduate coursework, core requirements and general elective requirements at Concordia, followed by four years of Doctor of Pharmacy coursework. A Bachelor of Science in pharmaceutical sciences would be awarded after the first year of the Doctor of Pharmacy coursework, with a Pharm.D. degree awarded three years later.
“We’re proud to develop the pharmacists of tomorrow, who put service to patients and their communities as their top priority,” says Brown. “We are privileged to partner with programs that share this mission and commitment.”
— This story is written by Kali Thiel, director of university communications for Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. She may be reached at kali.thiel@cuw.edu or 262-243-2149.
If this story has inspired you, why not explore how you can help further Concordia's mission through giving.