Rochester Christian University and Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, have entered into an articulation and transfer agreement designed to streamline the path for students pursuing careers in pharmacy.
The agreement, finalized in December 2025, allows qualified RCU students to be considered for admission to Lipscomb’s Doctor of Pharmacy program while completing a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a pre-pharmacy emphasis at RCU.
Pharmacists play a critical role in patient care, medication management and drug research, and the profession continues to offer opportunities across clinical, research and community settings.
Under the partnership, students begin their undergraduate coursework at RCU and apply to Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy at the beginning of their third year. Admission to the PharmD program is competitive and determined by Lipscomb’s admissions committee.
The agreement also enables students who are admitted and complete their first professional year in the PharmD program to transfer designated course credits back to RCU. Those credits can be used to fulfill the remaining requirements for the bachelor’s degree in health sciences.
“This partnership gives students a clear, structured, and streamlined pathway into pharmacy school while maintaining flexibility and strong academic advising.” Dr. David Brackney, dean of RCU’s School of Natural Sciences and Behavioral Sciences.
To be eligible for consideration, RCU students must meet Lipscomb’s admissions requirements and earn a grade of C or better in a prescribed set of courses. The curriculum includes foundational coursework in biology, chemistry and mathematics, such as general biology, microbiology, organic chemistry, statistics, and a senior capstone project.
The agreement reflects a growing trend among universities to create clear transfer and articulation pathways that reduce students’ uncertainty and help them move efficiently toward professional degrees.
For more information about the new agreement, contact Dr. David Brackney at dbrackney@rcu.edu. For details about Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy, go to www.lipscomb.edu/pharmacy.
