FPGEC/NABP Evaluation Criteria for Foreign Pharmacy Education 

Below are the main criteria we use to evaluate pharmacy education programs completed outside the United States. Please note that these criteria are not necessarily exhaustive and that other factors and circumstances may affect the results of particular evaluations.

The criteria described below are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an evaluation or a promise regarding the results of any particular evaluation. Education is dynamic, and our research is ongoing; therefore, the criteria are subject to change without notice.

What ECE Reviews for NABP/FPGEC Evaluations

ECE considers whether the pharmacy school is officially recognized as a degree-granting institution, whether the professional pharmacy curriculum meets the applicable program-length requirement, whether required pre-pharmacy study is part of the established educational pathway, whether the program includes appropriate pharmacy coursework that meets the minimum common curriculum requirements of pharmacy programs in the United States, whether the degree is the qualification used for pharmacist licensure or authorization to practice in that country, and whether admission requirements are the same for all students – if they are not, only the least stringent requirements are considered.

Criteria to determine whether or not a foreign postsecondary pharmacy school has the United States equivalence of regional academic accreditation:

• It is officially recognized as a degree-granting institution by the authorities who have jurisdiction over tertiary education in the country in which it operates; and
•  Its degrees merit reciprocal recognition by other educational institutions in the same country or region, and the individual courses within the degree programs merit transfer of credit or exemption from requirements when a student enrolls in a degree program at another educational institution in the same country or region.

Criteria to determine whether or not a foreign postsecondary pharmacy educational curriculum meets the applicable four-year or five-year professional degree requirement of the FPGEC Certification Program:

• One year of full-time academic work at a foreign pharmacy school meets the one year of full-time academic work requirement of the FPGEC.
• The official defined length of the pharmacy educational curriculum and the full-time study requirement are defined by the country and/or pharmacy school that offers the program.
• Previous studies will not increase or decrease the official defined length of the foreign pharmacy educational curriculum. For example, the official defined length of the pharmacy educational curriculum in Pharmacy School A is four years for the Bachelor of Pharmacy program. If Pharmacy School A also offers an optional two-year diploma in pharmacy, and the School admits students with the two-year diploma in pharmacy into the second year of the Bachelor of Pharmacy program, the official defined length of the pharmacy educational curriculum remains four years in length. Acceptance of the diploma in pharmacy does not add two years or one year to the four-year official defined length of the pharmacy educational curriculum.
• Postsecondary coursework that is mandated for all pharmacy students, and that is required for admission to the foreign university or the foreign pharmacy program at the university, will be evaluated for consideration in determining whether the foreign post-secondary pharmacy educational curriculum meets the applicable four-year or five-year professional degree requirement of the FPGEC Certification Program.
• The foreign degree program must confer the qualification that is required for licensure and/or authorization to practice as a pharmacist in the country that it was offered.
• The foreign degree program must contain at least the minimum of the common curriculum requirements of other pharmacy programs in the United States.
• Requirements for admission to a foreign pharmacy school or college of pharmacy should be the same for all students. If the requirements are not the same, only the least stringent set of requirements for admission to the foreign pharmacy school or college of pharmacy is considered.