The colleges of pharmacy in every university in Korea are going to adopt a six-year curriculum in order to put more emphasis on pharmaceutical education. Because of the change decided by Korean Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, every college of pharmacy in Korea is not going to admit freshmen from 2009 to 2010. As a result of the curriculum change, many universities including Ewha, announced its new admission plan in February.
From 2011, students who want to enter the pharmacology program are required to complete at least two-year prerequisite program in their universities. Any student who completed at least two-year at their university can apply for the College of Pharmacy regardless their major and age. After getting accepted to the pharmacology department, students will have to complete a four-year program in Pharmacology. The applicants are required to take a Pharmacy Education Eligibility Test (PEET) which includes Verbal, Quantitative, Math, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics section. The test is expected to start from August 2010. Students also need to score well on internationally authorized English tests such as TOEFL and TOEIC.
Further, they have to take certain classes that each university requires. College of Pharmacy at Ewha requires students to take 60 credits including three compulsory subjects which worth three credit each. The mandatory subjects are Math and two from general chemistry, general biology and general physics.
Park Hye-young, the chief of the College of Pharmacy, said that Korea long needed such change of curriculum for effective training of pharmacists.
“In four-year pharmacy program, students have little time to receive practical education during their school days because students are literally so busy digging into books burdened with liberal arts subjects and prerequisites,” said Park. “Most colleges of pharmacy worldwide adopt six year program for this reason. It was a high time for this change and thus desirable.”
Ewha will have a continual release of up-to-date information regarding the admission at the Office of Admission website