The School of Pharmacy holds a trail blazing reputation within the College of Health Sciences and a prestigious position as the leading seat of Pharmacy education within the Caribbean region.
Its humble beginnings date back to 1962 when the then College of Arts and Technology (CAST), through its Science Department, trained Pharmacists in Jamaica and the Caribbean at a Diploma level. A higher level of Pharmacy education and training was later introduced through the Bachelor of Pharmacy course of study. This gained tremendous success and with the growing market demand and emerging need to address the chronic shortage of critically needed health care professionals, a wider array of undergraduate and postgraduate health-related courses of study became essential.
Today, the School boasts a multi-cultural population of approximately four hundred (400) students who are engaged by a cadre of highly skilled academic professionals in one of our five (5) programme offerings: Certificate in Pharmacy Technician, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Master of Philosophy in Pharmaceutics/Pharmaceutical Technology, Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutics/Pharmaceutical Technology and the Doctor of Pharmacy. Additionally, since 2008, we have been enjoying an active franchise agreement with the College of the Bahamas to train pharmacists for the Bahamian Health sector.
Our mission, vision and traditions provide a rich foundation and experience for the students at the University of Technology, Jamaica. The students are inspired to express their potential and reach their personal goals. We pride ourselves on offering intensive and engaging pharmacy educational programmes that are relevant and applicable to the growing international demands, discoveries and developments within the Pharmaceutical Industry.
As UTech's School of Pharmacy, embarks on its journey into its fifty first year, we will continue to engage our stakeholders and develop further collaborations with other reputable educational institutions locally and internationally. The Pharmacy Council of Jamaica (PCJ), the Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica (PSJ), the pharmaceutical companies, other educational institutions, private pharmacies and the UTech Pharmacy Alumni have collaborated and supported us over the years. It is through these alliances that we have been able to remain current and responded positively to the demands of the pharmaceutical industry and the health sector in general.
Deepest gratitude must be expressed to those who laid the foundation for the school's growth and development. We will honour their legacy by not only continuing to training competent pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists for the Caribbean but also to introduced new courses of study and further develop our research capacity in an effort to positively affect the health and productivity of our country and region.