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Dr. Mariano Que College of Pharmacy


Dr. Mariano Que College of Pharmacy


The Dr. Mariano Que College of Pharmacy, is one of the ten degree-granting colleges of the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI). It offers the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) program, which is a four-year baccalaureate degree program intended for students with career prospects in various, dynamic fields of the pharmaceutical profession. The program received its ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance Certification on September 6, 2021. Graduates of the program are provided with a comprehensive training that leads to a career in a wide range of pharmacy practice—community pharmacy and public health, hospital and clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutical technology and manufacturing, pharmaceutical regulatory industry, drug discovery and development, and related pharmaceutical sciences.

The Dr. Mariano Que College of Pharmacy aims to nurture its students to become globally competent, research-oriented, Lasallian pharmacists committed to working harmoniously with other health providers in achieving the highest quality of life and equity in health for the Filipino people.

The current shift in the responsibility of in-patient drug administration from nurses to clinical pharmacists has led to the higher demand of pharmacists in the Philippines and around the world. Stricter regulations requiring pharmacists in drug establishments and the recent growth of chain drugstores and pharmaceutical companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of drugs, devices, food supplements, and cosmetics have created a lot of employment opportunities for pharmacists. There is also an increasing demand for pharmacists abroad due to changes in health care practices resulting from patient safety initiatives that are recommended by the Joint Commission International. These opportunities consequent to the constantly evolving nature of the practice of pharmacy are central to the establishment of the BS Pharmacy program in DLSMHSI.

With a total of 201 credit units, the program offers a good mix of general education courses having relevant applications in the profession of pharmacy and professional courses. Foundation (pre-professional) courses in pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutics, and the life sciences enhance the understanding of pharmaceutical product development and their applications in pharmacy practice; whereas, professional courses prepare the students to acquire competencies necessary in the workplace. To keep abreast with the external environment and the expanding roles of pharmacists, specialized courses are also added to the current curriculum: namely, Drug Discovery and Development, Cosmetic Product Development, Social and Administrative Pharmacy, Health Technology Assessment and Health Policy (with Pharmacoeconomics), and Public Health Pharmacy (with Pharmacoepidemiology). The curriculum design includes pre-requisites and co-requisites to guarantee sequence, continuity, and articulation in the program. Year-level outcomes are also used as framework in the curriculum design.

Internships (or supervised pharmacy practice experience) covering a minimum of 1,200 hours are taken in the last year of study. This gives assurance that the students have the expected competencies of a pharmacist in different fields of practical training. During the course of the internship, the student-interns are exposed to a variety of opportunities in CHED-accredited pharmacy practice areas that prepare them for the different roles of a professional pharmacist. Evolving with the emerging roles of pharmacists, internships currently require students to be exposed in Institutional Pharmacy and Public Health and Regulatory Pharmacy, in addition to the traditional practice areas, such as Community Pharmacy, Hospital Pharmacy, and Industrial Pharmacy. The program also incorporates 12 units of institutional courses in religious education and inter-professional education, and 3 units of Competency Appraisal and Remediation.

The Dr. Mariano Que College of Pharmacy has moved to its new building in July 2018, donated by its major partner and donor, Mercury Drug Corporation. It boasts of top of the line laboratory equipment and facilities that complements its teaching and research operations. The College is proud of the achievements of its alumni in the Pharmacy Licensure Examination (PhLE). The premiere batch obtained a 100% passing rate in March 2019, placing the College as the 1st rank among the top performing schools in Category B (with 15 – 49 examinees). The exemplary performance of the alumni in the licensure examination has consistently placed the College as a top performing pharmacy school in June 2021 (4th) and April 2022 (2nd). In its brief existence, the College has already produced two topnotchers in the November 2021 and  April 2022 PhLE, a testament of its dedication to build a culture of excellence.