Admissions & Requirements

Executive Sports Pharmacy Certificate

The USC Mann School’s executive sports pharmacy certificate is designed to train and equip pharmacists to advise and support athletes in making optimal choices regarding effective clinical drug and nutritional supplement options while ensuring compliance with the rules of the World Anti-Doping Code, sports federations and national anti-doping agencies.

This program is offered for both pharmacists as well as students actively enrolled in a pharmacy program. This is a four-course executive certificate program with two online courses, one hybrid course that is mostly online, but has a full weekend of assessment training. Additionally, the program requires a thesis course that may be substituted by experiential education.

Program Learning Objectives

At the completion of this certificate program, the participants should be able to:

  1. Describe the roles and responsibilities of a sports pharmacist and an Athletic Support Personnel (ASP) in an Athletic Medicine team.
  2. Provide pharmaceutical care using the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process model (Collect, Assess, Plan, Implement & Follow-up) to guide athletes in appropriate and optimal use of medications and supplements.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge and skills on the governance and laws in the proper use of medications and supplements while avoid misuse and abuse of substances.

Required Coursework

The courses in this certification program do not have prerequisite requirements. These courses may be delivered in-person, online, or in a hybrid format. 

  1. Sports and Dietary Supplements (20 hours, online)
  2. Sports Pharmacy (30 hours, online)
  3. Focused Sports Physical Assessments and Drug Management (20 hours, online + 16 hours, in-person)
  4. Thesis Course in Sports Pharmacy (30 hours, online) or Sports Pharmacy training in one of the following areas:
    1. Interprofessional Sports Pharmacy Ambulatory Care
    2. Athlete-Focused Community Pharmacy Practice
    3. Sports Pharmacy Advanced Pharmacy Practice Elective
    4. Sports Pharmacy Non-Traditional Advanced Pharmacy Elective

Admissions Requirements

  • Complete an online application
  • Submit two letters of recommendation from professionals or professors familiar with your capabilities and achievements
  • Submit your most up-to-date resume
  • Submit a personal statement that addresses your interest in the degree
  • Candidates must hold a pharmacist or intern pharmacist license. Those wanting to complete the Sports Pharmacy training option must have a license from the state of California.

English Proficiency

If your bachelor’s degree was earned in a non-English speaking country and you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you will need to submit scores from an official TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System). Please note that even if you are from an English-speaking country, you may still need to submit scores. We require that you have verification of the following scores within two years of your intended enrollment:

  • An Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) score of 100 with no less than 20 on each sub-score; or
  • An IELTS of 7 with no less than 6 on each band score.

If your native language is English and/or you have a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university, you are exempt from this examination.

Frequently Asked Questions

The curriculum includes two courses that are fully online courses with live dsicussion sessions, which are scheduled to be on Monday afternoons and evenings.

The course in focused sports physical assessments and drug management has one required weekend of in-person assessment training in Los Angeles. 

The curriculum includes two courses that are fully online courses with live discussion sessions, which are scheduled to be on Monday afternoons and evenings.

The course in focused sports physical assessments and drug management has one required weekend of in-person assessment training in Los Angeles. 

The cost is $7,500 upon admission. Practicing pharmacists can earn up to 30 ACPE continuing education credits.
 

The program is scheduled to start on January 13, 2025. Classes will end on March 24, 2025.

Current USC Mann PharmD students may be accepted into the sports pharmacy area of concentration. Typically, students can complete these requirements under their tuition.

Yes, students from universities or colleges other than USC may apply to earn a certificate in sports pharmacy.

The program is capped at 30 participants whose qualifications are best aligned with success in the program.