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PORTLAND, Maine

UNE welcomes inaugural class for its College of Pharmacy

 PORTLAND, Maine - The University of New England hosted a traditional White Coat Ceremony at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland on Friday, September 4, 2009  to welcome the inaugural class for its new College of Pharmacy located on Stevens Avenue in Portland.

Faculty, family and friends witnessed the ceremony which included students pledging the oath of a pharmacist.  UNE received close to 800 applicants for the 100 seats.  One-third of these future pharmacists were UNE Pre-Pharmacy students.

The new College of Pharmacy offers the doctor of pharmacy as the entry-level professional degree that prepares students for careers as pharmacists and/or pharmaceutical scientists.

The Doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree is awarded after successful completion of four years of professional study. A minimum of two years of undergraduate pre-professional education is required for admission, followed by four years of professional studies.

UNE's College of Pharmacy research orientation makes it different from most other pharmacy schools in the country and any other pharmacy school in northern New England.

Last year, the College received a $4 million grant from the Maine Technology Asset Fund established with the $50 million research and development bond approved by voters November 2007.

The grant supported the completion of the research labs designed to facilitate drug discovery and development in UNE's newly constructed College of Pharmacy building on Stevens Ave in Portland.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.