BEFORE STARTING YOUR APPLICATION - Call 267-468-8559 or qara2@temple.edu.
We welcome your application. Please send them directly to our office to avoid them getting lost:
Temple University School of Pharmacy - Applications
Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Graduate Program
425 Commerce Drive, Suite 175
Fort Washington, PA 19034
Please call our office first for important information on how to apply. If you apply before receiving your undergraduate degree, submit wrong forms, or use inconsistent names on your application, you may have to pay for two application fees and two WES reports.
ELIGIBILITY
The GRE exam is not required for admission. Click here for more information.
1. All applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree in the sciences. Temple must have formal proof that your undergraduate degree was received. You should not apply until you have finished your undergraduate degree.
2. All applicants must have a GPA (grade point average) of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in any earned academic degree (bachelor's, master's, or doctoral programs) as shown on a course-by-course WES or ECE evaluation.
Applicants who did not attain a 3.0 GPA may seek admittance by taking three RAQA courses before applying and earning a B+ or higher in all three courses. One of the courses must be Food and Drug Law (5592).
3. The TOEFL is required (minimum score of 85 IBT). The IELTS is also accepted (minimum score of 6.5).
4. Call 267.468.8559 or email 2NEND+ryczrg+hqr to determine your eligibility to apply. Please have photo copies of your course-by-course WES and TOEFL scores available.
DEADLINES - INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Admission for Fall Semester: Complete Applications of students living outside the U.S. must be received by April 30. Complete Applications of students living in the U.S. must be received by July 1.
Admission for Spring Semester: Complete Applications of students living outside the U.S. must be received by September 1. Complete Applications of students living inside the U.S. must be received by November 1.
Admission for Summer Semester: Complete Applications of students living outside the U.S. must be received by January 15. Complete Applications of students living inside the U.S. must be received by March 1.
These deadlines provide students with sufficient time to obtain visas for study in the U.S.
BEFORE APPLYING
The correct address for submitting application materials for the MS in RAQA is:
Temple University School of Pharmacy - attn. Applications
Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance Graduate Program
425 Commerce Drive, Suite 175
Fort Washington, PA 19034, U.S.A.
If you have used different names in school records (i.e., a maiden name at an undergraduate school), you must include a letter indicating all names (and spellings) you have used.
Before submitting any application materials, please call 267.468.8559 to discuss your eligibility for the RAQA MS program. If you are eligible to apply, you do not need to send all application materials together; however, we cannot open a file for you until you send the application form and application fee. Start your application with these two items.
Questions regarding your application file should be directed to:
267.468.8559 [click-for-email] or Sophon Din 215.707.4849 tuspgrad@temple.edu
Questions regarding your acceptance to the MS in RAQA should be directed to:
Graduate Studies Office 215.707.4972 [click-for-email]
APPLICATION PROCESS
The complete application consists of:
1. The Application Form and application fee ($75.00). The fee is payable by check made out to Temple University.
2. A signed copy of your current resume or CV.
3. A statement of your professional goals and objectives.
4. TOEFL (Testing of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS.
Applicants to the Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance graduate program must be fluent in written and spoken English. RAQA students make oral presentations and write papers in their graduate courses. The pharmaceutical industry uses a specialized regulatory language which contains acronyms and unique terminology. Industry regulatory and quality positions require strong written and oral language skills.
TOEFL scores should be sent to Temple University, Code 2906.
- The minimum scores that Temple accepts for the TOEFL are:
- 585 for the paper version (PBT)
- 230 for the computer version (CBT)
- 85 for the Internet-based version (IBT).
You must achieve the minimum TOEFL score for your application to be considered. There are no exceptions. Even if you have reached the minimum TOEFL score, you may be required to participate in a live interview with the Temple administration as part of your application. A minimum of 6.5 is required for the IELTS. The TOEFL is preferred.
Exceptions for submitting the TOEFL are permitted only if: 1) the student has earned a degree in an English-speaking country; 2) the student has completed a degree from an accredited school in the United States. Individual courses, certificates, or portions of a degree program will not be considered. There are no other exceptions.
5. Course-by-course evaluations by WES of any transcripts earned outside of the U.S.
Please do not apply until you have received your undergraduate degree. If you apply before you receive your undergraduate degree, your application will be rejected.
Using WES (a Credential Evaluation Service) facilitates the application process. The process takes approximately one week and costs close to $200. WES results may also be used for other purposes in the U.S., such as verification for employers.
WES evaluations must be original, unopened documents that are sent directly to Temple University and say "Control Examination." Photocopies or opened originals are not accepted.
When ordering the evaluation from WES, please stipulate that you need:
1) a full report showing all courses taken;
2) the GPA equivalent for the courses taken; and
3) the degree equivalent in the U.S.
All of this information is needed, since your credentials must demonstrate that you earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree, and you earned the equivalent of a U.S. GPA of 3.0.
Temple accepts transcript evaluations only from agencies listed by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (www.naces.org), including ECE.
Temple University offers foreign credentials evaluation service on a limited basis from mid-January through April. The process takes several months. If you plan to use Temple's foreign credentials evaluation service, submit your application at least 90 days before the stated deadlines.
6. Official transcripts from any undergraduate or graduate schools you may have attended in the U.S. (if applicable).
- Official transcripts for all U.S. undergraduate and graduate schools you attended are required, even if you just took one course and transferred those credits to another institution. If you do not include all transcripts, you will delay your application.
- Official transcripts must be ordered from a school’s Registrar and bear an official seal. They must be sent from a Registrar’s Office (or outside transcript vendor, such as Getmytranscript.com) directly to the RAQA Office in a sealed envelope. Photocopies and opened originals are not accepted.
7. An official hard copy transcript from Temple University for any RAQA courses you have taken (if applicable).
- Order Temple U transcripts from a company called Parchment, following these instructions:
8. Two letters of recommendation.
- Recommendations must be a written letter or use the Graduate School's standardized form. Hard copies are required. We cannot accept faxed letters or emails.
- Letters must:
- 1) Be on official stationery or company letterhead;
- 2) Contain COMPLETE contact information of the person giving the reference, including company name, address, and phone number;
- 3) Not exceed 2 pages;
- 4) Address how well the applicant will perform in Graduate School. (Does the candidate finish things that are started? Is the applicant intellectually curious? Is the candidate likely to succeed in an industry career? Will the advanced degree in RAQA help meet that goal? Is the applicant motivated and capable of handling graduate-level courses while juggling responsibilities at work?)
Letters that are not on official stationery and that do not contain contact information will not be accepted.
Once accepted into the MS in RAQA, international students are responsible for paying additional fees. For the current list, contact Temple's Office of International Student and Scholar Services (click Future Students, then Fees and Tuition.) There is also a one-time matriculation fee.
PROCESS FOR APPLICATION REVIEW
Once you have finished submitting all materials for your application, contact Jean Westbrook (267.468.8559 or [click-for-email]) to verify that your file is complete.
The Admissions Committee will only review complete applications. The review takes a minimum of 6 weeks.
If you do not complete your application by the stated deadlines, you must request that your application be rolled over for consideration for the following semester. If you do not complete your application during that second semester, it will be rejected, which will be on your permanent record. You will then need to re-apply and pay the application fee again.
BRINGING TRANSFER CREDITS TO THE RAQA GRADUATE PROGRAM
The School of Pharmacy does not accept transfer credits from international schools offering Regulatory Affairs and/or Quality Assurance undergraduate or graduate programs.
The School of Pharmacy does not accept transfer credits for courses in international business or business management.
The School of Pharmacy does not award transfer credits or waive required courses for past experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
GRE News
The GRE exam is not required for admission into the RAQA program or the non-thesis MS in Pharmaceutics program for students who earned a 3.0 Undergraduate GPA.
After reviewing years of data on graduates, we have come to the conclusion that the GRE, although a useful indicator for some academic programs, does not accurately predict the success of students pursuing a professional master's curriculum such as Temple's Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance graduate program. This new ruling will also apply to students who wish to pursue the non-thesis MS in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Sciences.
If a student did not attain a 3.0 GPA or higher at the undergraduate level, that individual may be considered for admission after taking three RAQA graduate courses (or 9 semester hours) and earning a minimum grade of B+ or higher in each of the three courses. One of the courses must be Food and Drug Law (5592). For more information, please see the Applying link.
To be considered for admission to the Master of Science in RAQA, you must:
- Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher learning in the U.S.
- Furnish official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate schools attended (even if you took just one course, which was subsequently transferred to another school).
- Have an undergraduate grade point average (U-GPA) of at least 3.0 (4.0 scale). Students who do not have an U-GPA of 3.0 should refer to the alternative path discussed below.*
- Submit at least two (2) letters of recommendation.
- Submit a statement of goals and objectives of 300 words or more.
- Submit a signed copy of your CV or resume.
- Applicants whose native language is not English must submit a TOEFL score.
- Students who attended institutions abroad must submit official transcripts plus a course-by-course evaluation from WES.
- Students may submit results from advanced placement tests (GREs, GMATs, MCATs, LSATs, etc.), to enhance their application, but the scores are not required.
Submitting these materials does not guarantee admission. Members of the Graduate Admissions Committee will review all applications and make offers of admissions based on the above criteria. However, it is possible that other factors may be considered.