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Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs

A program that prepares individuals to apply managerial, social, and economic sciences to the study and management of the distribution and use of pharmaceutical products and the provision of pharmacy services. Includes instruction in research design and methods, statistics, social and organizational behavior, pharmacoeconomics, management of pharmacy services, outcomes research, product planning and reimbursement, cost-benefit analysis, drug marketing, pharmacy and pharmaceutics law and regulation, risk assessment, and organization of the health care system. Examples: [Pharmacy Administration], [Drug Regulatory Affairs], [Drug Regulatory and Quality Compliance], [Pharmacy Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs]

Types of Degrees Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs Majors Are Earning

Those studying Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	145
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Medical condition coding software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs graduates include:

• Medical Assistant Instructor
• Occupational Therapy Teacher
• Surgical Technology Instructor
• Radiologic Technology Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Gynecology Teacher
• Dental Assistant Teacher
• Podiatric Medicine Professor
• Psychiatric Aides Teacher
• Therapy Teacher
• Medicine Teacher
• Health Education Teacher
• First Aid Teacher
• Public Health Professor
• Nutrition Professor

What Can You Do With a Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	32.4%
Bachelor’s degree	20.7%
Doctoral degree	18.9%
Post-doctoral training	15.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.1%
Postsecondary certificate	3.9%
First professional degree	0.9%
Some college courses	0.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.7% of Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	106	70.7%
Men	44	29.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	38	25.3%
Asian	32	21.3%
Hispanic or Latino	8	5.3%
Black or African American	17	11.3%
Two or More Races	8	5.3%
Race Unknown	4	2.7%
International Students	43	28.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$100,486
4 years	$129,383
5 years	$140,029

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $140,029 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	2	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Pharmacy Admin & Regulatory Affairs graduates earn a median of $129,383 four years after completion — roughly 240% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Health, General	25,004
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	18,055
Pharmacy	12,167
Public Health, Other	2,803
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	2,571
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other	1,079
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences	1,000
Pharmaceutics and Drug Design	603
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development	244
Advanced General Dentistry	238
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry	185
Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy	181

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.