German Pharmacy Graduate - FPGEE Eligible?

**gyro24** · 01-18-2011, 04:48 AM

I am researching for my German girlfriend, who is a pharmacy student, currently in her 3rd semester at Freiburg University in Germany. The degree is 5 years long, including 1 year of internship before being officially licensed.

We have read everything there is to read on the NABP, ECE, and State board websites, and we have sent dozens of emails. However, we still cannot figure out whether or not she will really be eligible for the FPGEE, and the work load is honestly too much to bear without being assured that the degree can transfer.

It may be of note that the university also offers a bachelors program for pharmacy, and she is in the level above that.

Are there any German graduates that can help, or anyone that may know of a way to get an early evaluation?

Thanks

(SUMMARY: German pharmacy grad post-2003 eligible for FPGEE?)

**fpgeeLA** · 01-18-2011, 06:20 AM

Hi,
I'm sorry, I didn't get your question. Does your girlfriend want to move here after she's done studying in Germany or before? I studied in Germany and I'm preparing to take the test in April. From what I understood, I don't think she'll be able to take the test earlier because they require a license. But again, I'm not 100% sure. I hope that could help.

**gyro24** · 01-18-2011, 03:55 PM

Sorry, I left out my main point--you're right, her plan is to come to the United States after she finishes getting her license in Germany. She's willing to put up with the work for the next 3 and a half years if she just knows she'll be able to be eligible for the FPGEE.

So you're saying you got your pharmacy degree in Germany, as in a program similar to the one I described? If so, that's great news. She has her Abitur (highest level high school degree in Germany), but we don't think that will count as "A-levels," or anything similar--she went straight from high school into this pharmacy program (which, again, is 5 years long, including a 1 year internship, 8 weeks of internships between semesters, labs between semesters, etc). So my main goal is to see if we can find someone who has been through the same education and been evaluated by the ECE as being eligible to take the FPGEE.

Thanks so much for the help, as well as any other info you've got.

(also, I'm assuming you graduated after 2003?)

**lyrai** · 01-25-2011, 11:27 AM

Hi gyro24!

I guess it's confusing for you because the way to get a pharmD in the US is a little bit different, but all around Europe (what i know) it's almost the same. Her 5 year degree is totally fine, if that degree is the one she would need to practice as a retail/hospital pharmacist in Germany.

As for the FPGEE... she could start doing all the paperwork once she gets all the official papers she needs (transcript, certificate, registration), what might take a few weeks after she passes all her tests. Considering that you should send the documents to the ECE and NABP over a month before the test date... you can do your own calculations on when she would be able to take the FPGEE.

**Sinikka** · 08-11-2011, 12:31 AM

Hi there!

I am also a pharmacy student from Europe (Finland) and I got curious about this 5 years degree in Germany. I hold master's degree in Pharmacy (or will in 6 months yayy!!) and so I will be in the same situation as your gf. It is ridicilous that European pharmacist could not take a part to FPGEE and so I think this 5 years Master's degree should be enough.

Did you get any answer from NABP about the issue? Did they show her green light? I never got a straight answer. The nice thing is that we live really close to Canadian border and so my degree will be with 100% sure be enough in Canada.

In Finland you first need to get a bachelor's degree in pharmacy (3 years) and then 2 more years and you will gain Master's degree (3+2). Only the person with Master's degree can own and operate pharmacy in Finland. There are of course pharm. techs too and the people with the degree of bachelor of pharmacy can sell drugs, but can never own or manage a pharmacy.

**Sinikka** · 08-11-2011, 12:35 AM

Hey there,
What degree do you hold again? Master's degree in Pharmacy or Bachelor's? Seems like you went thru the system nicely. NABP does not give any straight answers

**Sinikka** · 08-11-2011, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by fpgeeLA

Hi,
I'm sorry, I didn't get your question. Does your girlfriend want to move here after she's done studying in Germany or before? I studied in Germany and I'm preparing to take the test in April. From what I understood, I don't think she'll be able to take the test earlier because they require a license. But again, I'm not 100% sure. I hope that could help.

Hey there,
What degree do you hold again? Master's degree in Pharmacy or Bachelor's? Seems like you went thru the system nicely. NABP does not give any straight answers

**fpgeeLA** · 08-16-2011, 07:01 PM

Hi,
Not sure if you're asking me but its a considered a Bachelors of Pharmacy

**gyro24** · 08-22-2011, 05:47 AM

We never managed to get any kind of a straight answer from the NABP. They sent us to someone else, who sent us to someone else, who sent us back to NABP. It's a very frustrating system. But we did manage to find a girl who said she had done her studies in Munster, and she had been approved to take the FPGEE. That's honestly as much as we could hope to find. If anyone else has experience with studying pharmacy in Germany and being eligible to sit for the tests in the US, good news would always be appreciated. And by the way, she's sitting for her national halfway exams this week, so there's still a long way to go. It would just be good to know early whether or not it's worth going through the torture that is German pharmacy school.

Thanks for all the replies!