How Do I Find the Right ACPE Accreditation Program for My Role?

Updated

ACPE (Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education) organizes its accreditation offerings by audience: Deans/Program Administrators on one side and Learners on the other. If you run or represent a program, you want the administrator pathway covering PharmD accreditation, continuing education provider accreditation, international accreditation, and CPD accreditation. If you are an individual pharmacist or trainee, you want the learner pathway covering Continuing Professional Development and the directory of accredited programs and providers. The sections below map each role to the specific program page and what it is for.

If You Are a Dean or Program Administrator

ACPE lists four accreditation programs aimed at institutions and providers. Match your program type to the entry below.

Your program type ACPE program What it covers
Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program in the U.S. PharmD Accreditation Program Accreditation of PharmD programs against established educational standards in the United States
Provider of continuing pharmacy education Continuing Education Provider Accreditation Program Accreditation of CE providers so they can offer high-quality programs that keep pharmacists current
Pharmacy degree program outside the U.S. International Services Program / International Accreditation Program Evaluation and international accreditation of professional pharmacy degree programs globally
Organization building a CPD framework Continuing Professional Development Program Accreditation supporting a self-directed, ongoing, systematic, outcomes-focused approach to learning
Pharmacy technician education and training program Pharmacy Technician Education Accreditation Collaboration Accreditation delivered in collaboration with ASHP

Two practical notes before you start:

  • PharmD vs. international: the PharmD program is described as U.S.-focused; if your degree program sits outside the United States, start with the International Services Program instead.
  • Technician programs are a joint effort: ACPE accredits pharmacy technician education and training in collaboration with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), so expect a two-organization process rather than an ACPE-only one.

If You Are a Learner

Learners get two entry points rather than accreditation programs to apply for:

  1. Continuing Professional Development (CPD). ACPE describes this as a self-directed, ongoing, systematic, and outcomes-focused approach to learning that integrates into your daily practice. Use this if you want a structured way to plan and record your own professional development rather than simply collecting CE hours.
  2. Domestic Accredited Programs & Providers. A directory of programs and providers that already hold ACPE accreditation. Use this to confirm that a PharmD program or a CE provider you are considering meets ACPE standards.

If your goal is to check whether a school or CE course is accredited, go to the accredited programs and providers listing, not the accreditation application pages.

How to Decide in Under a Minute

Ask one question: are you seeking accreditation for an organization, or looking for accredited education as an individual?

  • Seeking accreditation → administrator pathway; then pick the row in the table above that matches your program type.
  • Looking for education or verification → learner pathway; CPD for your own development plan, the accredited programs and providers list for verification.

The homepage also splits navigation into "I am a Dean/Program Administrator" and "I am a Learner" sections, so the same decision can be made directly from the site's top-level menu.

Common Sticking Points

  • Choosing PharmD when you are outside the U.S. The PharmD program is framed around U.S. educational standards; international degree programs are handled through the International Services Program.
  • Confusing CPD with CE provider accreditation. CE provider accreditation is for organizations that deliver continuing education; CPD is a learning approach available to individual practitioners. They sit on opposite sides of the administrator/learner split.
  • Assuming one process covers technicians. Technician education accreditation is a collaboration with ASHP, so the requirements and contacts differ from the PharmD and CE provider programs.

For anything beyond program selection—fees, timelines, and submission requirements—the individual program pages linked from the ACPE homepage are the authoritative source, since those details are specific to each accreditation type.