Creighton University is expanding its Phoenix health science programs by adding two rapidly growing fields to its existing medical and nursing programs.  

The Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education has approved the addition of Creighton’s Occupational Therapy and Pharmacy programs. Both programs will be offered starting in Fall 2021 at the new Creighton University Health Sciences Campus in Phoenix.

The two new programs will also be part of the recent partnership between Creighton University and Arizona State University with slots in each program reserved for ASU students.

Students in the programs will experience distance learning technology for the instructive portion of the curriculum, with the clinical lab component taught at the Creighton University Phoenix campus.

Creighton’s Occupational Therapy program was ranked #15 by US News and Report in 2020, and the Pharmacy program was ranked as the #3 private program in the country.

“We are excited to be able to expand these important programs to the Phoenix campus and help Arizona meet its growing healthcare needs,” said Evan Robinson, RPh, PhD, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at Creighton University. “These programs are highly successful, with more than 90% of students entering their fields immediately after graduation. The advent of the Occupational Therapy and Pharmacy programs will address the growing shortage of Arizona health care professionals while also sparking significant economic growth throughout the region.”

Under the terms of the agreement between Creighton and ASU, ASU students will receive priority consideration for enrollment. Additionally, ASU will welcome Creighton students to on-campus research projects and supplement instruction at Creighton’s health sciences campus in Phoenix. In return, students enrolled at Creighton University Health Sciences – Phoenix Campus may engage in research activities at ASU facilities under the mentorship of ASU faculty, while ASU faculty will provide basic science instruction for first-year medical students enrolled at Creighton’s Phoenix campus.

 “ASU’s collaboration mindset is opening doors to new opportunities for learners,” said University Provost Mark Searle. “Our alliance with Creighton University creates new and varied pathways that empower ASU students from diverse disciplines to accelerate and apply their knowledge in preparation for careers in high demand health fields.”

Expected to be completed by 2021, Creighton’s new Health Sciences Campus will serve nearly 900 students, invigorating Arizona’s health infrastructure with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists and more — each educated in Creighton’s distinctive Jesuit, Catholic mission of service.

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council estimates Creighton’s expansion will create more than 250 jobs; $124.5 million in personal income; $12 million in tax revenues and more than $300 million in total economic output.  

Creighton’s infusion of health care professionals comes at a crucial time for Arizona, which faces both a boom in population and a shortfall in health care professionals.

Creighton will help face this shortage not just by bringing more health care professionals to the state but keeping them there. Over the past decade, more than 70% of the medical students Creighton has placed in Arizona have remained in-state — with hundreds more on the way over the next decade.

Creighton University, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. It enrolls more than 4,000 undergraduates and more than 4,000 graduate and professional students among nine schools and colleges. No other university its size offers students such a comprehensive academic environment with personal attention from faculty-mentors. Creighton has been top-ranked by U.S. News & World Report for more than 20 years.