As the University counts down to Commencement, UConn Today is featuring some of this year’s outstanding graduating students, nominated by their academic school or college or another University program in which they participated. For additional profiles of students in the Class of 2011, click here.
When Lindsy Murphy came to UConn as a freshman, she had no idea that she would be the first student to complete a new dual degree program designed by the University. And yet today, she prepares to graduate a trailblazer, from both the School of Pharmacy and the School of Business.
The dual degree program merges a pharmacy education with managerial knowledge and skills. Students enrolled in the program spend time in both the School of Pharmacy and the School of Business in order to earn two separate degrees – a Pharm.D. and an MBA – in an abbreviated span of time.
“I love pharmacy, but I come from a family of entrepreneurs,” says Murphy. “I always thought I’d get an MBA at one point or another. When the opportunity presented itself for me to earn both at the same time, I couldn’t help but jump on it.”
A native of Rockland, Mass., Murphy recalls always wanting to study pharmacy: she loved medicine, saw it as a good career choice, and knew that it offered job security. She was, however, apprehensive of going to a specialized university.
“I didn’t know for sure if I’d like it,” she says. “So I chose to come to UConn, where I knew there would be other options for me if I decided pharmacy wasn’t the right fit for me.”
Murphy says there are many benefits of the dual degree program, but one of the most useful is the fact that she was exposed to two very different teaching styles. She says the School of Business helped her develop the ability to work effectively in a group environment in ways that would not have been possible had she stuck solely to pharmacy.
Murphy credits her successful completion of the program to the very supportive faculty in both the School of Pharmacy and the School of Business.
“Dean Robert McCarthy, associate dean Andrea Hubbard, and Professor Marie Smith from the School of Pharmacy were all tremendously helpful,” says Murphy. “They’re very encouraging to their students. They want to help us succeed.”
Following graduation, Murphy is taking a job as a community pharmacist through Target. She plans to participate in the retail chain’s leadership development program, which she hopes will help her move into the more corporate side of pharmacy.
Looking back at her time here, Murphy says, “You know, a lot of people are intimidated by how big of a school UConn is, but I’ve never felt like one of 16,000. At UConn you get the big school experience, alongside the small school sense of community.”
