MPJE requirements in Pennsylvania
To be licensed as a pharmacist in Pennsylvania you need an ACPE-accredited PharmD, 1,500 intern hours, and passing scores on the NAPLEX and the Pennsylvania MPJE. Pennsylvania also requires seven hours of Board-approved education for initial licensure, including three on child abuse recognition and reporting.
From the Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy’s licensure snapshot and processing guide on pa.gov. Checked October 12, 2026. Confirm with the Board.
The path for a new graduate
Apply by examination through PALS, Pennsylvania's licensing system. Your school sends the Board your education verification.
Submit a criminal history records check.
Register with NABP and pass both. If you're transferring a NAPLEX score from another state, you register only for the PA MPJE.
An ACPE-accredited PharmD covers the 1,500 hours. Foreign graduates need at least 500 of the hours outside an academic program, in a licensed pharmacy.
Three hours on child abuse recognition and reporting, plus four further Board-approved hours. Licensees must document the child abuse education within a year of licensure.
Already licensed in another state
Pharmacists transferring a license use NABP’s transfer application and must pass the Pennsylvania MPJE, unless their original license predates January 26, 1983. Pennsylvania’s Act 41 also provides a portability route for some out-of-state licensees.
Common questions
Does Pennsylvania use the Uniform MPJE?
No. Pennsylvania uses its own state version of the MPJE, as of NABP’s list.
What does renewal require?
30 contact hours of continuing education every two years, including 2 hours on child abuse recognition and reporting.