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Students who desire a career that pays well should consider the average pharmacy administration salary. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not list a specific salary for pharmacy administrators, pharmacists earned a median annual salary of $109,180 in 2009, which works out to an hourly wage of $52.49. Top-paying states for pharmacists include California, Maine, Alabama, Minnesota, and Alaska, all of which pay mean annual salaries of over $113,000.

Often, pharmacists who become pharmacy administrators either have experience and extra business training under their belt, or they are administrators because they are the owner of their particular pharmacy. Becoming a pharmacy administrator, however, takes rigorous training and testing.

Pharmacy Administration Salary: The Training Behind the Lucrative Career

Pharmacy administrators typically combine a pharmaceutical degree with business savvy or a business degree. To become a pharmacist, it is necessary to become licensed by earning a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from a college of pharmacy and passing several exams.

After earning a PharmD degree, which typically takes about four years and can be started after completing a few years of college, aspiring pharmacists must pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX), which is required by all states. This test covers pharmaceutical knowledge and abilities. All but six states also require the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE), which tests knowledge of pharmaceutical law, and those states which do not require the MPJE administer their own pharmacy law exams. Before the license is granted, pharmacists must also amass a certain amount of hours of practice experience.