Pharmacy is the study of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of medicinal substances and the utilization of these substances in the prevention, treatment, and control of illness and disease.  It also encompasses a study of the systems of delivering health care and the function of the professional pharmacist within these systems. The Skaggs School of Pharmacy was established in 1907 at Montana State College and was transferred to the University in 1913. The pharmacy program consists of two departments, Pharmacy Practice and Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences.  The curriculum offered by the Skaggs School of Pharmacy consists of a six year program leading to the entry-level Pharm.D. degree.  The first two years, or pre-professional portion of the curriculum, are spent in studies of the basic physical and biological sciences, and in course work necessary to satisfy the University general education requirements.