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One-Year vs. Two-Year Fellowships: Which Path Is Right for You?
Author: Trey Graham, PharmD
Views are my own and do not reflect my employer.
One of the most common questions I receive from pharmacy students interested in industry fellowships is:
"How did you decide between pursuing a one-year versus a two-year fellowship?"
It's a fair question. After all, fellowship training is one of the biggest investments you'll make in your early career, and when applicants are fortunate enough to receive multiple offers, fellowship duration often becomes a key consideration.
Having completed a one-year Medical Affairs fellowship, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on this question, both during the application process and throughout my fellowship experience. While there are certainly advantages and tradeoffs to both pathways, I've come to believe that applicants often focus on the wrong factor first.
Before considering fellowship duration, I would encourage applicants to think about company fit, functional area alignment, mentorship opportunities, and team culture. In my experience, these factors will have a much greater impact on your development than whether your fellowship lasts one year or two.
1. The Advantages of a One-Year Fellowship
The most obvious benefit of a one-year fellowship is the accelerated timeline.
A shorter fellowship allows fellows to enter the workforce sooner, begin earning a full-time salary earlier, and start building long-term financial benefits such as retirement contributions, equity programs, and other compensation opportunities. It also enables individuals to begin accumulating full-time industry experience earlier in their careers.
In my case, I was fortunate to secure a full-time role before the conclusion of my fellowship year. Looking back, I'm glad I chose a one-year pathway because it allowed me to transition into the next stage of my career sooner than I otherwise would have.
However, a one-year fellowship can also create a sense of urgency and perhaps some uncertainty. Fellows have a shorter timeline to build their network, gain meaningful experiences, and prepare for the job market. While this can feel challenging, it can also encourage fellows to be intentional from day one and maximize every opportunity available to them.
2. The Advantages of a Two-Year Fellowship
On the other hand, a two-year fellowship offers additional time for professional development.
A second year can provide additional flexibility to pursue stretch assignments, rotational experiences, or projects outside of a fellow's primary functional area. This broader exposure can help fellows build a more diverse skill set, expand their internal network, and gain a deeper understanding of how different functions work together across the organization.
Once fellows transition into a permanent role, there is often less flexibility to explore outside their primary responsibilities. In many ways, a fellowship is one of the few times in your career when you have the freedom to raise your hand, pursue new opportunities, and learn beyond the scope of a single position.
There is also a sense of security that comes with a two-year program. Rather than entering the job market after twelve months, fellows have an additional year within a structured learning environment to continue developing before pursuing their next role.
Another consideration is how fellowship experience is interpreted in the external job market. While fellowship experience is highly valuable, some industry roles list preferred qualifications such as "2-5 years of experience." Depending on the hiring manager and organization, a fellow completing a two-year program may appear to meet those experience thresholds more readily than a fellow completing a one-year program.
This does not mean that one-year fellows are less qualified or less competitive. However, for individuals planning to pursue opportunities outside their fellowship organization, the additional year of experience may provide another advantage when navigating certain job postings.
Many two-year programs also have a second-year fellow who can serve as a mentor to incoming fellows. Having someone who recently navigated the same challenges can be an invaluable resource during the transition into industry.
3. The Tradeoff: Speed vs. Time
When comparing one-year and two-year pathways, I view the decision less as an advantage-versus-disadvantage conversation and more as a matter of personal preference.
A one-year fellowship provides a faster route into a full-time role but requires fellows to prepare for the job search sooner.
A two-year fellowship offers additional development time and opportunities to build experience before entering the job market.
Neither approach is inherently better.
Some individuals may value reaching a full-time role as quickly as possible. Others may prefer having additional time to develop their skills, expand their network, and build confidence before making that transition. Both perspectives are reasonable, and neither pathway guarantees success.
4. What I Would Prioritize First
If I were evaluating fellowship offers today, fellowship duration would not be my primary decision factor.
Instead, I would prioritize:
Functional area fit
Previous fellow outcomes
Company fit
Manager and mentorship quality
Development opportunities
The people around you matter.
Your managers, mentors, and colleagues will be the individuals helping you grow professionally, providing guidance during challenging situations, and hopefully advocating for you when opportunities arise in the future.
A fellowship is much more than a training program. It is a professional network and support system that can influence your career long after the fellowship ends.
For that reason, I would choose a company, team, and functional area that aligns with my goals before focusing on whether the fellowship lasts one year or two.
5. The Fellow Matters More Than the Fellowship
Early in my fellowship journey, a mentor shared a piece of advice that has stayed with me:
"Your chances of getting a full-time role at the end of your fellowship are the same regardless of which fellowship you choose. It's the who, not the how."
At the time, I appreciated the statement. Today, having completed my fellowship and successfully transitioned into a full-time role, I believe it even more strongly.
At the end of the day, a fellowship is better than no fellowship.
Whether the program is one year or two years, Medical Affairs or another functional area, the fellowship itself does not determine success. What truly differentiates candidates is what they choose to do with the opportunity.
The fellows who proactively network, volunteer for projects, seek feedback, build meaningful relationships, and continuously invest in their development are often the individuals who stand out during the post-fellowship job search.
Conversely, simply completing a fellowship does not guarantee success.
I began preparing for post-fellowship opportunities in January and was actively applying and interviewing by February and March. While timelines will vary, my experience reinforced the importance of being proactive early rather than waiting until the final months of fellowship to think about next steps.
The fellowship can open doors, but it is ultimately the fellow's initiative, work ethic, and willingness to maximize opportunities that determine what happens once those doors open.
The Takeaway
One-year and two-year fellowships both offer meaningful opportunities for professional growth, industry exposure, and career development. Each pathway comes with unique advantages and considerations, and neither is universally better than the other.
If you are fortunate enough to receive multiple fellowship offers, I would encourage you to evaluate the company, functional area, mentorship opportunities, team culture, and development potential before focusing on duration alone.
Most importantly, remember that fellowship length does not define your potential.
Success is determined more by the fellow than the duration of the fellowship.
The most successful fellows are not necessarily those with the longest training period. They are the individuals who maximize the opportunities in front of them, regardless of how much time they have.
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