Pharmacy Requirements

Most physical therapist education programs require applicants to earn a bachelor's degree prior to admission into a professional pharmacy program.

ADMISSION CRITERIA
  • Certain coursework
  • Good GPA
  • Test scores (PCAT)
  • Experience
  • Recommendations

A competitive applicant for pharmacy programs will have taken the recommended coursework (see below), have a GPA of 3.5, taken the PCAT, have good references, and have some healthcare experience (shadowing, observation, volunteer etc . . .).

There is some variation in the pre-requisite coursework needed at the undergraduate level.  Below is a listing of the undergraduate coursework required by most programs as well as some additional coursework that may be required by some programs.

Minimum Pre-Requisites:
  • Biol 130 – Cells to Organisms
  • Biol 150 – Organisms to Ecosystems
  • Biol 260 – Microbiology
  • Chem 116 – Energetics and Dynamics (may need 115 Structure and Reactivity)
  • Chem 250 – Organic I
  • Chem 252 – Organic II
  • Phys 141 – Principles of Mechanics
  • Phys 151 – Principles of Classical Physics
  • Statistics (Math 107, 207, or Biol 170) 
  • Psyc 100 or 270
  • Econ 100 – Microeconomics
  • Ethnic Studies or US diversity course
  • Anth 110 – Cultural Anthropology
Additional courses for some programs:
  • Another math course, some schools require calculus
  • Biochemistry
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Cell Biology

Usually a biology, chemistry, or biochemistry major works well for preparing for pharmacy school.

PROGRAM COST and LENGTH

The length of professional pharmacy programs is typically 3 years of coursework and 1 year of practice experience. The average cost per year for programs in 2017-18 were:

Public: $25,000

Private: $40,000

LICENSING

To practice as a pharmacist in the US, you must earn a pharmacy degree from an accredited school of pharmacy.  Most states require you take and pass the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE).  Additional licensing requirements will vary by state.

PROGRAMS attended by LU ALUMS

University of Wisconsin Madison, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina