Advising > Pre-Professional Programs > Pre-Pharmacy

Most of the accredited U.S. pharmacy schools require at least two years of pre-pharmacy work for admission to their professional programs. The required preparation consists of basic science background courses as well as foundational courses in other areas. Admission requirements of various pharmacy schools are similar; therefore, careful choice of courses during two years of study at Millikin will enable the student to meet the requirements of several pharmacy schools to which he or she may apply. A suggested course schedule is provided, along with notations about special requirements at schools in Illinois and adjoining states.

At all pharmacy schools, the initial professional degree offered is the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), requiring four years of professional study.

Although the Pre-Pharmacy curriculum is necessarily very prescriptive, students should make careful use of the options available to them. Courses in the professional years are heavily concentrated in pharmacy and supporting sciences; the pre-pharmacy years are the last chance to take broadening, enriching courses in other areas. Therefore, students are well advised to take most, or all, of their electives outside the science-math area. Recommended areas include history, foreign language, philosophy, fine arts, economics, literature, political science, sociology, and psychology.

A few pharmacy schools require the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) and others recommend it for applicants. The PCAT, like the MCAT and ACT, is a standardized aptitude test that is given in October, January, and March. Students who decide to take the PCAT normally do so in the fall of their sophomore year. The test can then be repeated in the winter, if necessary, in time for admissions use.

The prescriptive nature of the pre-pharmacy curriculum does not prevent it from offering many options to a student who decides to switch goals. The curriculum most closely resembles the first two years of a chemistry major, and the student could readily continue in that major. In addition, he or she would be well prepared to major in virtually any science or nonscience field in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Booklets on pharmacy and information about individual pharmacy schools are available from the Department of Chemistry faculty and from the Director of Pre-Professional Programs. Because of the differences among pharmacy schools and the frequent changes in admissions requirements, each student is ultimately responsible for learning the requirements of particular pharmacy schools. It is recommended that each student visit one or more pharmacy schools before the sophomore year. After drawing up a list of two to four target schools the student should work closely with his or her academic advisor as well as the Director of Pre-Professional Programs to ensure that all requirements are completed by the sophomore year.

The majority of pharmacy schools participate in the PharmCAS common application system. Visit http://www.PharmCAS.org/ for more information about the application process or about individual school requirements.

SPECIAL ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS OF AREA PHARMACY SCHOOLS

Midwestern University, Chicago College of Pharmacy (Downers Grove, Illinois): The PCAT is required. Four semesters of Chemistry (including two of Organic) are required. Two semesters each of English, Biology, and Physics are required. One semester each of Anatomy, Calculus, Economics, and Speech is required. A GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4.00 scale over a minimum of 59 semester hours is required. Participates in PharmCAS.
University of Illinois at Chicago: The PCAT is required. Four semesters of Chemistry (including two of Organic) with laboratories are required. Two semesters each of Physics and Biology with laboratories are required. Two semesters of written communication are required. One semester each of Speech, Calculus and Human Anatomy are required. One elective should be taken in each of the following areas: Economics, Social and Behavioral Science, and Humanities. A GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4.00 scale over a minimum of 60 semester hours is required. Participates in PharmCAS.
Butler University (Indianapolis, Indiana): The PCAT is required. Four semesters of Chemistry (including two of Organic) with laboratories are required. Two semesters each of Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Calculus, and Physics are required. One semester each of Communications, Fine Arts, History, Psychology, and Sociology are required. Participates in PharmCAS.
Purdue University (West Lafayette, Indiana): Four semesters of Chemistry (including two of Organic) are required. Two semesters each of Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Calculus, and English are required. One semester each of Economics, Physics, and Microbiology are required. Participates in PharmCAS.
Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa): The PCAT is required. Two years of coursework are required. Placement in the curriculum is determined at the time of admission. Joint Pharm.D./M.B.A. and Pharm.D./J.D. programs are also available. Participates in PharmCAS.
University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa): The PCAT is required. Four semesters of Chemistry (including two of Organic) with laboratories are required. Two semesters each of Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, and Physics are required. One semester each of Communications, Microbiology, Calculus, and Microeconomics are required. Four electives in the Social and Behavioral Sciences or Humanities are required. A GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4.00 scale is required. Participates in PharmCAS.
University of Kentucky (Lexington, Kentucky): The PCAT is required. A GPA of at least 2.50 on a 4.00 scale over a minimum of 70 semester hours is required. Joint Pharm.D./M.B.A. and Pharm.D./Ph.D. programs are also available. Participates in PharmCAS.
St. Louis College of Pharmacy (St. Louis, Missouri): The PCAT is recommended. Transfer after only one year of coursework is recommended. A GPA of at least 2.00 on a 4.00 scale is required. Participates in PharmCAS.
University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin): The PCAT is required. Four semesters of Chemistry (including two of Organic) with laboratories are required. Two semesters each of Biology and Physics with laboratories are required. In addition to two electives in the Humanities, one semester each of Calculus, Communication, Microeconomics, Sociology, Psychology, History, and Ethnic Studies are required.

SUGGESTED SCHEDULE

FIRST YEAR
First Semester			Second Semester
BI 105	Ecology & Evolution	3	BI 108	Attributes of Life	3
BI 155	Ecology & Evolution Lab	1	BI 158	Attributes of Life Lab	1
CH 121	General Chemistry	3	CH 224	General Inorganic Chemistry	3
CH 151	General Chemistry Lab	1	CH 152	General Inorganic Chemistry Lab	1
IN 140	University Seminar	3	HS 100	Introduction to the Modern World	3
IN 150	Critical Writing, Reading, and Research I	3	IN 151	Critical Writing, Reading, and Research II	3
	Mathematics	3-4		Mathematics or Elective	3-4
Total Credits		17-18	Total Credits		17-18

SECOND YEAR
Third Semester			Fourth Semester
BI 206	Anatomy and Physiology I	5	BI 207	Anatomy and Physiology II	4
CH 251	Intermediate Chemistry Lab I	1	CH 302	Organic Chemistry II	3
CH 301	Organic Chemistry I	3		Economics or Other Elective	3
IN 250	U.S. Studies	3		Electives	6
PY 111and PY 171	Physics I with Lab	4	CH 252 or CH 253	Intermediate Chemistry Lab II or Intermediate Chemistry Lab III	1
Total Credits		16	Total Credits		17

NOTES:

Mathematics Courses as advanced as placement permits are recommended in the MA 110-140-240 sequence. After MA 140, Computer Science courses are acceptable at most pharmacy schools.
Electives should be well distributed and generally outside the science-math area.
RECOMMENDED: Fine Arts, Foreign Language, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Communications.

The student is responsible for checking the specific requirements of individual pharmacy schools.