Rapidly growing healthcare and pharmaceutical needs in the United States have led to an increasing demand for trained pharmacy professionals. Pharmacists today take a more active role in patient care than in the past. This is due to the increase in prescriptions to meet the health needs of an aging population, the availability of new drugs and the steady increase of copay insurance programs. Pharmacists are the medication experts, working to help patients understand their medications and working with physicians and nurse practitioners to provide the expertise on dosing, drug interactions and side effects. In fact, pharmacy is the third largest healthcare profession (after nursing and medicine).
As part of the healthcare team, pharmacists are responsible for such things as drug therapy management, administration of drugs and vaccinations, and helping patients in managing chronic diseases. Pharmacists also play an active role in educating consumers, patients and healthcare professionals on the use of prescription and over-the-counter medications and provide expertise about the composition and properties of drugs, so good communication skills and advanced scientific knowledge are essential for pharmacists. In addition, business, management and leadership skills help make for a successful pharmacist. Pharmacists work in a variety of settings such as community pharmacies; hospitals; managed-care organizations; long-term care facilities; pharmaceutical companies; and local, state and federal government facilities.
The doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree is the only professional pharmacy degree offered in the United States. Students seeking to become pharmacists must complete the required prerequisite undergraduate coursework established by the PharmD school. The PharmD degree program requires at least two years of specific undergraduate pre-pharmacy coursework followed by four academic years (or three calendar years) of PharmD study. Students complete their pre-pharmacy coursework while pursuing one of three paths: 1) integrate PharmD prerequisites while completing requirements for their bachelor's degree; 2) 2 + 4 program: complete a two year pre-professional education program preceding admission to the PharmD curriculum; 3) Joint Degree 3 + 4 program: complete the integrated curriculum with all years of study in the profession college. Pre-professional education required for admission may be taken at an approved community college or university. The majority of students enter a pharmacy program with three or more years of college experience. These programs provide students with the requirements to take the licensure examination of a state board of pharmacy in order to practice pharmacy.
The is the centralized application service for students applying to pharmacy school in the United States. Applicants complete a single application and need only one set of official transcripts to apply to multiple PharmD programs. Note that there are still many schools of pharmacy that don't participate in PharmCAS. To learn more about PharmCAS and find out which schools participate in the service, go to the website, e-mail info@pharmcas.org or call 617-612-2050.
provides information about different professional degree programs in pharmacy, different careers in pharmacy, useful applicant links, and an exhaustive list of colleges and schools of pharmacy.
If you are interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy, take into account the following deadlines/requirements as you prepare a 'tentative academic schedule' for your remaining years at ßÙßÇÂþ»:
- Deadlines for required admission tests (PCAT - Pharmacy College Admissions Test)*
- Required undergraduate (pre-professional) courses
- Application deadlines for various programs
- Internships and field observation recommended, program specific
* Not all U.S. pharmacy schools require the PCAT. It is important that you contact individual programs and inquire about specific test scores and other admission requirements before you apply. The PCAT will be administered for the last time during the 2023-2024 cycle. After that it will no longer be administered. .
Admission requirements vary by pharmacy institution:
Below is a list of some common college course prerequisites required to enter a U.S. school of pharmacy. However, students should review the requirements for each institution before applying since there is no set standard for required courses needed to gain acceptance to pharmacy school. School-specific information can be found in the AACP publication, "" (PSAR).
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Studies, ßÙßÇÂþ»:
More information regarding ßÙßÇÂþ»'s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SOPPS) be be found on SOPPS' prospective students' site.
For students entering the university in Fall 2017 or later, the Pharmacy Early Assurance Program (PEAP) provides academically exceptional students future admission into the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. These students will be able to apply to the PEAP during the second semester of their freshman year and enter the pre-pharmacy program. ßÙßÇÂþ»'s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has built this program to allow students the flexibility to choose a path of entry that is best for them. Students are able to enter the SOPPS and earn a PharmD in 4 years once they have completed all the undergraduate prerequisite courses. Possible routes include (a) completion of undergraduate prerequisite courses in two years (2+4), (b) completion of prerequisite courses in three years, with or without earning a bachelor's degree (3+4), or (c) completion of prerequisite courses and a bachelor's degree in four years (4+4).
Learn more about the Pharmacy Early Assurance Program.​
Online courses: Some ​professional​ schools do not accept online science courses, especially those with online labs. Students are responsible for checking the requirements for each school to which they are applying.
General Pharmacy school curriculum requirements:
Subject |
Course Rubric & Number |
| Biology (1 year) | BIOL 113, BIOL 114, and BIOL 115* |
| Chemistry (1 year) |
Option A: CHEM 104, 105, & 106 * Option B CHEM 107-108 Option C: CHEM 111 and 341 You must choose among options A, B, and C. You may not switch between sequences. Be sure to check with your intended major to learn if there is a preferred sequence for that major. |
| Organic Chemistry (1 year) | CHEM 231, CHEM 332 & CHEM 335 (lab) |
| Physics (1 year) | PHYS 121 & PHYS 122 (or PHYS 131 & PHYS 132) |
| Microbiology (1 semester & lab) | BIOL 314 (lecture) & BIOL 421 (lab) - Offered in Fall or BIOL 319 (lecture) & BIOL 329 (lab) - Offered in Spring or BIOL 314 (lecture) - Offered in Fall & BIOL 329 (lab) - Offered in Spring or BIOL 319 & BIOL 421 |
| Human Anatomy & Physiology (1 year) | BIOL 251 & BIOL 347 |
| Biochemistry (1 semester) |
BIOL 304 or BCHM 403 or BIOL 403* |
| Calculus I & II (1 year) | Calculus I: MATH 224 & 225 Calculus II: MATH 226 & 227 |
| Statistics (1 semester) | MATH 147 or PSYC 243 or BME 340 (only available to students in the Biomedical Engineering Program) |
| Economics (1 semester) | ECON 160 or ECON 162 |
| English/Composition/Literature (at least 1 semester) |
Any course in English (ENG), Rhetoric (RHET), Writing (WRIT), Creative Writing (CW) or Comparative Literature (COLI) departments. |
| Public Speaking (1 semester) | Any 3-4 credit course that states "public speaking" in the course title. |
| Social Science/Humanities (at least 1 semester) | Social science: any course in the Anthropology (ANTH), Geography (GEOG), History (HIST),
Political Science (PLSC) or Sociology (SOC) departments. Humanities: any course in the English (ENG), Comparative Literature (COLI) or Philosophy (PHIL) departments. |
*Notes:
- BIOL 115 or its FRI equivalent.
- CHEM 106 or its FRI equivalent.
Additional recommended supplemental coursework:
Subject |
Course rubric and number |
| Analytical Chemistry (1 semester) | CHEM 221 |
| Cell Biology (1 semester) | BIOL 311 |
| Genetics (1 semester) | BCHM/BIOL 401 or BIOL 332 |
| Immunology (1 semester) | BIOL 402 |
| Medical Ethics (1 semester) | PHIL 148 |
| Psychology (1 semester) | PSYC 111 |
*Disclaimer: All of the above information is current as of Summer 2023. As with most information, it is subject to change at any time.
For more information about pharmacy programs, contact:
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
1727 King Street
Alexandria VA 22314
Phone: (703) 739-2330
Fax: (703) 836-8982
E-mail: mail@aacp.org