Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)

View Requirements
Haiku Parsamyan, PharmD 2010
The first step in the admissions process is to ensure you're on track to complete both the course prerequisites and application requirements in time to apply for your preferred year of entry.

 

Prerequisite
Qualifier
Length
  • All prerequisites must be completed at a regionally accredited U.S. institution (exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis) or its equivalent abroad
  • All prerequisites must be completed with a grade of “C” or better (a grade of “C-” or lower is not acceptable) Pre-pharmacy courses taken from vocational or technical schools are not accepted.
  • A baccalaureate degree obtained from an educational institution that confers degrees solely based on acquiring prior community or other college credits (or a majority thereof) may not be accepted.
  • All prerequisites must be completed by the end of the spring (May/June) term prior to matriculation
  • Prerequisites will not be substituted or waived regardless of your educational level
  • Courses may not be taken on a pass/no pass or credit/no credit basis.
  • Beginning fall 2014, advanced placement will be accepted for all prerequisite courses
  • Transfer of credit, CLEP and credit for experiential learning will not be accepted
  • All coursework taken from non-US institutions (including Canada) must be submitted to an approved service for evaluation
  • Prerequisite courses must have been completed no more than ten years prior to planned date of matriculation
College English
  • May not be an English as a Second Language (ESL) course
  • May not be a Literature course
  • Must be taken from the English Department
  • May be taken outside U.S. in countries who's native language is English (e.g. Canada, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, British West Indies etc.)
1 semester
English Composition
  • May not be an English as a Second Language (ESL) course
  • May not be a Literature course
  • Must be taken from the English Department
  • May be taken outside U.S. in countries who's native language is English (e.g. Canada, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, British West Indies etc.)
1 semester
Speech Communication
  • Must be a public speaking course
  • May not be an interpersonal communication course
1 semester
Human Anatomy (Beginning fall 2014, lab optional)
  • May not be an introductory course
  • If anatomy and physiology are combined, we will accept a minimum of 5 semester units
  • Must be taken out of the Anatomy & Physiology, Anatomy, Physiology, Biology or Zoology Department
1 semester
Human Physiology (Beginning fall 2014, lab optional)
  • May not be an introductory course
  • If anatomy and physiology are combined, we will accept a minimum of 5 semester units
  • Must be taken out of the Anatomy & Physiology, Anatomy, Physiology, Biology or Zoology Department
1 semester
Microbiology (Beginning fall 2014, lab optional)
  • May not be an introductory course
  • Medical Microbiology is preferred
1 semester
General Chemistry with Lab
  • May not be an introductory course
  • Must be a full year sequence of lecture and lab
2 semesters
Organic Chemistry with Lab
  • May not be an introductory course
  • Must be a full year sequence of lecture and lab
2 semesters
Biochemistry or Molecular Biology
  • May not be an introductory course
  • Course(s) should cover the following topics: molecular biology, amino acids and proteins, enzymes, and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism
  • Also accepted: One semester of biochemistry
    (5 units)
  • Also accepted: One semester of biochemistry
    (3 units)     plus 1 semester of molecular biology
    (3 units)     or any combination of a one year sequence is acceptable
  • Genetics and general biology courses are not acceptable for molecular biology (see previous bullet)

2 semesters
Calculus
  • Must have 2 or more quarter courses if taken in the quarter system
1 semester
Elective
  • One course in two of the following three areas must be taken to satisfy this prerequisite:

    • Public Speaking/Debate
    • Social Science
    • Economics
  • No two electives can be taken from the same department
2 semesters

If you’d like to find out whether the courses you’ve taken or plan to take will satisfy the PharmD prerequisites you can:

  1. search the prerequisite database by institution.
  2. if your courses aren't listed in the database and you have a few courses in question, you may submit a prerequisite verification form.
  3. if your courses aren't listed in the database and you have numerous courses in question, or simply wish to lay out your coursework, you may instead print and submit an academic worksheet. Academic worksheets will be reviewed May 1st through September 30th.

Admission Requirements

  • Completion of prerequisite courses as outlined above
  • 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of coursework from a regionally accredited U.S. institution at the time of application
  • The minimum overall and science GPA will be 2.75 (undergraduate coursework)
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (if applicable)

    • TOEFL is required for all applicants submitting course work from foreign schools. A minimum score of 213 for the Computer Based test or 79 for the Internet Based TOEFL (IBT) test must be submitted by March 1 prior to matriculation. TOEFL scores are valid for two years.

    • Exception: The TOEFL exam will be waived for permanent and temporary residents of the United States who have completed the English and Speech prerequisites of the College from an accredited institution in the United States.

    • English courses taken from foreign countries whose native language is English will be accepted (e.g., Canada, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand and the British West Indies).

  • Although not required, pharmacy experience (volunteer or work), is strongly recommended
  • Although not required, we give preference to those who have earned a BS or BA (in any field)
  • International applicants or any other applicants who are not U.S. citizens and who are living in the U.S. should be prepared to provide proof of legal U.S. residency at the time of interview.

Read FAQs or contact us with questions.

Make Yourself a Competitive Candidate
Admission to the program is extremely competitive so you should strive to not only meet, but exceed the minimum requirements. To get a feel for the competitiveness of the applicant pool we recommend that you review last year's entering class statistics and read what the admissions committee recommends you do to make yourself a competitive candidate.

Preparing and Submitting your Application
You must submit both a primary application and a secondary application in order to be considered for admission. The apply now page will provide you with step-by-step instructions and an application checklist. There are a number of supporting materials that make up your completed application and it is essential that you print and carefully follow the application checklist to ensure that you properly submit these pieces by the deadline.

We are happy to answer your questions as you navigate through the process,
so please do not hesitate to contact us if we can help.