SPSU Biology Pre-Professional Student Resource Site
Biology Major
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Pre-Physician Assistant
Pre-Pharmacy Program Information
The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program requires a minimum of two academic years of pre-pharmacy coursework followed by four academic years of professional education. However, completing all necessary prerequisites and preparing properly for the PCAT (or GRE) exam generally requires three or more years of undergraduate coursework. Note that individual pharmacy schools have specific requirements for pre-professional study. Students interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy should contact the SPSU pre-professional advisor as soon as possible.
Pharmacy school coursework prerequisites can vary. As a Georgia-specific example, the prerequisites for Mercer University are listed below:
A complete national listing of pharmacy school requirements can be obtained by clicking here.
Application Timeline:
Students should apply to pharmacy school when they feel they are most prepared and will be most competitive as an applicant. Applicants can apply as early as the summer prior to when the plan to apply, and must take the PCAT no later than November of that year. Deadlines vary by school, with some as early as November. Students who are considering a career in pharmacy should meet with their pre-professional academic advisor to discuss the application timeline and requirements for admission, including extracurricular involvement, work/volunteer experience, GPA, and pre-pharmacy coursework.
Note that the pharmacy school application process is highly variable among pharmacy schools, so it is important that a prospective applicant be aware of the following three issues:
(1) Some pharmacy schools require applications to be submitted through PharmCAS, while others do not.
(2) Although many pharmacy schools require that applicants take the PCAT exam (which is offered in October, November, and January), others require the GRE.
(3) Even if a student applies to pharmacy school by PharmCAS, there may be supplemental application materials required that need to be submitted to the institution directly.
Due to the variability involved in the pharmacy school application process, it is HIGHLY recommended that applicants carefully examine the requirements for each pharmacy school to which they apply.
Admissions Standards:
Fall 2004 Admissions Statistics for Pharm.D. Programs
Applicant PCAT Scores for Fall 2005 Pharmacy School Enrollment
Programs in Georgia:
Mercer University--Southern School of Pharmacy
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy
South University School of Pharmacy
Useful Links:
The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program requires a minimum of two academic years of pre-pharmacy coursework followed by four academic years of professional education. However, completing all necessary prerequisites and preparing properly for the PCAT (or GRE) exam generally requires three or more years of undergraduate coursework. Note that individual pharmacy schools have specific requirements for pre-professional study. Students interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy should contact the SPSU pre-professional advisor as soon as possible.
What does a pharmacist do?
Click on the U.S. Department of Labor description for Pharmacists.
Pharmacy school coursework prerequisites can vary. As a Georgia-specific example, the prerequisites for Mercer University are listed below:
| Mercer University Requirement | SPSU Equivalent |
| General Biology w/lab (8 semester hours) | BIOL 2107K & 2108K |
| General Chemistry w/lab (8 semester hours) | CHEM 1211K & 1212K |
| Organic Chemistry w/lab (8 semester hours) | CHEM 2511K & 2512K |
| Physics w/lab (4 semester hours) | PHYS 1111K |
| Calculus (3 semester hours) | MATH 2253 |
| English (6 semester hours) | ENGL 1101 & 1102 |
| Humanities electives (6 semester hours) | vary |
| Social/Behavioral science electives (6 semester hours) | vary |
| Speech (3 semester hours) | SPCH 2400 |
| Economics (3 semester hours) | ECON 1101 |
| Other electives (60 semester hours total) | vary |
A complete national listing of pharmacy school requirements can be obtained by clicking here.
Application Timeline:
Students should apply to pharmacy school when they feel they are most prepared and will be most competitive as an applicant. Applicants can apply as early as the summer prior to when the plan to apply, and must take the PCAT no later than November of that year. Deadlines vary by school, with some as early as November. Students who are considering a career in pharmacy should meet with their pre-professional academic advisor to discuss the application timeline and requirements for admission, including extracurricular involvement, work/volunteer experience, GPA, and pre-pharmacy coursework.
Note that the pharmacy school application process is highly variable among pharmacy schools, so it is important that a prospective applicant be aware of the following three issues:
(1) Some pharmacy schools require applications to be submitted through PharmCAS, while others do not.
(2) Although many pharmacy schools require that applicants take the PCAT exam (which is offered in October, November, and January), others require the GRE.
(3) Even if a student applies to pharmacy school by PharmCAS, there may be supplemental application materials required that need to be submitted to the institution directly.
Due to the variability involved in the pharmacy school application process, it is HIGHLY recommended that applicants carefully examine the requirements for each pharmacy school to which they apply.
Admissions Standards:
Fall 2004 Admissions Statistics for Pharm.D. Programs
Applicant PCAT Scores for Fall 2005 Pharmacy School Enrollment
Programs in Georgia:
Mercer University--Southern School of Pharmacy
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy
South University School of Pharmacy
Useful Links: