Pre-Pharmacy or Pre-Pharm is the term used for a 2-year undergraduate course that Pharmacy students must first complete before moving onward to a 4- or 3-year PharmD program within the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The program is offered in a few different ways across the country. Within some colleges, the Pre-Pharmacy coursework is combined with the

Pharm.D A Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD; New Latin: ''Pharmaciae Doctor'') is a professional doctorate in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a doctoral degree to practice the profession of pharmacy or to become a clinical pharmacist. In many countries t ...

course for a 5 or 6-year program. Five year programs connect 2 years of Pre Pharmacy to an accelerated year round program. Six year programs deliver six tradition academic years which means summers are not used for the programs and are free of required classes. Colleges that do not offer this merged program may allow an undergraduate student to major (or minor) in Pre-Pharmacy. For schools where Pre-Pharmacy is not offered as a major or minor by itself, students usually major in a similar science (i.e. Chemistry) with a focus on Pre-Pharmacy, meaning that the curriculum of their particular major is tailored to help them take the

PCAT The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) is a computer-based standardized test administered to prospective pharmacy school students by Pearson Education, Inc as a service for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP); it is offer ...

and get into a

pharmacy school The basic requirement for pharmacists to be considered for registration is often an undergraduate or postgraduate pharmacy degree from a recognized university. In many countries, this involves a four- or five-year course to attain a bachelor o ...

. Each college has its own specific curriculum for Pre-Pharmacy students. A general curriculum would include Chemistry, either

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...

and

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

, Mathematics,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and various electives, which may include

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

. Specific curricula can generally be found on the individual college's website. Some community colleges or junior colleges that offer a Pre-Pharmacy program for transfer to a university's pharmacy program will usually award an Associate of Science degree.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20110926215233/http://www.roosevelt.edu/Pharmacy/ProspectiveStudents/Pre-Pharmacy.aspx (

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The unive ...

)

( University of Illinois at Chicago, The University of Illinois at Chicago) * http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/colleges/pharmacy/curriculum/Pre-Pharmacy-Curriculum-2011-Applicant.htm (

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 and became a public institution in 1950. Ferris is the ninth-largest institutions of higher education by enrol ...

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