Pre-Pharmacy Requirements.

 

Applicants who are planning to apply to a pharmacy program must be aware of the requirements of the school to which they plan to transfer. Most pharmacy programs require the minimum of 63 pre-pharmacy course work prior to admission to a  PharmD program.  Applicant must be able to present evidence to the pharmacy school (via official transcripts) that they want admission to, of having completed the courses with alt least a “C”, or being able to complete these courses before fall semester begins. The Prerequisites for the PharmD Program at the University of Maryland (effective beginning Fall 2008 admissions cycle):

The School requires a minimum of 68 credit hours of prerequisite coursework for admission into the PharmD program. Coursework may be taken at any accredited community college, college or university.  Applicants must take at least one semester of coursework at an accredited college or university in the United States. Coursework need not be completed by the time of application but must be complete before actually beginning the program.

Remember that Chemistry and Biology courses must be taken within 5 years of anticipated admission. The School requires a cumulative minimum Grade Point Average of 2.5 for admission consideration.  Please click here for a printable course evaluation worksheet.

 

Course

Semester

# Credit Hours

English Composition

1

3

Biochemistry

1

3

Calculus

1

3

Statistics

1

3

Biology (with lab)

1

4

Microbiology (with lab)

1

4

General Chemistry (with lab)

2

8

Organic Chemistry (with lab)

2

8

Physics

2

8

Human Anatomy and Physiology

2

6

Humanities and Social Sciences

4-6

18

Speech communications or
    public speaking

1 course

Microeconomics or macro/
    microeconomics

1 course

Total

 

68 minimum

The above requirements are based on the number of credits and not per course.  This means that you must have at least the number of credits for each requirement.  For example, a three credit biology course will not meet our minimum requirement.  Therefore, if you can not find a 1 credit biology course, you must take a course that carries more credits.
 

If you attended a school that was on the quarter system rather than the semester system then you must multiply your credits by .66 to translate into the number of semester hours.  Credits that fall .5 or above will be rounded up to the next semester hour.  Credits that fall .4 or below will be rounded down to the next semester hour.

 

Note:  Most universities will only transfer 63 credits from Community Colleges.  So one or more of the required courses may have to be taken at a four -year college or university. At the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, more than 75% of the successful candidates enter with a Bachelor’s degree or higher.

 

In addition to taking the pre-pharmacy course requirements, candidates are also required to take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT). Although the PCAT is given typically in October, January and April, applicants to the University of Maryland must take the October or January exams. For information about the PCAT exams cal the Psychological Corporation at 1-800-622-3231.  Applicants with strong PCAT and Academic credentials interview with the faculty, alumni, and students.  During interviews conducted at the School of pharmacy, factors such as professional and social awareness are assessed.  The admissions committee makes decision based on academic achievements, PCAT scores and interview results.  While a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 (a= 4.0) is required for application consideration the average entering GPA for the fall of 2002 was 3.5. Average PCAT scores were above the 80th percentile in each of the five sections of the exam. About 115 students are admitted into the program each fall out of more than 550 applications.

 

International students:  Applicants who are not citizens or permanent residents of the U. S. must submit the results of the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 600, certified official copies of transcripts and other documents required by the Campus office of Records and Registration, such as statements pf financial support, supplementary information sheets and summaries of educational experiences.  International students are also required to take the PCAT exam. Therefore the Pharmacy School does not accept applicants who have attended only foreign educational institution.  Thus applicant must take at least one semester of pre-pharmacy course work at another accredited U. S. institution prior to applying to the Pharmacy School of the University of Maryland.

 

Further information about pre-pharmacy can be obtained from this website:

 

www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu

 

and

 

pharmdhelp@rx.umaryland.edu

 

Another useful site for information about the pharmacy schools in the USA can be obtained by going to the following web address:

 

http://www.fip.org/education/SoPSchoolsURLs.html