A thoughtfully crafted prerequisite course plan for applicants on the PharmD path is the first step in cultivating a competitive pre-health portfolio. This holistic portfolio, complete with not only academic work but also clinical experiences, shadowing, volunteerism, leadership, and other extracurricular opportunities, will ultimately yield a stellar PharmCAS application.
First, let us provide a bit of background. There are currently 142 accredited schools of pharmacy in the United States. The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is the organization that initially and periodically evaluates PharmD programs to ensure that each one is meeting stated goals, educational standards, and continued advances in knowledge and practice. Furthermore, the ACPE is recognized by the United States Department of Education.
Linear thinking would lead us to believe that if all PharmD programs exist under the same accrediting body (i.e., ACPE), then all PharmD programs must require the same prerequisite courses, correct? The answer to that is false.
This is where the PharmCAS application portal and program directory become invaluable tools. PharmCAS is the Pharmacy College Application Service and is a centralized application portal currently used by 134 of the 142 PharmD programs. On its home page, you can locate a tab entitled “,” which will link you to a central repository of participating PharmD programs. From here, you can do a deeper dive on program-specific prerequisite courses.
In advising PharmD applicants, I can offer two lists: a list of general prerequisite courses (those that appear to be required by most programs) and a list of program-specific courses (those that are required less frequently or by a minority of programs). Please keep in mind that these are not comprehensive lists, but general overviews. Checking both PharmCAS and your target PharmD program’s website for an exact list of required course prerequisites is always recommended.
General PharmD Prerequisites
| Subject Area | % of PharmD Programs with Course Prerequisite in Subject Area | Prerequisite Course Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 0.99 | Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry |
| Math | 0.98 | Calculus |
| Biology/Biological Sciences | 0.95 | General Biology 1 & 2 w/Lab |
| English Composition/Writing | 0.84 | Introduction to Writing, English Literature |
| Statistics | 0.76 | Statistics (or Biostatistics) |
| Microbiology | 0.71 | Microbiology w/Lab |
| Physics | 0.61 | General Physics (min. of 1 semester) |
| Communication/Speech | 0.58 | Introduction to Public Speaking |
| Anatomy & Physiology | 0.51 | A&P # of semesters and labs vary |
Program-Specific PharmD Prerequisites
| Subject Area | % of PharmD Programs with Course Prerequisite in Subject Area | Prerequisite Course Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Biology/Biological Sciences | 0.95 | Cell Biology |
| Economics | 0.45 | Introduction to Economics, Public Health Care Delivery |
| Humanities | 0.42 | Sociology, History, Philosophy, Foreign Language, Political Science |
| Biochemistry | 0.31 | Biochemistry (w/lab or w/o lab) |
| Psychology | 0.11 | Introduction to Psychology |
| Ethics | 0.04 | Introduction to Ethics |
As the former assistant dean of student affairs and career development at the William Beaumont School of Medicine, Dr. Valerie Wherely worked directly with the dean of the School of Medicine, the associate dean of student affairs, the associate dean of clinical curriculum, and the assistant dean of admissions, as well as with Year 4 students on both residency application reviews/critiques and mock interview preparation.
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