The pre-pharmacy minor provides foundational courses for students that are preparing to be competitive applicants for Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs after completing their bachelor’s degree at VCU. The pre-pharmacy minor can be completed as a part of any undergraduate degree. Completing this minor does not guarantee admission into any pharmacy program. This minor is structured to academically prepare students to apply for pharmacy school broadly. Clinical and non-clinical experiences are a requirement of application to most pharmacy schools. In addition to this minor, students should participate in clinical and non-clinical experiences to develop a competitive application for pharmacy school. Visit the VCU Career Services - Pre-Professional Health Career Advising website for more information and to schedule an appointment with a pre-professional health and STEM career counselor.
Pharmacy schools across the U.S. have different prerequisites for admission. The list below shows courses that may be required by various schools including the VCU School of Pharmacy. It is always recommended that you visit each program’s webpage and/or attend an information session to obtain requirements for specific programs. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic adviser to integrate these courses into their academic plan. In addition, students are encouraged to discuss career plans with their pre-professional health academic minor adviser and career counselor for additional guidance.
For the pre-pharmacy minor, a minimum of nine credits in upper-level science (300-level or higher) courses must be taken at VCU. All upper-level science courses at a 300-level or higher listed in this minor are strongly recommended to be completed at VCU. It is encouraged to demonstrate future academic success in pharmacy school through a rigorous course schedule. Pharmacy schools may prefer students complete these courses at a four-year institution in order to demonstrate future academic success in pharmacy school course work.
Declaring the pre-pharmacy minor
To declare the pre-pharmacy minor:
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Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours to be eligible to declare the minor.
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Students must obtain a minimum cumulative VCU GPA of 3.0
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Students must complete BIOL 151 and BIOZ 151 with minimum grades of C
Maintaining the pre-pharmacy minor (progression policy)
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Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 VCU cumulative GPA.
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If a student's VCU cumulative GPA drops below 3.0, they will be placed on probation in the minor and allowed one semester to raise their cumulative GPA to 3.0 — provided it is mathematically possible to do so. If it is not mathematically possible to do so, or if the student fails to raise their minimum cumulative GPA to 3.0 during their probationary semester, they will be removed from the pre-pharmacy minor and can re-declare the minor once eligible. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their minor adviser to discuss their academic plans/progress.
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Students cannot exceed more than three attempts of any course within the minor including withdrawals and historical repeat attempts. If a student exceeds three attempts for any course within the minor, they will not be eligible to maintain and graduate with the minor.
Required courses
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 151 & BIOZ 151 | Introduction to Biological Sciences I and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory I | 4 |
| BIOL 152 & BIOZ 152 | Introduction to Biological Sciences II and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory II | 4 |
| BIOL 205 | Basic Human Anatomy | 4 |
| BIOL 300 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 303 | Microbiology | 3 |
| CHEM 101 & CHEZ 101 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Laboratory I | 4 |
| CHEM 102 & CHEZ 102 | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry Laboratory II | 4 |
| CHEM 301 & CHEZ 301 | Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 5 |
| CHEM 302 & CHEZ 302 | Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 5 |
| CHEM 403 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
| MATH 200 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry I 1 | 4 |
| PHIS 206 | Human Physiology | 3 |
| PHYS 201 | General Physics I | 4-5 |
| or PHYS 207 | University Physics I | |
| STAT 210 | Basic Practice of Statistics | 3 |
| Total Hours | 53-54 | |
Additional recommended courses and information
Pharmacy schools across the U.S. have different prerequisites for admission. Students should discuss career plans with a pre-professional health career counselor for additional guidance. If the 300-level science course requirements have been completed, students are encouraged to continue taking upper-level science courses to demonstrate academic rigor and success. The list below shows courses required by various pharmacy schools beyond the courses listed above for the pre-pharmacy minor. Completing courses from the list below will not contribute to the pre-pharmacy minor requirements.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 310 | Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 455 | Immunology | 3 |
| BIOZ 303 | Microbiology Laboratory | 2 |
| ECON 210 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| or ECON 211 | Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| PHIL 201 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| PHYS 202 | General Physics II | 4-5 |
| or PHYS 208 | University Physics II | |
| PHIZ 206 | Human Physiology Laboratory | 1 |
PSYC 101  Play course video for Introduction to Psychology | Introduction to Psychology | 4 |
| SOCY 101 Play course video for Introduction to Sociology | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SPCH 121 | Effective Speech | 3 |
| UNIV 191 | Student Success Special Topics | 1-3 |