Undergraduate Preparation

Many pharmacy schools do not require a baccalaureate degree for admittance; however, according to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the majority of students have completed three or four years of undergraduate course work before entering the professional program.

Preparation for the study of pharmacy consists of two to three years (90 semester hours at UNMC and 63 hours at Creighton) of required undergraduate coursework. Nebraska residents applying to UNMC need at least 3.0 GPA to be competitive and non-Nebraska residents need at least 3.5 GPA. Creighton University prefers applicants apply with a minimum GPA of 2.8. This does not mean that an applicant who has the minimum GPA will be effectively competitive in a normal pool of applicants. A higher GPA is necessary for serious consideration. The average accepted GPA at UNMC was 3.74 and 3.46 at Creighton.

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Required and Recommended Courses

The following are the prerequisites for UNMC and Creighton and the UNL courses that will fulfill the areas. Student who are considering pharmacy schools outside of Nebraska are encouraged to contact those schools directly for a list of entrance requirements. Refer to the Pharmacy School Admission Requirements publication for specifics on all pharmacy schools at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy website, http://www.aacp.org.

AP credit is not accepted at UNMC and Creighton will accept AP & CLEP credit if list on transcript from your undergraduate institution.

I. Chemical and Physical Sciences (min. 31 semester hrs)

Class	min. semester hrs
General Chemistry with lab	8
Organic Chemistry with lab	8
Biochemistry	3
Quantitative Chemical Analysis	4
Physics with lab	8

 

II. Biological Science (min.18 semester hrs)

Class	min. semester hrs
Biological/Life Sciences with lab	4-8
Genetics	3
Molecular Biology	3
Anatomy	4
Physiology	4

 

III. Oral and Written Communication (min. 9 semester hrs)

Class	min. semester hrs
English Composition I	3
English Composition II	3
Speech	3

 

IV. Analytical Sciences (min. 8 semester hrs)

Class	min. semester hrs
Calculus I	4
Statistics or Biostatistics	3

 

V. Administrative Sciences (min 6 semester hrs)

Class	min. semester hrs
Accounting	3
Economics	3

Note: Creighton will only accept Microeconomics beginning fall 2009 matriculation

 

VI. Behavioral and Social Sciences (min. 6 semester hrs)

Class	min. semester hrs
Psychology	3
Developmental Psychology	3

 

VII. General Education

Note: UNMC requires min. 13 semester hours of general education electives, with at least 6 semester hours from the list below. The remainder can include the course areas below and additional nonrequired courses in the areas listed in Sections I-VI in any proportion. Creighton requires 9 semester hours in the humanities or behavioral or social sciences.

Choose from at least two areas from the following suggested subjects:

Gerontology Humanities History Ethics

Logic Critical Thinking Philosophy Business Adminstration/ Management

Fine Arts Foreign Language Literature Political Science

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Beyond Academics

Pre-Pharmacy students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular experiences such as leadership roles, volunteer work, research, and shadowing, which will help prepare them for pharmacy school and the pharmacy profession.

Extracurricular experiences play a significant role in a student's application to a professional school program.  Such experiences demonstrate a commitment to and knowledge about the profession.  In particular, shadowing pharmacy professionals and involvement with clubs such as Pre-Pharmacy Club, Pre-Health Club, or Alpha Epsilon Delta will help students to learn more about the pharmacy profession.

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Application and Admission

1) Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT)
The PCAT is a specialized exam that helps identify qualified pharmacy school applicants by measuring their general academic ability and scientific knowledge determined necessary for a pharmacy education. The exam is divided into the following sections: Verbal Ability, Quantitative Ability, Biology, Chemistry, and Reading Comprehension. The exam is offered four times a year.

Registration booklets are available at the PCAT web site: www.pcatweb.info. Applicants should plan on taking the exam as soon as the required coursework is completed for exam preparation. Since not all pharmacy schools require the PCAT, applicants should check with individual programs. Creighton recommends that students take the PCAT after at least one semester of organic chemistry is complete. Applicants should take the PCAT no later than October of the year prior to the fall admission entrance date for UNMC & Creighton. The January exam prior to the fall admission entrance date will not be accepted at UNMC or Creighton.

2) Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) (Creighton)
Application to Creighton and many other pharmacy schools is made through PharmCAS. This standardized application permits a student to apply to multiple pharmacy schools and colleges with one application and distribution of transcripts. The web-based application will include the applicant's personal statement, course summary, and listing of extracurricular activities.

Registration for PharmCAS is available through www.PharmCAS.org. Information about schools participating in the centralized service is also available at this web site. Supplemental (secondary) applications may also be required. Creighton does require a supplemental application available online at http://www.applyweb.com/apply/
cuhealth/menu.html.

3) School-Specific Applications (UNMC)
Application to UNMC and many other pharmacy schools is made by individual application to each school. Applications for UNMC are available on the UNMC website. Since prerequisite course work varies by pharmacy school or program, students should consult the Pharmacy School Admission Requirements publication for specifics on all pharmacy schools.

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Suggested Sequence of Required Science Courses

Since Pharmacy school does not require a Bachelors Degree, this is a plan that does not lead to a Bachelor's Degree.

Semester 1
Calculus
General Chemistry I w/lab
Molecular Biology

Semester 3
Physiology
Organic Chemistry I w/lab
Quantitative Chemical Analysis

Semester 5
Biochemistry
General Physics w/lab
Genetics

Semester 2
General Chemistry II w/lab
General Biology w/lab
 

Semester 4
Anatomy
Organic Chemistry II w/lab
Statistics

Semester 6
General Physics II w/lab