Pre-Pharmacy Education

The Pharmacy Profession
The pharmacist is responsible for drug therapy, drug monitoring, drug distribution, health promotion, and patient counseling, just to name a few.  The pharmacist must possess the scientific and technical knowledge necessary to evaluate drug therapy for each individual patient.  Pharmacists must be qualified to assume the special responsibilities of instructing and supervising students and interns.  They must develop skill in personal relations with patients and other health professionals.  Pharmacists may also be involved in basic and clinical research, working in collaboration with other researchers, physicians, and pharmacists.  Above all, they must be able to make good use of acquired knowledge and experience in arriving at sound judgments and policy decisions.

Pharmacy Education
Pharmacy Education is available through two programs in Nebraska: University of Nebraska (UNMC) College of Pharmacy and Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.  Both programs award the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) professional degree.  The Pharm.D. degree requires at least four academic years of professional study.  An academic based curriculum is combined with specific clinical experiences.  How the professional schools integrate classroom content and clinical exposure will vary by school. 

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.  UNL offers an option for students to earn their baccalaureate degree following their first year of professional school.  Information regarding the Combined Degree Program is available in the A&S Advising Center.  Preparation for the study of pharmacy consists of a minimum of two years (60 semester hours at UNMC; 63 hours at Creighton) completing required coursework.  The minimum GPA to apply to UNMC is 2.0.  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. 

Required and Recommended Courses
The following are entrance requirements for UN College of Pharmacy and CU School of Pharmacy and Health Professions.  Students 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.  This publication is available by contacting the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy at (703)739-2330 or at their web site www.aacp.org.

1.  Required Coursework (AP Credit has minimal application at UNMC, i.e. cannot be in any of the required courses, only in electives; Creighton will accept AP & CLEP credit if listed on transcript with no minimum). 

Biological Sciences with lab - 8 hours 

General Chemistry with lab - 8 hours

Organic Chemistry with lab - 8 hours 

Analytical Sciences - 10 hours Calculus, Statistics, and Quantitative Chemical Analysis or Physics

Oral and Written Communication - 9 hours
Take 1 course minimum from each of the following areas or 2 courses from Area 1) and 1 course from Area 3)
1) English Composition                                                                                                                      
2) Additional English course            
3) Oral Communication

Behavioral Sciences - 6 hours

Administrative Sciences - 6 hours – Accounting and Economics

Humanities - 9 hours 
Choose from at least two areas from the following suggested subjects:

Anthropology Critical Thinking Foreign Language  Logic

Business Law   Ethics History Philosophy

Business Organization Fine Arts Literature Political Science

NOTE: As part of the professional program, UNMC requires 10 hours of general electives.  These ten hours may be earned prior to enrollment in pharmacy school and transferred as credit hours earned over and above the minimum sixty (60) hours of pre-pharmacy courses.  The general electives may be taken in any area of study in general education or humanities but hours earned in physical education/activity courses will not count towards the additional hours of elective.

Extracurricular Experiences
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.

Application and Admission
1) Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) (required for UNMC & Creighton)
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 course work is completed for exam preparation.  Since not all pharmacy schools require the PCAT, applicants should check with individual programs.  Creighton University 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) (required for 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 (required for 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.