Pre-Pharmacy
The practice of pharmacy requires detailed knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of drugs as well as their particular biologic effects. Pharmacists practice in a variety of settings, including community pharmacies, hospitals, drug industries, and government agencies. Pharmacists may provide patient care, teach at colleges and universities, or may perform pharmaceutical research.
The preprofessional coursework listed below prepares the student to apply to the Doctor of Pharmacy program in the College of Pharmacy. The coursework generally requires a minimum of two full-time academic years of study. Most students require at least three years to complete prerequisite coursework. A majority of the students admitted to the College of Pharmacy have completed a bachelor’s degree at the time of matriculation.
Preprofessional Coursework
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses a,b | ||
| ENGL 160 | Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| ENGL 161 | Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Human Communication c | ||
| Introduction to Interpersonal Communication c | ||
| BIOS 110 | Biology of Cells and Organisms | 4 |
| BIOS 120 | Biology of Populations and Communities | 4 |
| BIOS 350 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOS 351 | Microbiology Laboratory | 2 |
| Select one of the following anatomy and physiology sequences | 8-10 | |
| Anatomy and Physiology Lecture I and Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory I and Anatomy and Physiology Lecture II and Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory II | ||
OR | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology II | ||
| Select one of the following general chemistry sequences: | 10 | |
| Matter and Energy d,e | ||
| Foundations of Chemical Inquiry I d,e | ||
| Chemical Dynamics d,e | ||
| Foundations of Chemical Inquiry II d,e | ||
OR | ||
| Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry I d | ||
| Honors and Majors General and Analytical Chemistry II d | ||
| CHEM 232 | Structure and Function | 3 |
| CHEM 233 | Synthesis Techniques Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 234 | Chemical Synthesis | 3 |
| Select one of the following biochemistry courses: | 3-4 | |
| Introductory Biochemistry | ||
| Biochemistry I | ||
| Select one of the following mathematics courses: | 4-5 | |
| Calculus for Business | ||
| Calculus for the Life Sciences | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Select one of the following statistics courses: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics for the Life Sciences | ||
| PHYS 131 | Introductory Physics for Life Sciences I d | 4 |
| or PHYS 141 | General Physics I (Mechanics) | |
| Social or behavioral sciences f | 3 | |
| Humanities f | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 69-73 | |
- a
If science courses were taken more than five years prior to admission application, students must have their transcripts evaluated by a College of Pharmacy admissions counselor.
- b
Students completing a bachelor’s degree at UIC must fulfill all the requirements of an undergraduate degree program, including General Education requirements. Students should consult their college and department sections of the catalog for information on completing their degree programs, including General Education requirements, as well as the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved General Education courses in each category.
- c
These courses are approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category.
- d
These courses are approved for the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category.
- e
Each of the following pairs of courses will be considered one course in meeting the LAS General Education requirements; CHEM 122/CHEM 123; CHEM 124/CHEM 125.
- f
Students completing an undergraduate degree at UIC should meet with their academic advisor to select courses in the social or behavioral sciences and humanities that are approved for Exploring World Cultures, Understanding the Creative Arts, Understanding the Past, and Understanding U.S. Society General Education categories.
Students apply for admission to the College of Pharmacy through the centralized application service (PharmCAS) sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Students should apply for admission approximately one year before enrollment.
The minimum GPAs (cumulative, science/math, pre-pharmacy requirement/prerequisite) for application to the program in pharmacy are 2.50/4.00. A minimum grade of C must be earned in each pre-pharmacy course. Please note that C minus (C-) grades received at other academic institutions will meet the minimum grade requirement.
The College of Pharmacy accepts applications for the fall semester admission only. PharmCAS applications are available starting in mid-July. The College of Pharmacy reviews applications on an ongoing basis beginning shortly after PharmCAS applications are made available. A UIC College of Pharmacy supplemental application is also required.
Additional information regarding the admission/application process can be found on the College of Pharmacy website.