Career options in pharmacy include academic pharmacy, community practice, government agencies, hospice and home care agencies, hospital and institutional practices, long term care, clinical practice, scientific research, at insurance companies and at mail-order pharmacies.

Most pharmacy schools require a Bachelor’s degree for admission followed by 4 years of professional study. There are a few schools that offer a six-year program, with students doing 2 years preprofessional work before starting pharmacy school.  Admission information is published on each individual school’s website.  The requirements vary by school and each student is urged to be familiar with the requirements of the school/s that they wish to attend. 

There are 139 colleges and universities offering accredited professional programs that lead to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree in the United States.  A student may also obtain additional education by doing a residency or completing a dual degree program after completing pharmacy school.  Some schools offer a master’s degree or a PhD in a specialized field such as Health System Pharmacy Administration, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics, or Regulatory Affairs.

Many pre-pharmacy students obtain a Bachelor of Science (B.S) or Bachelor of Arts (B.A) degree while completing the requirements for admission to pharmacy school. Most students choose Biology, Health Sciences, or Chemistry since the pre-requisite courses for pharmacy school admission are usually part of their curriculum. Pharmacy schools do not require or prefer a particular undergraduate major, if applicants have completed the course requirements and demonstrated proficiency in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math as evidenced by their science GPA.

Pre-Professional Health Advising has developed requirements for the Pre-Pharmacy Minor based on the pre-requisite courses of 32 pharmacy schools in the District of Columbia and 8 states (CT, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, PA, and VA). The review of pre-requisite courses to develop the requirements for the Pre-Pharmacy Program below was completed in fall semester 2024. Students should look at each individual pharmacy schools' list of pre-requisites to assure completion of all pre-requisite coursework. Because these courses are pre-requisites to pharmacy programs, pharmacy school admissions committees will use your academic success in these courses as a metric of your ability to achieve success in pharmacy school.

If you have credit for any of the following courses by earning Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge International Exam (CIE), community college credit, or departmental test credit, please read the Non-JMU Coursework for Pre-Requisite Coursework.

To review the required coursework for the Pre-Pharmacy Minor, follow this link to the JMU Undergraduate Course Catalog.

Students will, as part of the application process, be asked to submit a transcript of all college/university course work. The overall grade point average (GPA), as well as the GPA in math and science courses, will often be used in the review of the application. Many pharmacy programs have a minimum GPA requirement to apply to their program. Please refer to individual program prerequisites for details.

Applications for pharmacy programs will need to be completed by the end of a student’s senior year for admission to pharmacy school the following fall. Application deadlines vary by school and waiting to apply may risk a student being denied because the class is full.  Students should have a vast majority of the prerequisite courses completed before attempting application. Both the chemistry and Biology requirements involve yearlong sequences. Students need to carefully plan each semester to ensure that all requirements can be met within the chosen time frame.

PharmCAS is the application service that most students use to apply to Pharmacy School.  It is an interactive website that allows students to post their transcripts, letters of recommendation and application essays in one place for easy application.

The PharmCAS website also has links and charts for students to use as they are researching pharmacy schools, making it easier to compare the various programs.

PharmCAS opens each year in early to mid July. You should apply as early as possible due to the application verification process and rolling admission cycle. 

PharmCAS School Directory 

Pharmacy programs encourage or require applicants to have volunteer or paid experience working with patients in a pharmacy or health-related setting (hospital, nursing home, etc). Experience in a pharmacy setting will be an important factor in the admissions process and will demonstrate the student’s familiarity and dedication to the profession. Students are encouraged to begin acquiring this experience as soon as possible.

All pharmacy programs require the submission of letters of evaluation (LOE) as part of the application. Students should establish relationships with faculty within the university as well as with employers in a pharmaceutical workplace setting. Each pharmacy school lists the type and number of letters required for application on their website. Students should be cognizant of the type of letters that they need and be professional when asking for recommendations.