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Pharmacy

Pharmacists prepare and dispense therapeutic drugs; educate health care professionals, patients and the general public about the appropriate use of drugs; conduct pharmaceutical research and work in industrial positions which involve the manufacture, marketing and advertising of pharmaceuticals. Students prepare to enter doctoral pharmacy programs by completing at least 60 credits (2 years) of college course work. Most students complete at least 90 credits (3 years) of couse work and about one third of students accepted to the U of I in recent years have earned bachelor's degrees.

The University of Iowa offers a Pharm.D. program. Students who intend to complete professional training at UI should contact the UI College of Pharmacy (319-335-8818 or 800-553-4692) to ask about the admissions standards which are applied to applicants who are not UI undergraduates. Students may complete two years of prepharmacy prerequisites before transferring to the four year professional program at the UI College of Pharmacy. The prepharmacy years should include the following courses: ENGL 104, 105; SP CM 212, Math 165 or 181, STAT 101 or 104; CHEM 177, 177L and 178, 178L; CHEM 331, 332; ECON 101, BIOL 211, 211L and 212, 212L; MICRO 302; BIOL 255, 255L and 256, 256L; PHYS 106 (or one year of high school physics) and fifteen credits of electives. Recommended courses prior to admission are PHIL 230 and COM S 103.

Professional schools may change their prerequisites. Students are responsible for maintaining direct contact with specific professional schools for current prerequisite guidelines.

Some of the most common prerequisites for pharmacy schools are listed below.

• English (ENGL 104, 105)
• Speech (SP CM 212)
• Mathematics (one semester of calculus)
• Statistics (STAT 101 or 104)
• Computer Science (COM S 103)
• Biology (BIOL 211, 211L and 212, 212L)
• Anatomy and Physiology (BIOL 255/L and 256/L)
• Inorganic Chemistry (CHEM 177, 177L and 178, 178L)
• Organic Chemistry (CHEM 331, 331L and 332, 332L)
• Physics (PHYS 111, 112 or 221, 222)
• Microbiology (MICRO 201, 201L or 302, 302L)
• Humanities and Social Science electives

More information is available in 102 Carrie Chapman Catt Hall, phone (515) 294-4831. You may want to order the Pharmacy School Admission Requirements (PSAR) book from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), 1426 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2841, (703)739-2330.

Visit the AACP web site at www.aacp.org for further information and a full directory of professional programs. The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) should be taken during October of the second prepharmacy year or later depending on a students academic plans. Information about applying for and taking the PCAT can be found at: harcourtassessment.com/haiweb/Cultures/en-US/dotCom/PCATWEB.INFO.htm. It is also highly encouraged that students obtain some experience by job shadowing or working in a pharmacy.