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Student and Counselor Resource Page for |
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If you enjoy working with people, excel in science, and would like a rewarding career in health care, pharmacy may be the right career for you. Pharmacists are consistently ranked as one of the most highly trusted professionals and they play a vital role in improving patient care through the medicine and information they provide. The demand for trained pharmacy professionals has dramatically increased in recent years due to the rapid growth of the health care and pharmaceutical industries. A career in pharmacy offers excellent earning potential in a wide variety of occupational settings.
What would you like learn about?
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You are not required to major in "prepharmacy" to be eligible for admission to pharmacy school. Skyline and most transfer institutions do not even have a prepharmacy major. Chemistry is the most common major for pharmacy applicants because the course prerequisites for pharmacy are incorporated into the standard chemistry curriculum. Pharmacy students, however; come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds, including those who majored in English, business, communications, biology, etc. If the pharmacy prerequisite courses are not required as part of your undergraduate major, you will need to complete these courses as electives. It is desirable to identify a major that prepares you for an alternative career path.
Pharmacy schools, while not requiring or recommending any particular major, do stipulate that particular undergraduate courses be completed. Applicants must be able to perform well in science, to think like a scientist, and even to enjoy science to be a competent pharmacist. Unfortunately, pharmacy prerequisite requirements vary significantly from program to program. It is extremely important that you become familiar with the requirements for the schools that interest you. Work closely with your counselor to be sure that your preparation maximizes your options and prepares you for alternate career paths.
Almost all pharmacy schools require one year of general chemistry and one year of organic chemistry. Many also require one year of calculus, one year or more of biology, and one year of physics. Skyline students preparing for pharmacy should plan to meet all CSU or IGETC transfer requirements and complete as many core pharmacy requirements as possible.
What
Are the Admission Requirements for
The classes required for admission into a pharmacy program vary
significantly from one institution to the next. Due to the variations in
admission requirements and procedures among the colleges and schools of
pharmacy, it is advisable to research different pharmacy programs. The pharmacy
programs will be pleased to supply details concerning admission or curriculum.
School specific information is also available in the AACP publication, "Pharmacy School Admission Requirements"
(PSAR).
Approximately half of all pharmacy programs require applicants to
submit scores from a standardized test known as the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT).
To determine which colleges and schools require the PCAT, review Table 9 of the
PSAR handbook.
Colleges and schools of pharmacy, in considering applicants for
admission, may give attention to the relative position of students within their
class-near the top, in the middle group, or near the bottom. Although colleges
of pharmacy are interested in enrolling students who have demonstrated
exceptional work in school, they are also interested in students who
demonstrate potential for contributing to the profession.
Pharmacy
Schools in
In
University of California at San Francisco
University of Southern California
University
of the Pacific Western University of Health Sciences
Click here for a list of colleges and schools of pharmacy in the United States.
Career and Educational Resources for Pharmacy
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Occupational information about the nature of the work, working conditions, training and/or educational requirements, job outlook, and earnings. |
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Lists of graduate, professional, and other educational programs. |
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Information of special interest to multicultural populations. |
Pharmacy
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Pharmacists |
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California
Occupational Guide: Pharmacists |
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Careers
in Pharmacy |
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Pharmaceutical
Sciences: Research Guide |
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ACCP |
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ACCP-Pharmacy
Career Options |
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ACCP-List
of Pharmacy Schools |