Some pharmacy schools accept students with or without their completing a bachelor’s degree, but many pharmacy schools are converting to Pharm.D. programs that require a bachelor’s degree for admission. For those schools that do not yet require a bachelor’s degree, students who enter NKU are able to start their science courses right away, or students who have AP credit hours can complete the entry requirements in just two years, but more commonly, students require three years. Even for pharmacy schools that do not require a bachelor’s degree for admission, advisors generally recommend that students fully complete their bachelor’s degrees both to better prepare students for the rigors of pharmacy school and to give them maximal flexibility in their future career directions. Both the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry have faculty advisors who specialize in pre-pharmacy advising. In addition, there are specialty tracks in both departments that facilitate the completion of a bachelor’s degree after three years of NKU coursework coupled with transferring courses back from selected pharmacy programs. These tracks require careful planning, so interested students should work with their advisors as early in their NKU careers as possible.
Coursework
The following coursework is generally required for admission to pharmacy school:
- Two semesters of biology with labs.
- One semester of microbiology with lab.
- One semester of anatomy and physiology with lab.
- Two semesters of inorganic/general chemistry with labs.
- Two semesters of organic chemistry with labs.
- One semester of calculus.
- One semester of statistics.
- Two semesters of physics with labs.
- Two semesters of English/composition courses (discipline-specific 291W courses are accepted).
Two-year plan
Following is shown one example of how to complete a common core of requirements in two years. Because requirements vary slightly between pharmacy programs, students are urged to work very closely with their advisors and plan accordingly. Please see four-year plans in particular areas of interest (such as biological sciences or chemistry & biochemistry) to see how the pre-pharmacy requirements can be met concurrently with the requirements for a bachelor’s degree.
♦ Indicates prerequisite.
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