About the Pre-Pharmacy Program
A pharmacist is responsible for filling and dispensing medication, as well as assisting patients with any question they might have about their medication. In order to become a doctor of pharmacy and receive a Pharm. D., students must graduate from pharmacy school. Entrance requirements for pharmacy school vary greatly, but one standard is the PCAT, or Pharmacy College Admission Test. There are a wide variety of career opportunities. These range from work in corporate chains or hospitals to working in a privately owned pharmacy as an entrepreneur. Requirements beyond core classes include: CHEM 208: Analytical Chemistry, COMM 211: Presentational Speaking, ECON 201: Basic Economic Theory, and PCAT.
Program Curriculum:
Prerequisite or Co-Requisite: DAY-CHEM 115 or CHEM 208 or CHEM 238. CCPS-BIOL 102.
This course examines the structure and function of nucleic acids and proteins. The molecular mechanisms of replication, transcription, mRNA processing and translation will be emphasized. In addition, regulation of these processes will be explored. Lecture and laboratory. Intended for students majoring in biology or related disciplines.
Prerequisite: Day-BIOL 172. CCPS-Co-requisite: BIOL 181-L.
This course will apply the knowledge acquired in BIOL 172 to the inheritance patterns of genetic traits between individuals and within populations. Lecture and laboratory.
Prerequisite or Co-requisite: DAY- BIOL 181. CCPS-BIOL 172.
An introduction to the principles of evolutionary biology, including the history, processes and patterns of evolution as well as systematic biology.
A lecture course that covers analytical methods of chemical analysis. Topics include statistical analysis, quantitative chemical analysis, chemical equilibria, eletroanalytical techniques and fundamentals of spectroscopy.
A laboratory course designed to give students experiences with analytical methods of chemical analysis. Topics include data analysis, chemical equilibria (acid-base and complexation), redox titrations and spectroscopy.
A fundamental course in the study of inorganic chemistry. Topics include atomic structure, chemical bonding, molecular structure, nomenclature of inorganic compounds, fundamentals of inorganic complexes and an introduction to the chemistry of main group elements.
A fundamental laboratory course in the study of inorganic chemistry. Topics include the preparation of inorganic complexes, resolution of chiral transition metal compounds, ion conductivity and a preparation of a main group inorganic compound.
Prerequisite: CHEM 238.
This lecture course is an in-depth study of organic functional group chemistry of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides, aromatics and alcohols. Topics include nomenclature, stereochemistry, mechanisms, and theory.
Prerequisite: CHEM 238-L.
This laboratory course introduces the organic lab skills and techniques with extensive hands?on experience and organic application of spectroscopy and instrumentation.
Prerequisite: CHEM 315 or CHEM 312. Recommended prerequisite: CHEM 327.
A lecture course that studies the structure and function of biological molecules. Topics include enzyme kinetics, synthesis and degradation of biological molecules, and energy production. Emphasis will be placed on enzyme mechanisms and regulation.
Prerequisite: CHEM 315.
This lecture course continues in-depth study of organic functional group chemistry of carbonyl containing compounds and amines. Topics include spectroscopy, mechanisms, theory and an introduction to biochemistry and metabolic pathways.
Prerequisite: CHEM 315-L or CHEM 312-L.
A laboratory course that continues development of organic lab skills and techniques. Topics covered will include multi-step synthesis, open- ended projects involving experimental design and an introduction to enzyme catalysis and stereochemical control.
This course introduces students to the expectations of academic work at the collegiate level. Particular emphasis lies on developing students’ skills in writing, critical thinking and information literacy. Each course section has its own theme, developed by faculty members from a wide variety of disciplines.
Prerequisite: DAY-None.
CCPS-ENGL 150.
Expository writing provides students with valuable opportunities to write in a wide variety of modes of nonfiction, including narrative essays, film and book reviews, cultural analyses and journalistic essays. Students read and discuss published nonfiction and participate in workshops where they respond to one another’s writing in small groups. The workshop format enables students to respond to issues of form, purpose, voice and audience.
Prerequisite: One year of high school algebra.
A course to acquaint the student with the basic ideas and language of statistics including such topics such as descriptive statistics, correlation and regression, basic experimental design, elementary probability, binomial and normal distributions, estimation and test of hypotheses, and analysis of variance.
Prerequisite: Two years of high school algebra and one semester of high school trigonometry.
A study of the fundamental principles of analytic geometry and calculus with an emphasis on differentiation.
Co-requisite: MATH 231.
The principles of Newtonian mechanics including motion, energy, and force. Calculus with extensive use of vector analysis. Intended for science majors. The modeling-centered, inquiry-based workshop format — integrated laboratory and lecture — emphasizes experiment, data collection and analysis, problem solving, and cooperative learning in both small and large groups. Three two-hour sessions per week. Offered fall semester.
Prerequisite: PHYS 211.
Continuation of Newtonian mechanics, including working, 2-d motion, impulse-momentum, and circular motion. Also electrical and magnetic properties of matter, fields and forces, and DC circuits. Calculus with extensive use of vector analysis. Intended for science majors. The modeling-centered, inquiry-based workshop format — integrated laboratory and lecture — emphasizes experiment, data collection and analysis, problem solving, and cooperative learning in both small and large groups. Three two-hour sessions per week. Offered spring semester.
Pharmacy
Undergraduate students interested in the pharmacy field often major in biology, chemistry or both. Pharmacy is a program and is not considered a major. A Bachelor’s degree is not required prior to matriculation into pharmacy school.
PCAT
The Pharmacy College Admissions Test is a standardized exam designed to measure general academic ability in addition to scientific knowledge. The exam is offered at various test centers three times a year and is required by all pharmacy schools to supplement other application material. It consists of six sections: verbal ability, biology, reading comprehension, quantitative ability, chemistry and writing. Success on the test requires at least one year of collegiate education with courses in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and mathematics.
The PCAT provides medical schools with a quick way to compare students from schools all across the nations. Almost all pharmacy schools require your PCAT scores to be submitted along with your application.
Internships and Clinical Experience
Drury also strongly recommends that students spend me in a clinical setting. The experience that the student gains will not only give them a better understanding of what type of work to expect as a pharmacist, but these experiences also let pharmacy schools know that the applicant has first-hand knowledge of the profession. A Drury University student has the advantage of contacts with local alumni, who can provide students with both shadowing experiences and in some cases internships. Other internships can be arranged through the Drury University Career Planning and Development.
Selected Schools
Creighton believes that pharmacists must be responsive to patient needs by providing a level of patient care that focuses on disease state management, prevention of disease, patient outcomes and wellness. Creighton’s innovative Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum centers around reviewing and communicating drug information, helping resolve medication usage problems, patient counseling, developing pharmacy care plans, medication therapy assessment and delivery, understanding how drugs work, patient outcomes, evaluation and documentation. Strong basic knowledge anchored in empathic caring for the whole person is stressed.
Graduates enter practice with strong basic knowledge, communication skills, critical thinking abilities and an empathic attitude toward their patients. Specialized clinical and internship pro- grams are available to students who have particular interests in fields ranging from critical care to family medicine, pediatrics to gerontology, cardiology to home care and neurology to psychiatry. Graduates find ready employment at excellent salaries in a wide range of health service settings including private businesses, hospitals, clinics, government, military and academic and research institutions.
The University of Texas College fPharmacy sits in the heart of the UT-Austin campus. Recently cited by U.S. News and World Report as the second-ranked pharmacy program in the country, the college includes state-of-the-art research facilities and computer laboratories, as well as high-tech, interactive classrooms. The college is the academic home to approximately 650 bright and talented students. Approximately 500 scholars are enrolled in the college's entry-level Pharm.D. program. The remaining students are found in graduate studies in the master's or doctoral level or in advanced post-doctoral professional residency or fellowship programs. Academic divisions including medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacology and toxicology, pharmacotherapy, pharmacy practice and pharmacy administration provide a home base for faculty members with shared research and academic interests. Cooperative education programs link the college with the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, UT-El Paso, and UT-Pan American in the Rio Grande Valley.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City Pharmacy School stands out as one of the best in the Midwest because of faculty's dedication both to its students and the greater Kansas City community. The school boasts an 11:1 student to faculty ratio and recently established a satellite school on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. Graduates from the UMKC Pharmacy school are prepared to work in a variety of settings, from your corner. family pharmacy to a national pharmacy chain, as well as pharmacies within hospitals and those dedicated to industrial or clinical work. UMKC stresses the importance of community service to its students; the school has established programs that serve the disadvantaged at community centers or presentations for new parents and parents of preschoolers on poison prevention.