Pre-professional Requirements

The School of Pharmacy offers a four-year (three academic years, one calendar year), full-time professional pharmacy program leading to the doctor of pharmacy degree (PharmD). Students are required to complete a minimum of two years of pre-professional study (62 credits of defined academic prerequisites) before entering the professional program. Students may apply while these courses are in progress. However, prerequisite math and science courses must be completed by the end of the spring term and all other courses must be completed by the end of the summer term before students begin the first fall semester of the PharmD program.

All pre-professional courses must be taken at an accredited institution in the US for a letter grade.  Transferring credits from institutions other than the University of Pittsburgh must be taken for a letter grade and a grade of a C or better must be earned to transfer the credits. Some prerequisites may also be met through Advanced Placement (AP) Tests offered through The College Board and Educational Testing Service (ETS)  The following DO NOT  meet prerequisite requirements unless otherwise specified:

  • Courses graded as Pass/fail
  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits
  • Courses completed at international institutions
  • Courses in which a letter grade lower than a C was earned

Overview of Academic Prerequisites:
The linked descriptions are from courses at the University of Pittsburgh and are provided as a guide.

  • 8 credits General Biology – must include 1 year of lecture and lab
  • 8 credits General Chemistry– must include 1 year of lecture and lab
  • 8 credits Organic Chemistry – must include 1 year of lecture and lab
  • 3-4 credits Calculus – must be 1 course in calculus covering the derivative and integral of functions of a single variable. Acceptable courses: MATH 0220, 0230, and 0240. Business calculus (MATH 0120, MATH 0125, MATH 0126) will NOT be accepted unless accompanied by the Bridge to Calculus course (MATH 0205).
  • 3-4 credits Statistics – must be 1 course in descriptive and inferential statistics. Acceptable courses: STAT 1000, STAT 0200 or STAT 1100).
  • 6 credits English Composition – must be 2 courses in college composition (technical or ESL not accepted)
  • 24 credits of Electives in the Humanities and the Social Sciences.  Technical, professional, math, and science courses are NOT eligible to meet the requirements for electives in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
    • 3 Courses (at least 9 credits) Humanities from departments below:
      • Africana Studies
      • Classics
      • Communication
      • English
      • Film Studies
      • Foreign Language Departments
      • History of Art & Architecture
      • History and Philosophy of Science
      • Linguistics
      • Music
      • Philosophy
      • Public Service
      • Religious Studies
      • Studio Arts
      • Theatre Arts
    • 3 Courses (at least 9 credits) Social Sciences from departments below:
      • Anthropology
      • Economics
      • Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies
      • Geography
      • Global Health
      • History
      • Jewish Studies
      • Law, Criminal Justice and Society
      • Political Science
      • Psychology
      • Public Health
      • Sociology
      • Urban Studies
      • Neuroscience courses:  Brains and Behavior, Drugs and Behavior
    • 2 Courses (at least 6 credits) Additional Elective Courses may include:
      • Social Sciences
      • Humanities
      • Natural Sciences
        • Astronomy
        • Biological Sciences
        • Chemistry
        • Computer Science
        • Geology and Planetary Science
        • Neuroscience
        • Physics
      • Calculus 2 or 3 (would be in addition to the Calculus requirement listed above
      • Statistics (STAT 1151, 1152, or any 1200 course would be in addition the Statistic requirement listed above.)
      • Pharmacy (PHARM 0178, PHARM 1096)
NOTE:  Anatomy & Physiology and Biochemistry are part of the PharmD core Curriculum; therefore, they are NOT eligible to be use as prerequisites.