Doctor of Pharmacy Program > Pre-Pharmacy Requirements

High School Preparation

High school students who are interested in a pharmacy career are encouraged to contact the Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs for additional information. No specific high school subjects are required but a college preparatory plan should be followed.

Sufficient mathematics leading to enrollment in calculus as a college freshman and upper-level sciences are recommended. It is advantageous to gain as much experience as possible in writing, verbal communication, computer skills, and the sciences.

It is also never too early to begin gaining pharmacy experience whether it’s through volunteer or job shadowing opportunities or a paid position.

Pre-pharmacy Counseling

Interested students are invited to contact the Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs to speak with a counselor or arrange a visit to either campus. These visits can be useful for applicants when preparing the strongest application possible.

Participation in the Pre-Pharmacy Association on the OU-Norman Campus is encouraged. Students at other institutions may benefit from participating in pre-health professions clubs on their current campus.

Pre-pharmacy Curriculum

Prerequisites Worksheet
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Admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program requires a minimum of 2 years of pre-professional university study and completion of approximately 64 semester hours of approved pre-pharmacy courses. Applicants must meet the pre-requisites listed below prior to admission. Applicants can be in the process of completing requirements during the application process.

Equivalent courses are available at most colleges and universities. Equivalency tables are available through the pre-professional counseling centers at Oklahoma colleges and universities. The sequence of pre-pharmacy courses and total number of credits may vary between institutions depending upon the specific prerequisites and sequencing of courses, course structure, and laboratory experiences. All students are encouraged to contact the Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs for assistance in planning an appropriate pre-pharmacy program of study.

Students entering the College of Pharmacy curriculum are also expected to have computer proficiency at or above the level of basic word processing skills. A course emphasizing basic business or professional computing skills or equivalent experience is recommended.

Applicants must complete all pre-requisite courses below with a grade of "C" or above, be in good standing at the last institution attended, and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale to be considered for admission. The pre-requisites listed below are effective for admission to the entering class of Fall 2010.

Prerequisite Courses

*These are minimum requirements. A preference will be given to applicants who have successfully completed a biochemistry course, upper-level sciences, both human anatomy and physiology and/or have received a bachelor’s degree.

**In order to be best prepared for pharmacy school, it is highly recommended that applicants complete zoology or general biology, microbiology, and at least either human anatomy or human physiology.

*Electives can be chosen from these subject areas: Fine Arts (non-performance based), History, Political Science, Anthropology, Humanities, Geography, Philosophy, Literature, Social Science, Behavioral Science, Foreign Language, Communications, English. A maximum of six hours in statistics, business or computer science may be counted in the elective hours. Students are expected to have a computer proficiency level at or above basic word processing skills. Students are encouraged to select a diverse set of courses as preference is given to those with a broad-based educational background that includes a diversity component.

Advanced Standing Credit

Students who have a competence in an area of the pre-pharmacy curriculum may earn credit by an Advanced Standing Examination. Many of these examinations are offered by the Independent Study program on the Norman campus, while others are offered by individual departments. Students are cautioned to recognize the difference between advanced standing, which only enables enrollment in higher level courses, and advanced standing credit, which provides actual college credit.

Students with a Prior Degree

An increasing number of students admitted to the College of Pharmacy have earned a prior degree in another discipline. Individuals with a recent degree in science usually have fulfilled most of the pre-pharmacy requirements. Those who have been out of school for several years or who have degrees in non-science areas generally require some current courses in science and/or mathematics to prepare for the professional curriculum. Individuals who have completed or are currently completing another degree and are interested in pharmacy are invited to contact the Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs to discuss pre-requisite requirements. The Office of Pharmacy Student Affairs will provide advice on an appropriate program of study to individuals with other degrees.

Students with Pharmacy Degrees from Foreign Colleges of Pharmacy

Pharmacy licensure in Oklahoma and most other states requires a professional pharmacy degree from an Amercian Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) accredited program in the United States. Individuals with a recent pharmacy degree from another country usually meet the pre-pharmacy requirements except for English. Foreign graduates usually must complete the entire professional core curriculum. We cannot accept transfer students from foreign pharmacy schools. Addditionally, foreign coursework must be evaluated by World Education Services (www.wes.org) and a course-by-course evaluation submitted as part of the application process.