Pre-Health Pathway: Pharmacy

An overview of the profession 

The Pre-Health: Pharmacy program in the CBU School of Sciences prepares students for further study toward a profession as a pharmacist. Pharmacy is a doctoral health profession in which licensed professionals provide information about medications to patients and health care professionals. As “medication experts,” pharmacists are concerned with safeguarding the public’s health in matters relating to medication distribution and use and disease state management. 

Pharmacists play a vital role in improving patient care through the medicine and information they provide.  For more information on pursuing a degree in pharmacy, see the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy website.   

Pre-Health: Pharmacy Coursework 

The following is a listing of the prerequisites for a Pharm.D. Degree, as listed for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, which is similar to most other Pharm.D. programs: 

The following CBU courses are recommended for the the Pre-Health: Pharmacy program: 

Acceptance/Admissions Statistics for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy for 2014 

• Estimated number interviewed for fall 2014 entering class: 300  
• Estimated number accepted for fall 2014 entering class: 175  
• Estimated fall 2014 entering class size including early assurance and transfer seats: 175  
• Estimated number of early assurance students advancing to the professional program: N/A  
• Estimated number of out-of-state applicants accepted: 60  
• Estimated percent of males in 2014 entering class: 40%  
• Estimated percent of females in 2014 entering class: 60%  
• Estimated average GPA of accepted students: 3.4  
• Estimated number of students to be interviewed: 275-300  
• Is preference given to in-state applicants vs. out-of-state applicants? Yes  
• Number of IN-STATE seats available for fall 2015 entering class: 135 
• Number of OUT-OF-STATE seats available for fall 2015 entering class: 40  
• Number of TRANSFER seats available for fall 2015 entering class: N/A   
• Minimum overall GPA considered: The College does not have a minimum GPA for application review; students must earn a grade of C or better in all required courses. 
• Minimum prerequisite GPA considered: The College does not have a minimum GPA for application review; students must earn a grade of C or better in all required courses.  
• Minimum composite PCAT score considered: N/A  
• Previous college experience prior to enrolling in the school/college of pharmacy: 3 or more years, no degree (>60 sem hrs)  
• Age RANGE of entering students, excluding transfer students entering other than the first year of your program: 22-32  
• Ratio of applications received to the number of first-year students enrolled, excluding transfer students entering other than the first year of your program: 4:1 

The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) 

The PCAT is a specialized test that helps identify qualified applicants to pharmacy colleges. It measures general academic ability and scientific knowledge necessary for the commencement of pharmaceutical education, and includes six subtests: 

Contact information regarding careers in pharmacy 

Contact Us

Dr. Lyndsey M. Pierson

Department Chair, Associate Professor, Biology