PharmD Preprofessional Requirements

Our Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) professional degree program offers admission to high school students, transfer students from other schools, and candidates who already hold a bachelor’s or advanced degree in a field other than pharmacy. Completion of this doctoral program requires approximately two years of preprofessional study and four years of professional study.

No matter their academic pathway, all PharmD candidates must complete the preprofessional coursework before starting the first year of professional study. Students who enter directly from high school and complete all prerequisite courses matriculate seamlessly into the four-year professional program. Transfer students and degree holders must also fulfill all preprofessional study requirements through equivalent prerequisite coursework.

Entering from High School

Students entering the PharmD program directly from high school complete two years of preprofessional study, earning 65 credits in prerequisite courses to qualify for admission to the four-year professional degree program. All students must complete the following prerequisite courses before beginning the first year of professional study:

Preprofessional Requirements

• General Biology I & II (with labs)
• General Chemistry I & II
• Introduction to Experimentation
• Organic Chemistry I & II (with labs)
• Systems Physiology
• Elements of Physics
• Calculus I
• Basic Statistics for Research
• Introduction to Microeconomics
• Two college-level writing courses
• Five humanities/social sciences elective courses, including at least one psychology/sociology course
• Pharmacy Convocations

Transferring Credits from Other Schools or Degrees

Students transferring from other schools (including other Rutgers schools) and candidates who already hold bachelor’s or advanced degrees must complete all preprofessional coursework to qualify for admission to the four-year professional degree program. Your previous coursework will be evaluated for equivalency during the admission review. Depending on your specific circumstances, between 66 and 73 credits must be earned in the following prerequisite courses for entry into the first year of professional study:

Preprofessional Requirements

• General Biology I & II (with labs)
• General Chemistry I & II
• General chemistry lab
• Organic Chemistry I & II (with labs)
• Anatomy & Physiology (or equivalent)
• General Physics I & II
• General physics lab
• Calculus I
• Research statistics course
• Introduction to Microeconomics
• Two college-level writing courses
• Five humanities/social sciences elective courses, including at least one psychology/sociology course