C o l l eg e o f S ci en ces & H eal t h Pro f es s i on s
Pre -Pro f es s i o n al Pro g rams
P RE -P HARMACY
Updated 9/2015
CONTACT
INFORMATION
Brittany Wampler
NEOMED ACADEMIC COURSEWORK
REQUIREMENTS
Pharmacists are an integral part of
any healthcare team. Primarily
responsible for distributing the
drugs prescribed by physicians,
pharmacists must be well-versed in
the indications, dosages, side-effects
and interactions of medications.
Therefore, a strong foundation in
chemistry, biology, and physics is
essential to the field.
In order to practice as a pharmacist,
a license must be obtained.
Course Number
Course Title
BIO 200/201/202/203
Intro Biology I/II/Labs
CHM 261/266/262/267
General Chemistry I/II/Labs
CHM 331/336/332/337
Organic Chemistry I/II/Labs
PHY 221/222 or 231/232
College Physics I/II or
Biomed Apps
CHM 402/403*
Biochemistry I/II*
MTH 181
Calculus I
MTH 147
Statistical Concepts
CSU Pre-Professional
Programs:
www.csuohio.edu/
sciences/preprof
Most pre-pharmacy students choose
to major in Chemistry or Biology,
but you can choose any major and
complete the prerequisites for
pharmacy school. You should look at
prerequisite courses for all schools
that you plan to apply to in advance
as this is not a comprehensive list.
You should also look at policies
related to AP, online, transfer, and
accepting courses taken five or
more years ago.

NEOMED/CSU PharmD
Partnership:
www.csuohio.edu/
sciences/preprof/
prepha/index.html
When applying to pharmacy school,
admissions will consider grades
from all attempts of the courses.
They will also figure out your
cumulative GPA and your math and
science GPA.
*Students may take Microbiology (BIO 264/265 or BIO
416/417), Cell Biology (BIO 308/309), Generics (BIO
310/311) and/or Molecular Biology (BIO 306) as
acceptable substitutions for the Biochemistry II
requirement. A student must still meet 6 credits as a
minimum requirement.

Pharmacy College
Application Service:
pharmcas.org
CSU/NEOMED
D OCT OR AT E OF P HAR MAC Y PART NERSHIP

American Association of
Colleges of Pharmacy:
aacp.org

Information about
PCAT:
www.pcatweb.info
Coordinator,
Pre-Professional
Health Programs
Main Classroom 218
b.wampler@csuohio.edu
Appointments:
216-687-9321
HELPFUL
WEBSITES:

Additional NEOMED Partnership Courses:
ECN 202
Economics
ENG 101/102
English Composition/Literature
COM 101
Speech/Communication
PSY 101
Psychology
Minimum of 72 total
credits
General Education Electives
Cleveland State University is a partner university of Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), which
offers the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. NEOMED can admit 15 qualified Cleveland State students each year
(defined as students who have completed a minimum of 25 credit hours at CSU). Students must complete
all Cleveland State prerequisite courses but do not need to complete the requirements for their bachelor’s
degree (either as a Cleveland State course or a transfer course equivalent to the required Cleveland State
course). Science courses build upon one another and students are encouraged to take all science courses
at Cleveland State.
NOTE: Any student (freshman, transfer, or post-baccalaureate) who wishes to pursue the pre-pharmacy
coursework at Cleveland State and meets the standard CSU admissions requirements is eligible. The
program is highly competitive at the PharmD level, when students apply directly to NEOMED .
ABBREVIATED
TIMELINE
FRESHMAN YEAR




Maintain a strong GPA.
Attend pre-health meetings
on campus to get involved.
Get to know professors in
early biology and chemistry
courses.
Explore careers in
pharmacy and develop Plan
B options through
extensive research.
SOPHOMORE
YEAR



Maintain a strong GPA.
Pursue meaningful
experiences through
pharmacy related activities.
Develop relationships with
faculty and mentors that
could serve as references.
JUNIOR YEAR





Maintain a strong GPA.
Consider who you will ask
for letters of reference and
schedule meetings to ask
them specifically.
Write your Personal
Statement and have at
least 3 people review it.
Plan a timeline/study
schedule for the PCAT and
sign up for a test date in
summer after Junior year.
Familiarize yourself with
PHARMCAS application
sites, instructions, and
processes.
SENIOR YEAR





Maintain a strong GPA.
If you haven’t, take the
PCAT early in the fall
semester.
Complete the application
process through
PHARMCAS and strive to
complete the application at
minimum 2 weeks before
the first deadline.
Prepare for interviews.
Make final decisions on
plans for pharmacy school
or actively seek out Plan
B/Gap Year options.
A P P LY I N G T O P H A R M AC Y S C H O O L
The application process to
pharmacy school is a rigorous
one. Most pharmacy schools
require the PCAT as the entrance
examination. The test focuses on
verbal ability, biology, reading
comprehension, quantitative
ability, chemistry, and writing.
The majority of Ohio institutions
have their deadlines between
December 1st and March 3rd,
but applying early is important as
almost all schools are on a rolling
admission basis. Applications
open each year in July. All
materials must be submitted by
that time. Some institutions have
supplemental requirements,
fees, and deadlines that must
also be adhered to. It is
important to follow all directions
and deadlines carefully.
The actual application itself
contains many parts. You should
start as early as possible to give
yourself as much time to
complete the application.
Below are the main components
of the application:





Academic Record/
Transcripts (you must enter
each and every course from
every institution)
Extracurricular/Work
Experience/Publications
PCAT Scores
Personal Statement (4500
character limit)
Letters of Reference
motivation for pharmacy,
personal and professional goals,
and assessment of current health
issues. You are usually provided
with information about the
school’s interviewing process.
Get help with all areas of the
application —reviewing your
personal statement, GPA
Calculation questions , mock
interviewing—through the
College of Sciences and Health
Professional Pre-Professional
Programs. Review information
online and schedule an
appointment with the
Coordinator for Pre-Professional
Health Programs for more info!
Interested schools will invite you
to interview. You will be
expected to discuss your
GAINING EXPERIENCE
Student organization
involvement/leadership,
volunteer work, research
experience, job shadowing—
there are so many options when
it comes to creating a wellrounded resume. In addition to
the coursework, pharmacy
schools want to see wellrounded applicants.
It is important to note that it is
impossible for students to gain
experiences in all areas in a short
amount of time. Students need
to be successful in the classroom
while also seeking out the
opportunities they find to be
most rewarding. There is no
specific recipe for success in this
area and each student needs to
be selective in what they do to
add to their pharmacy school
application.
Make sure to plan carefully and
P R E- P HAR MACY CLUB ST U DENT
O RGANIZAT ION
The organization's primary
purpose and mission is to
prepare students for entry into
Pharmacy School as well as
enhance their academic
understanding and professional
development in the discipline of
pharmacy.
Speakers are invited to provide
additional information about
various aspects of their
programs. Students can also
discuss the application process
and learn more from one
another about the field of
pharmacy.
There are also opportunities to
get involved within the
leadership of the organization if
interested. Please go to OrgSync
for more information about
meetings, events, and more!
early. Also, think about how the
people you meet through these
experiences could help you as
you apply to pharmacy schools.
Someone you volunteer with or
shadow could be one of your
references!
Meet with the Coordinator for
Pre-Professional Health
Programs to plan in advance and
learn more about how to seek
out experiences.