Pre-pharmacy at Augusta State University
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Pre-pharmacy at Augusta State University Pre-pharmacy courses Pre-pharmacy is not a major. Pre-pharmacy is a set of courses that must be completed prior to admission into a pharmacy program. Nearly all will also help you earn a BS degree at ASU. Pharmacy programs vary by school and you should investigate the schools you are interested in to verify that you are satisfying the requirements that are particular to that school. Most programs are similar in the minimum requirements. BS Degree or transfer Pharmacy programs generally accept students who have either completed the bachelor’s degree or who transfer after completing at least 60 hours, including all required pharmacy prerequisite courses. Strong grades, PCAT scores, experience, and interview will allow acceptance with either pathway. Completing a degree first will give you a stronger background, more experience, and a “back-up plan” in case pharmacy is not for you. The stronger science background of finishing the BS will open more opportunities for using your pharmacy degree. A Chemistry major works well, but you may have any major you wish You should pursue a major that interests you, science-related or not. A science major is common since most pre-requisite courses are in science and math. More pre-pharmacy courses count towards a Chemistry major than any other major on campus. Only a handful of courses are needed beyond the pre-pharmacy courses to complete a Chemistry BS degree- biochemistry track. Other upper level courses (such as biochemistry) are strongly recommended, though not required for pharmacy school. Stronger candidates will also have experiences such as undergraduate research that many chemistry majors pursue. The PCAT is a standardized test covering many areas The Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) consists of chemistry, biology, math, reading, and writing sections. Detailed information on this test can be found at www.PCATweb.info Pharmacy programs are very competitive Pharmacy is a highly desirable career and the pharmacy schools are able to take only the very best students. UGA recently accepted 145 students with an average GPA of 3.48 and PCAT of 80. USC accepts 110 students for Columbia campus and 80 students to the MUSC Charleston campus with average GPA of 3.6-3.7 and PCAT of 70. Your GPA and PCAT are very important for granting an interview. Different schools place different emphasis on the GPA, PCAT, interview, recommendation letters, and experience. Some programs are easier to gain admission to, but you should carefully consider the quality of the program and learning environment before deciding where you wish to attend. You will not be a pharmacist until you pass the state boards. Pre-pharmacy Courses Required courses for the 6 regional pharmacy programs are listed on the next sheet. These schools include Universisty of Georgia (UGA), South University, Mercer, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), University of South Carolina (USC), and Presbyterian College. More detail can be found on each pharmacy school’s website. The table also shows which courses count towards a BS Chemistry degree at ASU. Supplemental Courses Most pharmacy programs recommend additional “supplemental” upper level courses to strengthen applications. The benefit of these courses is usually found during the interview process. For instance, UGA only looks at the GPA for specific pre-pharmacy courses to grant interviews, but strongly suggests additional upper level courses to do better in the interview portion. How many courses do I need to finish a Chemistry BS beyond pharmacy minimum? Taking each course marked Yes from the table will complete much of the BS degree. Remaining courses include 26 hours of chemistry (including biochemistry), a minor or at least 12 more hours of upper level courses (such as the supplemental courses recommended by pharmacy), and remaining electives for 124 hours total. A “blank” indicates a required course; “xxxxxx” indicates course is not required; “appropriate” means the course is one of several options to satisfy a requirement ENGL 1101 Counts towards ASU Chem BS? Yes ENGL 1102 Yes MATH 1113 Yes MATH2011 Yes COMS 1020 Yes ECON2105 or 2106 CHEM1211 Yes Yes CHEM1212 Yes CHEM3411 Yes CHEM3412 Yes BIOL1107 Yes BIOL1108 Yes UGA South U. Mercer PCOM USC Presb. all of below all of below all of below all of below all of below xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx MATH2210 xxxxxxxxxx CSCI1200 xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx PHYS1111 Yes xxxxxxxxxx PHYS1112 Yes xxxxxxxxxx BIOL2111 xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx BIOL2112 xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx BIOL3500 Yes xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx 9 h of following 6h humanities 3 h humn + 3 h soc. sci. 9 h liberal arts Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx Some of followingsee notes HUMN 2001 Yes Appropriate 9 h humn/soc. sci. w/3 h humn Appropriate HUMN 2002 Yes Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate xxxxxxxx ANTH1102 Appropriate Appropriate Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate Appropriate xxxxxxxx HIST1111 Appropriate Appropriate see below xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate xxxxxxxx HIST1112 Appropriate Appropriate see below xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate xxxxxxxx PHIL1000 Appropriate Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate Appropriate For. Lang. xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx Both of next 2 3 h history req. HIST2111 or 2112 POLS1101 Yes Yes 8 h electives One of next 2 xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate Psyc required 6 h soc/behav sci Appropriate Psyc required One of next 2 Appropriate Appropriate PSYC1101 Yes xxxxxxxxxx SOCI1101 Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate 60 h total 63-68 h 30 h of req. complete at time of app min. C in each req course 60 h total, min C in req. courses 30 h of req. complete at time of app Minimum hours necessary Other info 3 h ethics, PHIL, or religion xxxxxxxx Appropriate xxxxxxxxxx Appropriate 66 h min. C in Sci and Math min. C in each pre-req course
