Pre-Pharmacy

Pharmacy is a profession that is primarily concerned with the formulation and distribution of drugs and medications. Pharmacists provide advice on dosages, interactions, and side effects of drugs, and help instruct patients on safe and correct usage of their medications. Many pharmacists also give information to patients about diet, health, and management of common conditions from poison ivy to diabetes. Most pharmacists work in a retail pharmacy setting or in a healthcare facility such as a hospital, clinic, or long-term care facility. Retail pharmacists may work for a larger chain of drugstores or may start their own independent pharmacy business. Many pharmacists are directly involved in the management and business aspects of their pharmacy practice.

There are areas of specialization within the field of pharmacy, such as intravenous therapy, oncologic pharmacy (cancer drugs), geriatric pharmacy, nuclear pharmacy, and psychiatric pharmacy. Specialization is optional. There are also job opportunities with the government, public health organizations, military, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. For pharmacists interested in research and/or teaching, it is possible to do graduate work after pharmacy school and obtain a master’s or even PhD degree.

There are 4 accredited schools of pharmacy in North Carolina:

TO SEE ALL of the accredited schools of pharmacy in the US, click here: Pharmacy Schools.

Recommended Core Courses

The following classes are recommended for completion of the basic pre-pharmacy core at UNC Charlotte. The classes are recommended to cover the minimum basic requirements at the majority of pharmacy schools and/or prepare you for the PCAT exam.

General Biology with labsBIOL 2120+2130 
Microbiology with labBIOL 4250Some schools will accept BIOL 2259.
General Chemistry with labsCHEM 1251+1252 
Organic Chemistry with labsCHEM 2131+2132 
BiochemistryCHEM 4165 
Human Anatomy & Physiology with labsBIOL 2273+2274Some schools will accept EXER 2168+2169.
Physics with labsPHYS 1101+1102 or 2101+2102 
CalculusMATH 1241Some schools will accept MATH 1120, Business Calculus.
StatisticsSTAT 1220 or 1221 or 1222 
EnglishUWRT 1103 or 1104Most schools require 6 hrs of English.  Some schools will not accept 1103 or 1104 alone to meet the 6 hours.  Contact individual pharmacy schools for their current policy on the English prerequisite, or contact Pre-Health Advising.
PsychologyPSYC 1101 
Social/Behavioral SciencesPsychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Political ScienceSchools typically require 1-2 courses in this category.  Consult school websites for details.
HumanitiesHistory, Philosophy, Arts, Foreign Language, Literature, etcSchools typically require 1-2 courses in this category.  Consult school websites for details
EconomicsECON 2101 or 2102Recommend ECON 2102, Microeconomics
CommunicationsCOMM 1101 or 2107Recommend COMM 1101

Each pharmacy school establishes their specific prerequisites, and there is lots of variation school-to-school; always check the websites of the schools that you want to attend.

More Resources

STUDENT CLUBS

Currently, there is no active student club for Pre-Pharmacy students.

RESOURCES