Saint Joseph College students
       

Saint Joseph College Doctor of Pharmacy Prerequisites

Saint Joseph College has established a School of Pharmacy in recognition of the growing demand for pharmacists in the U.S.

  • For those with bachelor's degrees (and all the appropriate pre-requisites): a three calendar-year doctoral level degree in pharmacy (Pharm.D.).
  • For those without bachelor's degrees please click here for more information.

To be considered for admission to the Saint Joseph College Pharm.D. program, an applicant must:

  • Complete a minimum of 68 semester credits of pre-pharmacy study in a Regionally Accredited college or university in the United States;
  • Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 on a 4-point scale and a minimum GPA of 2.8 in the 50 semester credits of required courses, with no grade below a "C" (C-minus grades are not accepted);
  • Complete all science and mathematics prerequisite coursework by the end of the Spring semester prior to entry into the program;
  • Hold an earned bachelor's degree. Ordinarily, all prerequisite coursework should be less than seven calendar years old;
  • Take the PCAT Exam. The latest the exam can be taken to be considered for the 2012-13 year is January 2012.

The following courses are required to be considered for admission to the Pharm.D. program:

Biological Sciences - minimum 12 semester credits or 18 quarter units in
  • Microbiology with laboratory - 4 semester credits (6 quarter units)
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology with laboratories-8 semester credits (12 quarter units). This is often a 2-semester course. It may be either an integrated course sequence or two separate courses.
Chemistry - minimum 16 semester credits or 24 quarter units in
  • General Chemistry with laboratories - 8 semester credits (12 quarter units)
  • Organic Chemistry with laboratories - 8 semester credits (12 quarter units)
Physics - minimum 4 semester credits or 6 quarter units in
  • General Physics with laboratory - 4 semester credits (6 quarter units). This course should include mechanics, universal laws of motion, force, energy, momentum and rotational systems, and an introduction to thermodynamics.
Mathematics - minimum 6-7 semester credits or 8-10 quarter units in
  • Calculus - 3-4 semester credits (4-6 quarter units). This course should not be a survey course (e.g., business calculus) and should cover limits, continuity, functions (exponential, logarithmic, inverse trigonometric, and hyperbolic), and derivatives and their applications.
  • Statistics - 3 semester credits (4 quarter units). This course should include basic probability concepts and descriptive statistics, random variables, binomial distribution, normal distribution, regression, correlation, sampling, confidence of estimations, and hypothesis testing.
English - minimum 6 semester credits or 8 quarter units in
  • English composition - 3 semester credits (4 quarter units)
  • A second English course - 3 semester credits (4 quarter units). This course should contain a substantial writing component.
Oral Communication - minimum 3 semester credits or 4 quarter units
  • This course may include Speech, Communication, and/or Debate. It should focus on public speaking and develop articulation, coherence, and confidence.
Economics - minimum 3 semester credits or 4 quarter units
  • This course should constitute a survey and analysis of consumer behavior, market structures, resource pricing, labor policy, and current micro-economic issues.

In addition to the above, courses selected from the following categories are required:

Social/Behavioral Sciences - at least 6 semester credits or 8 quarter units
  • May include courses from Anthropology, Economics, Government, History, Human Development, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Ethnic Studies, or other recognized discipline.
Humanities/Fine Arts - at least 6 semester credits or 8 quarter units
  • May include courses from Art, Drama, Theater, Literature, Religion, Music, Philosophy, or Foreign Language.
Additional Health-related Science Courses - at least 6 semester credits or 8 quarter units
  • Courses from any discipline that will prepare a student to excel in the Pharmacy profession. These may include Computer Fundamentals, Mathematics above Calculus I, Biochemistry, Medical Terminology, Immunology, Genetics, Cell Biology, etc.
October 7, 2011