College of Pharmacy

Future Students

Pre-pharmacy Requirements

 

Applicants to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program may complete their pre-pharmacy work at Washington State University, a community college, or at any other accredited four-year university.

Pre-pharmacy courses taken at other institutions are evaluated for transfer credit by the College of Pharmacy's admissions office. See the Transfer Guides below to find the exact equivalents at some selected colleges.

All courses listed on the Pre-Pharmacy Course List below are considered PRE-requisites and may not be taken during the first professional year. In addition, all prerequisite courses must be completed with a C or higher. Use our handy Pre-requisites checklist to determine if you have completed your pre-requisites or to plan your completion.

Do my prerequisite courses expire after a certain amount of time?
As a general rule, upper-division science coursework should be no more than seven years old at the time of application. However, each situation is reviewed on an individual basis. Please contact the College of Pharmacy (509) 335-2356 for more information.

 

PRE-PHARMACY COURSE LIST

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Prerequisite Course and course descriptions

Semester School

Quarter School

English Writing – 2 semesters, 3 credits each* 
(WSU courses English 101, 201, 301 , 402 and/or [W])

  1. Undergraduate composition course to develop students' academic writing, critical thinking, rhetorical strategies, reading and library skills.
  2. Research writing: defining, proposing, reporting progress; presenting a final product; other professional writing needs. or
  3. Designed to provide students with advanced practice in and study of style, argument, and other discourse conventions.

6-8 credits

10 credits

General Biology - must complete full year series with labs intended for science majors**
(The WSU series is Biology 106, 107)
Two semesters (8 credits) or three quarters (15 credits) of a general biology series for students intending to take advanced courses in the biological sciences or enroll in preprofessional programs is required. Labs must be included. Topics cover the origin, evolution, and characteristics of living things and the processes that influence them, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, the cell cycle and genetics, cell biology and genetics of prokaryotes and eukaryotes including development, transport, nutrition, osmoregulation, sensory systems, and reproduction.

8 credits

15 credits

General Chemistry - must complete full series with labs for science majors**
(The WSU series is Chemistry 105 and 106)
Two semesters (8 credits) or three quarters (15 credits) of general chemistry for science/chemistry majors with labs. Topics include measurements, atomic structure, ionic and molecular compounds, aqueous solutions and molarity, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, gases, quantum theory and electronic structure, periodicity, chemical bonding, molecular geometry, solid and liquid states, solutions, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, solubility equilibriums, thermo chemistry and chemical thermodynamics, and electrochemistry. Lab involves both qualitative and quantitative aspects of chemistry with necessary accuracy for such work.

8 credits

15 credits

Organic Chemistry - must complete full series with labs for science majors**
(The WSU series is Chemistry 345 and 348)
Two semesters (7-8 credits) or three quarters (15 credits) of an organic chemistry series is required including at least 1 lab Comprehensive organic course covers structure, bonding, molecular properties, an overview of organic reactions, and stereochemistry, with emphasis on the properties and chemical reactivity, mechanisms, nomenclature and spectroscopy (IR, UV, NMR, MS) of the following organic functional groups: alkanes, cycloalkanes, alkenes, alkynes and alkylhalides, aromatic compounds (benzene), alcohols, thiols, ethers, epoxides, sulfides, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives (acid halides, acid anhydrides, esters, amides, and nitriles), carbonyl alpha-substitution reactions, carbonyl condensation reactions, aliphatic amines, arylamines and phenols, biomolecules (carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, lipids, heterocycles and nucleic acids).

7-8 credits

15 credits

Biochemistry**
(The WSU course is MBioS 303) One semester (4 credits) or one quarter (5 credits) biochemistry for undergraduate science majors: Structure and function of proteins, nucleic acids and biological membranes; principles of enzymology; biochemical methodology, metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, electron transport processes, major metabolic pathways, DNA replication, transcription and translation. May NOT be taken at a community college; must be upper-division to fulfill the requirement, or evaluated to be equivalent.

4 credits

6-12 credits

Philosophy*
(The WSU choices include Phil 103, 200, 201 or 365)
one semester (3 credits) one quarter (5 credits) of philosophy instruction in logic, critical thinking or ethics.

3 credits

5 credits

Calculus**
(The WSU choices are Math 140, 171 or 202)
One semester (3-4 credits) or one quarter (5 credits) of the first calculus course in a calculus series. Emphasizes functions of a single variable, differential calculus, differentiation, applications of derivatives, integration with applications and problem solving using the tools of calculus.

4 credits

4-5 credits

Statistics**
(The WSU course is Stat 212)
One semester (3-4 credits) or one quarter (5 credits) of a Statistics course. Introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics. Interpretation of estimates, confidence intervals, and significance tests. Elementary concepts of probability and sampling; binomial and normal distributions. Basic concepts of hypothesis testing, estimation, and confidence intervals; t-tests and chi-square tests. Linear regression theory and the analysis of variance.

3-4 credits

4-5 credits

Microbiology**
(The WSU course equivalent is MBios 305)
One semester (3-4 credits) or one quarter (5 credits) of a general microbiology course. Introduction to the study of bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, spirochetes, fungi and protozoa with emphasis on structure, function, nutrition, physiology, and genetics of microbes and their application to immunology, pathology, microbial diversity, and environmental microbiology.

3 - 4 credits

5 credits

Economics*
(The WSU course is EconS 101)
One semester (3-4 credits) or one quarter (5 credits) Theory and policy of human responses to scarcity; how this affects business competition, international trade, industrial organization, investment, and income distribution.

3 credits

5 credits

Psychology*
(The WSU course is Psych 105)
One semester (3 credits) or one quarter (5 credits). Contemporary psychology; biological and social influences on normal and abnormal human behavior.

3 credits

5 credits

Human Anatomy with lab**
(The WSU course is Biol 315) One semester course ( 4 credits) that includes gross and microscopic anatomy of the human body. Must include lab. May take integrated Anatomy and Physiology (2 semesters, 8 credits or 3 quarters, 15 credits) with labs. See Physiology below.
Upper division course is preferred.

4 credits

5-10 credits

Physiology**
(The WSU course is Biol 353, prerequisite Biol 352 or NEURO 425 & NEURO 426)
One semester course ( 4 credits) examining function and control at the cell-tissue level, and at the organ-organismic level including each of the major organ systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, endocrine, neural and gastrointestinal) as well as basic concepts of cellular physiology. Must include lab. Emphasis on mammalian/human physiology. May take integrated Anatomy and Physiology (2 semesters, 8 credits or 3 quarters, 15 credits) with labs. See Anatomy above. Upper division course is preferred.

4 credits

5-10 credits

* These courses may be completed by the end of the summer term before beginning the PharmD program.

** The science courses on this list must be completed by the end of the spring term before beginning the PharmD program.

 

 

* These courses may be completed by the end of the summer term before beginning the PharmD program.

** The science courses on this list must be completed by the end of the spring term before beginning the PharmD program.

 

 

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TRANSFER GUIDES

Most of the prerequisite courses can be completed at a community college or a 4-year college. Select the link to your college below to find the equivalents courses at your school.

WASHINGTON
Columbia Basin College (pdf)
Community Colleges in Washington State (pdf)
Central Washington University (pdf)
Eastern Washington University (pdf)
Gonzaga University (pdf)
Pacific Lutheran University (pdf)
Saint Martin's University (pdf)
Seattle Pacific University (pdf)
Seattle University (pdf)
Spokane Falls or Spokane Community College (pdf)
University of Puget Sound (pdf)
University of Washington (pdf)
Walla Walla Community College (pdf)
Walla Walla University (pdf)
Wenatchee Valley (pdf)
Western Washington University (pdf)
Whitman College (pdf)
Whitworth University (pdf)
WSU Vancouver (pdf)

ALASKA
University of Alaska Anchorage (pdf)

HAWAII
Honolulu CC (pdf)
Kapiolani CC (pdf)
Leeward CC (pdf)
Maui CC (pdf)
University of Hawaii Hilo (pdf)
University of Hawaii Manoa (pdf)

IDAHO
University of Idaho (pdf)
Lewis-Clark State College (pdf)
North Idaho College (pdf)

NEVADA
University of Nevada Reno (pdf)

OREGON
Eastern Oregon University (pdf)
Oregon State University (pdf)
Portland Community College (pdf)
Portland State University (pdf)
University of Oregon (pdf)
University of Portland (pdf)

UTAH
Brigham Young University (pdf)
Utah State (pdf)

CALIFORNIA
California State University East Bay (pdf)
California State University Fullerton (pdf)
California State University Northridge (pdf)
East Los Angeles College (pdf)
Folsom Lake College (pdf)
San Diego community Colleges (pdf)
San Diego State University (pdf)
San Francisco State University (pdf)
University of California Berkeley (pdf)
University of California Davis (pdf)
University of California Los Angeles (pdf)
University of California Irvine (pdf)
University of California Riverside (pdf)
University of California San Diego (pdf)
University of California Santa Cruz (pdf)
University of Southern California (pdf)

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Pharm.D.

 

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Contact Us?
Student Services,
(509) 335-2356
admissions@pharmacy.wsu.edu

 

 

 

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College of Pharmacy, P.O. Box 646510, Pullman, WA 99164-6510, Contact Us