2024-2025
Pre-Pharmacy (minor)
VCU
Community college:
Associate of Science: Life Science (Richard Bland College of William and Mary)
Associate degree
Associate of Science: Life Science
Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.
Program description
The pre-pharmacy minor provides foundational courses for students that are preparing to be competitive applicants for Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs after completing their bachelor’s degree at VCU. The pre-pharmacy minor can be completed as a part of any undergraduate degree. Completing this minor does not guarantee admission into any pharmacy program. This minor is structured to academically prepare students to apply for pharmacy school broadly. Clinical and non-clinical experiences are a requirement of application to most pharmacy schools. In addition to this minor, students should participate in clinical and non-clinical experiences to develop a competitive application for pharmacy school.
Career opportunities
Major changes in health care have created many opportunities for pharmacists beyond the commonly available positions established in pharmacy practice. Career specialties community practice, institutional placement, medical consulting, regulatory work, academia, legal or judicial advisement, or insurance.
Graduate and professional level job titles
- Healthcare Researcher
- Pharmacist
- Professor
Contact information
Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Guaranteed transfer admission requirements
No guaranteed admission.
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
n/a
Requirements
Highest level of math required
- MATH 200
- STAT 210
Science required
- 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
- No
Additional tuition/fees
- No
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
- 3.0+
VCU Major Maps
Transfer major map
2024-2025
Pre-Pharmacy (minor)
Richard Bland College of William and Mary (Associate of Science: Life Science)
| MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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| Explore | Year 1 |
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| Experience | Year 2 |
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Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Attend RBC Orientation.
- A stellar GPA is vital to being a competitive student. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Review the resources on the VCU Healthcare Pathways website, especially the Pre-Pharmacy Advising Guide.
- Explore RBC financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
- Schedule an appointment with your Learner Mentor to discuss your degree and class plan.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Review admission requirements for the VCU Pharm.D. program.
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations.
- Cultivate relationships with your professors.
- Review volunteer and shadowing opportunities on the VCU Healthcare Pathways website.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend VCU's annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
- Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
- Attend cultural events at RBC and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Explore possible career opportunities for pre-pharmacy students.
- Build a LinkedIn profile.
- Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
- Familiarize yourself with the career services offered at RBC and VCU and explore career pathways on the VCU Career Services website.
- Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Be prepared for academic challenges by meeting with your Learner Mentor and understanding RBC Student Support available.
- Maintain a high GPA. Use tutoring resources to get ahead. Be prepared to earn good grades at VCU.
- Submit the FAFSA on time.
- Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
- Explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Participate in the STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
- Consider applying to the Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP).
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Consider learning a foreign language.
- Volunteer with a vulnerable, under-represented and/or underserved community. Reflect on the challenges these populations might face with their healthcare.
- Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
- Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Attend Career & Internship Fairs at RBC or VCU to explore your interests.
- Find healthcare experience that’s paid, volunteer or shadowing experience - answer the question, "is this really what I want to do?"
- Search for a summer science opportunity.
- Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
- Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
- Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Review resources of the AACP.
Recommended courses
2024-2025
Pre-Pharmacy (minor)
Richard Bland College of William and Mary (Associate of Science: Life Science)
| Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGL 101 | Rhetoric and Research I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENGL 102 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. | UNIV 111-112 | 3 | General education (Pre-pharmacy requirement) |
| ENGL 102 | Rhetoric and Research II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education (Pre-pharmacy requirement) |
| Fine Arts | Select 1: ART 201, 202, 231, MUS 103, MUS 123, THEA 201. | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
| MATH 251 | Calculus I | MATH 200 | 4 | General education (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| MATH 217 | Statistics | STAT 210 | 3 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| BIO 151 + Lab | Biological Science I + Lab | BIOL/Z 151 | 4 | General education (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| BIO 152 + Lab | Biological Science II + Lab | BIOL/Z 152 | 4 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| BIO 205 + BIO 206 | Human Anatomy and Physiology (both courses must be taken to be equivalent to VCU’s courses) | BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 | 8 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| CHEM 101 + Lab | General Chemistry I + Lab | CHEM/Z 101 | 4 | General education (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| CHEM 102 + Lab | General Chemistry II + Lab | CHEM/Z 102 | 4 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| PHIL 203 | Introduction to Ethics | PHIL 201 | 3 | General education (Pre-pharmacy recommendation) |
| PSY 210 | Survey of Psychology | PSYC 101 | 3 | General education (Pre-pharmacy recommendation) |
| SOC 201 | General Sociology | SOCY 101 | 3 | General education (Pre-pharmacy recommendation) |
| ECON 201 or ECON 202 | Macroeconomics or Microeconomics | ECON 210 or ECON 211 | 3 | General education (Pre-pharmacy recommendation) |
| Complete requirements for associate degree | VCU equivalents | 8 | Elective | |
| Richard Bland credits transferred to VCU | 60 | |||
| The Pharmacy College Admission Test is not required for admission into the VCU Pharm.D. program. The exam is optional and only recommended to students under certain circumstances. If students have any questions about whether or not they should take the PCAT, they should contact vcupharm@vcu.edu. | ||||
| Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| The courses listed below are required or recommended for pre-pharmacy students. Students must complete at least 9 credits of upper-level course requirements at VCU to be eligible for the minor. Students must also select a VCU major and complete the major requirements. The minimum number of credits required for a bachelor's degree at VCU is 120 credits. | |||
| BIOL 300 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 3 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| BIOL 303 | Microbiology | 3 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| BIOZ 303 | Microbiology Laboratory | 2 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy recommendation) |
| CHEM/Z 301 | Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory | 5 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| CHEM/Z 302 | Organic Chemistry II and Laboratory | 5 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| CHEM 403 | Biochemistry I | 3 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| PHYS 201 or PHYS 207 | General Physics I or University Physics I | 4 to 5 | Elective (Pre-pharmacy minor) |
| Courses required for VCU major and electives Due to the importance of a strong biomedical science foundation in the Pharm.D. program, some or all of these courses are highly recommended: genetics, molecular biology, immunology and cell biology. Recommended elective choices are computer science, economics, business, history, foreign languages, philosophy, political science and sociology. | 34 | Major | |
| REAL | The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. | 0 | Major |
| Minimum number of credits completed at VCU | 60 | ||
| Minimum number of credits required for a bachelor's degree | 120 | ||