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2024-2025

Pre-Pharmacy (minor)

VCU

Community college:
AA&S or AS in Science (Virginia Community College System)
Virginia Community College System
Associate degree

AA&S in Science or AS in 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

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

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

View VCU Major Map for Pre-Pharmacy (minor)

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Pre-Pharmacy (minor)

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in 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
Explore Year 1
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • A stellar GPA is vital to being a competitive student. Utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Review the resources on the VCU Healthcare Pathways website, especially the Pre-Pharmacy Advising Guide.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Enroll in a SDV student success course.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
Experience Year 2
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Maintain a high GPA. Use tutoring to get ahead. Be prepared to earn good grades at VCU.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Consider applying to the Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP).
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Select a VCU major.
  • Review the resources on the VCU Healthcare Pathways website.
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Review resources of the AACP.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • A stellar GPA is vital to being a competitive student. Utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Review the resources on the VCU Healthcare Pathways website, especially the Pre-Pharmacy Advising Guide.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Enroll in a SDV student success course.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Maintain a high GPA. Use tutoring to get ahead. Be prepared to earn good grades at VCU.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Consider applying to the Summer Academic Enrichment Program (SAEP).
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Select a VCU major.
  • Review the resources on the VCU Healthcare Pathways website.
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Review resources of the AACP.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Pre-Pharmacy (minor)

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Science)

Virginia Community College System courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 or 101 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
MTH 263 Calculus I MATH 200 4 General education (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 General education (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
BIO 102 General Biology II BIOL/Z 152 4 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
BIO 141 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
BIO 142 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
CHM 111 General Chemistry I CHeM/Z 101 4 General education (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
CHM 112 General Chemistry II CHEM/Z 102 4 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
PHI 220 Ethics PHIL 201 3 General education (Pre-Pharmacy recommendation)
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 General education (Pre-Pharmacy recommendation)
Fine Arts or Literature Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, ENG 225, ENG 245, ENG 246, ENG 250, ENG 255, ENG 258, ENG 275. VCU equivalent 3 General education
History Select one of the following (UCGS Block VI): HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 111, HIS 112, HIS 121, HIS 122. HIST 3 General education
Complete requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 10 Elective
Community college credits transferred to VCU 60
VCU courses
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 requirement)
CHEM/Z 301 Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory 5 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
CHEM/Z 302 Organic Chemistry II and Laboratory 5 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
CHEM 403 Biochemistry I 3 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
PHYS 201 or PHYS 207 General Physics I or University Physics I 4 to 5 Elective (Pre-Pharmacy requirement)
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. 37 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