Carroll College - One of the best in the northwest United States, Carroll is a private, Catholic, liberal arts, and preprofessional college in Helena, Montana

Pre-Pharmacy Program

 Pharmacy is a career that requires a sound educational background in math and science as well as good communication and social skills.  Pharmacy programs vary from college to college, but all pharmacy schools in the nation now only offer a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D.) degree.  This type of program usually requires at least two years of pre-pharmacy undergraduate study and four years of professional education in the actual pharmacy program.  Some pharmacy schools might require additional coursework prior to admission (examples listed on the next page), which make it necessary to do three or four years of pre-pharmacy coursework. 

Most of the pharmacy schools in the Northwest U.S. (including the University of Montana) reported that the majority of their students admitted in 2008 had completed three years of coursework or received a bachelor's degree.  Successful applicant profiles at most of the institutions are available on their web sites.

The web site for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (www.aacp.org) is an excellent resource on educational and career opportunities in pharmacy, as well as links to the pharmacy web pages for each school. 

Most students from Montana apply to the University of Montana.  Those Carroll students who complete the pre-pharmacy requirements in two or three years typically transfer to a college of pharmacy and do not have to fulfill actual major requirements.  Academic performance in the required courses is important, and students should have a minimum GPA of 3.2.
 

It is always a good idea to observe and visit with members of the professional community.  Some schools require observing in a practicing pharmacy (UM – 60 hours).  There are several pharmacies in the Helena area that are happy to host Carroll students at observers.  Students may also observe in a hometown pharmacy during the summer.  Evidence of leadership, motivation, and communication skills is also important.

 

 

Recommended pre-pharmacy requirements:

LAS 101        Alpha Seminar
BI 171           Biological Principles I
CH 101         General Chemistry I
CH 102         General Chemistry  II
CH 301         Organic Chemistry I
CH 302         Organic Chemistry II
MA 121          Differential Calculus or
     MA 131 Calculus of Single Variable Functions
MA 207           Elementary Statistics
ENWR 102    College Composition
CO 101           Basic Communication
PSY 105         General Psychology or
       SO 101 General Sociology
EC 201           Microeconomics
PHYS 201      Physics I

Some programs may require the following additional courses:

BI 201-202    Human Anatomy and Physiology
BI  214    Microbiology
CH 353    Biochemistry

Standardized Testing

A standardized test may also be required for admission.  UM requires the PCAT test.  The subject areas of this test are biology, chemistry, quantitative ability, reading comprehension, writing and verbal ability.  The test is usually given in October, January, and June.  For information on this exam contact:

Harcourt Assessment, Inc.
19500 Bulverde Road
San Antonio, Texas 78259
1-800-211-8378 (ph)
1-800-232-1223 (fax)
www.pcatweb.info