Pre-Pharmacy


Colleges of pharmacy require a minimum of two years of undergraduate study and include certain required courses for admission. If the required courses have been completed, students may apply to a college of pharmacy after two years of study or after earning a baccalaureate degree.

The curriculum outlined here satisfies the minimum preparation for admission to most colleges of pharmacy. It may be modified to meet other specific requirements of a particular college of pharmacy. A current listing of such requirements should be consulted by the student in order to plan a satisfactory program. The student is advised to meet regularly with the pre-pharmacy adviser so as to be well-informed about all current prerequisites and the procedures to be followed in applying for admission to a college of pharmacy.

If the student plans to continue undergraduate education at Xavier University and to obtain a B.S. degree, this can be done easily in the case of the B.S. (biology), B.S. (chemical science), and B.S. (natural sciences) programs. The student then should meet with the chair of the appropriate science department for guidance in the choice of courses necessary for the desired degree.

Approximately half the courses taken by a pre-pharmacy student are from biology, chemistry, and physics. Each discipline is housed in its own building on the Xavier campus. Laboratories are well equipped with modern instrumentation and students have many opportunities in all science courses for hands-on experiences with a variety of instruments

Through non-science courses, students also learn communication skills and thought processes that will be useful in their professional activities.

Freshman Year

First Semester Semester Hours Second Semester Semester Hours
MATH 150 or 170
Elements of Calculus I
3 / 4 MATH 151 or 171
Elements of Calculus II
3 / 4
BIOLOGY 160
General Biology I
3 BIOLOGY 162
General Biology II
3
BIOLOGY 161
General Biology I Lab
2 BIOLOGY 163
General Biology II Lab
2
CHEMISTRY 160
General Chemistry I
3 CHEMISTRY 162
General Chemistry II
3
CHEMISTRY 161
General Chemistry I Lab
1 CHEMISTRY 163
General Chemistry II Lab
2
THEOLOGY 111
Theological Foundations
3 PHILOSOPHY 100
Ethics as Intro. to Philosophy
3
PSYCHOLOGY 101
General Psychology
3 ENGLISH 101 or 115
English Composition or Rhetoric
3
Total 18 / 19 Total 19 / 20

Sophomore Year

First Semester Semester Hours Second Semester Semester Hours
CHEMISTRY 240
Organic Chemistry I
3 CHEMISTRY 242
Organic Chemistry II
3
CHEMISTRY 241
Organic Chemistry I  Lab
1 CHEMISTRY 243
Organic Chemistry II  Lab
1
PHYSICS 160
College Physics I
3 PHYSICS 162
College Physics II
3
PHYSICS 161
Introductory Physics Lab I
1 PHYSICS 163
Introductory Physics Lab II
1
MATH 116 or 156
Elementary or General Statistics
3 BIOLOGY 200
Microbiology
3
HISTORY I 3 PHILOSOPHY 290
Theory of Knowledge
3
LITERATURE
Elective
3 ECONOMICS 200 Microeconomic Principles 3
CULTURAL DIVERSITY Elective 1    
Total 18 Total 17