Pharmacy

Pre-Pharmacy

Download the Pre-Professional Programs Handout (PDF)

Franklin College does not grant a degree in Pharmacy but there are two schools in the state that offer degrees in Pharmacy: Butler and Purdue University. Both of these universities offer a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) which is the degree that is necessary to obtain if you wish to become a practicing pharmacist. The PharmD degree requires four years to complete. Admission to the Pharm D program requires a minimum of two years of pre-pharmacy training (although many students complete a Bachelor’s Degree before applying to the PharmD program). Students wishing to enroll at Franklin College have three options if they wish to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

  1. Students may complete two years of pre-pharmacy study at Franklin and then apply to the Doctor of Pharmacy program at either Butler or Purdue. It should be noted that completion of the two years of pre-pharmacy coursework at Franklin is not a guarantee of admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy program at either school. Application to those programs is highly competitive.  Students who not accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy program or who change their mind about wanting to apply to pharmacy school following the pre-pharmacy course work at Franklin can easily complete a major in either biology or chemistry.
  2. Students may pursue a 3+ cooperative program in Pharmacy. In this program, students attend Franklin for three years, after which time they would be eligible to apply for admission into a Doctor of Pharmacy program. After the completion of the first year of pharmacy school, Franklin College would grant the students their Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry or biology. After the successful completion of three additional years of pharmacy school, each student would receive their Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Thus,they would earn two degrees in a period of seven years, saving a full year from the normal time frame that would be expected to obtain an undergraduate degree and a doctor’s degree in a specialty field (such as pharmacy, dentistry, or optometry).
  3. Students can spend four years at Franklin College and obtain a Bachelor’s degree. They would then apply to a Doctor of Pharmacy program, which would take an additional four years to complete.
Prerequisite Coursework for Purdue or Butler Pharmacy Programs

General chemistry with laboratory 2 semesters – CHE 121-124 General Chemistry I & II
Organic chemistry with laboratory 2 semesters – CHE 221-224  Organic Chemistry I & II
Biochemistry 1 semester – BIO/CHE 334
Biology with laboratory 2 semesters – BIO 134 Principles of Biology and  BIO 140  Cell Biology
Human Anatomy and Physiology – BIO 115,120 Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II
Microbiology with lab 1 semester – BIO 373  Microbiology
Immunology (Purdue only) –  This course is offered online through the UC Berkeley or at IUPUI or Marian College
Physics with laboratory 2 semesters – PHY 121-122 General Physics I & II
Calculus 2 semesters – MAT 135,140, Mat 142  Calculus I & II, Introduction to Mathematical Sciences
Statistics 1 semester – MAT/PSY 224 Basic Applied Statistics
English Composition 2 semesters – LA 101 The Self & Society, LA 201 The Worlds of Imagination: Exploring Great Literature
Economics 1 semester – ECO 115 Principles of Economics

Students wishing to graduate from Franklin College must meet all of the College’s graduation requirements. It is recommended that you check frequently with the pre-pharmacy adviser to be sure that you are following the correct program that will not only qualify you for admission to pharmacy school, but also one that will allow you to graduate on time.