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Pre-Pharmacy Pathway

Overview

three people stand in white coats. one holds a test tube with purple liquid.

Turn your passion for helping people into a rewarding career as a Pharmasist. The Pre-Pharmacy Program at D’Youville University is an undergraduate pre-health pathway designed to provide the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to prepare students for the graduate-level ACPE-accredited Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. Pre-health students are prepared in the necessary health sciences curriculum to provide care to a wide range health settings, among people of various age groups and backgrounds.

D'Youville University is unique accelerated 3-year PharmD degree. Participating in the Pre-Pharmacy Pathway can allow students to complete their education in 5 years—compared to the traditional 8-year plan.

Job Titles to Explore

  • Pharmacist
  • Pharmacy Manager
  • Hospital Pharmacist
  • Compounding Pharmacist
  • Infusion Pharmacist
  • Clinical Pharmacist
  • Telepharmacy Provider
  • Pharmacy Practice Resident
  • Faculty/Clinical Preceptor

Employment Settings to Explore

  • Independent practice
  • Associateship/Group practice
  • Multidisciplinary practice
  • Hospital setting
  • Research
  • Faculty
  • Higher education
  • Healthcare administration 

Why D'Youville

  • Interdisciplinary Learning: Practice treating simulated patients alongside students from seven other healthcare majors in D’Youville’s state-of-the-art Interdisciplinary Education Lab, all under the guidance of experienced instructors.
  • Career Success: 90% of graduates report securing employment within six months of graduation (based on 2023 data).
  • Early Hands-On Experience: Gain supervised pharmacy practice experience in the first year of the professional program, which begins during your third year at the University.
  • Specialized Advisement: Receive individualized guidance from the School of Pharmacy and take part in exclusive research opportunities available only to Pre-Pharmacy students.
  • Proven Outcomes: D’Youville Pharm.D. graduates consistently achieve excellent scores on national and state licensing exams.
Play video: Doctor of Pharmacy Program at D'Youville University
  • $137,480
    Annual Mean Wage Nationally in 2024
  • 5%
    National Job Growth for 2024
  • 198.5
    Credits
  • In Person
    Modality

Pathway Options

You can choose to apply to enter the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from any program, but we recommend enrolling into one of the following as the Pre-Pharmacy Pathways to best align yourself to the curricular requirements and ensure prerequisite courses are completed: 

  • Pharmaceutical Sciences (BSPS)
  • Biochemistry (BS)
  • Biology (BS) 

There are two tracks to set yourself up for applying to the Pharmacy (PharmD) program. These options allow completion of the undergraduate and doctoral program in 5 – 7 years. 

  1. Pharmacy Early Assurance:  

D’Youville sets aside a number of early assurance seats available to exceptional first-time-in-college students each year. This early assurance pathway allows students to enroll directly into the Doctor of Pharmacy program after completing two years of prerequisite undergraduate coursework. The Early Assurance to Direct Admission Program offers a significant advantage to those qualifying students by not requiring the PCAT while guaranteeing a seat within the School of Pharmacy. 

  1. Pre-Pharmacy Advisory Track:  

Students who are not eligible for early assurance can still take the Pre-Pharmacy undergraduate prerequisite courses, then apply to the Pharmacy (PharmD) program upon completion of their undergraduate degree. 

Pre-Pharmacy Pathway (BS + Doctoral PharmD)2

Learn about Pre-Pharmacy Pathway Degrees

Admission Requirements

At D'Youville, we are committed to selecting students who are academically well-rounded and committed to meeting the challenges of a high-quality education. If you have been successful in a traditional college preparatory program in high school, you should be well-prepared for the academic challenges at D'Youville.

First Time in College Student Requirements
Transfer Admission Required Review Criteria

Careers

Our program prepares students for General Pharmacy practice.

A Pharmacist's Role

The role of a Pharmacist has vastly changed over time. Today, Pharmacists do a lot more than just dispense medications. They serve on the front lines of medicine as a critical component in the overall health and well-being of a patient. In addition to traditional retail pharmacies, Pharmacists can now be found in labs, the community, in government, or in clinical settings 

Today’s pharmacists act as part of an integrated healthcare team, educating patients on the use of both prescription and over-the-counter medications, advising physicians and other healthcare professionals on the best use of therapeutic medications, and offering advice about drug interactions and side effects.

Pharmacists also participate in the research and development of new drugs, they consult on drug manufacturing and usage, participate in drug trials, and inform public health policy in relation to new and existing medications. 

Industries & Settings

Pharmacists work in a variety of healthcare settings in a variety of roles including:

  • Community Pharmacists - work in retail settings dispensing medications, advising patients on drug effects and interactions, and provide primary health care services such as flu and shingles vaccinations.
  • Clinical Pharmacists - work in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings. Clinical pharmacists work as part of an integrated healthcare team in the hospital. They provide advice on dosage and timing of medications, efficacy of specific pharmaceuticals and their alternatives, and the role of medications in the treatment of a variety of health conditions and diseases.
  • Consultant Pharmacists - provide advice on medications to institutions such as hospitals or health insurance companies. Some Consultant Pharmacists also provide direct consultation to patients through their own private practices.
  • Pharmaceutical Industry Pharmacists work in the pharmaceutical industry in areas including marketing, sales and/or research
Job Outlook

Pharmacists are in demand and well compensated. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median wage for Pharmacists was $136,030 in May 2023. 

For more information about the job outlook for pharmacists, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

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