REQUIREMENTS FOR WASHINGTON PHARMACY SCHOOLS
A pre-pharmacy program of study may be developed that prepares student for admission into professional programs at universities granting a pharmacy doctorate degree (Pharm-D). Central Washington University does not offer a degree program in pharmacy but does offer all prerequisite courses necessary for admission to pharmacy programs at other universities.
The required courses for both universities in Washington state that offer degrees in pharmacy are listed below. Most pharmacy schools have good websites that list the pre-requisite courses for their programs. Please contact the pre-pharmacy advisor, Dr. Gil Belofsky, (Science 302J, phone 963-2882, email belofskyg@cwu.edu ) in the Chemistry Department for help in determining the CWU equivalents for other programs, for advice on scheduling, or for more details on any aspect of the pre-pharmacy program. See also the CWU Health Careers Resources website, http://www.cwu.edu/health-career.
Information on Applications to Washington Pharmacy Schools
| University of Washington | Washington State University | |
| Website | http://www.depts.washington.edu/pha/ | http://www.pharmacy.wsu.edu |
| pharminf@u.washington.edu | admissions@pharmacy.wsu.edu | |
| PCAT required | Yes | No |
| PharmCAS | Yes | Yes |
| Application Fee | $45 | $50 |
| Criminal Background Check | Yes | Yes |
| GPA Minimum: | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Pharmacy related experience | Highly recommended | Experience is very highly recommended; the more hours, the better |
Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT)
The PCAT is offered four times a year (Jun, Aug, Oct, and Jan) in Seattle (UW), Spokane (Gonzaga). The PCAT website www.pcatweb.info is now offering online registration.
Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS)
The Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) is a centralized application service for colleges and schools of pharmacy provided by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). Use the PharmCAS checklist available HERE to direct your application process.
CWU Pre-Pharmacy Club
The CWU Pre-Pharmacy Club meets regularly to support students in the pre-pharmacy program by inviting external speakers, providing avenues for pharmacy related experience, organizing field trips and just having fun. Find out more at CWU Pre-Pharmacy Club
| University of Washington | CWU Equivalents | ||
| Requirement* | Credits | CWU Course(s) | Credits |
| General Biology with labs | 15 | BIOL 110, BIOL 111, BIOL 112 | 15 |
| General Chemistry with labs | 15 | CHEM 181, 181L, 182, 182L, 183, 183L | 15 |
| Organic Chemistry with labs | 15 | CHEM 361, 361L, 362, 363, 363L | 13 |
| English Composition | 10 | ENG 101, 102, 310 | 12 |
| Calculus | 4-5 | MATH 170 or 172 | 5 |
| Statistics | 4-5 | MATH 311 or BUS 221 or PSY 362 | 4-5 |
| Microbiology with lab | 5 | BIOL 323 | 5 |
| Humanities Electives** | 10 | Art and Art History, Speech Communications, Dance, Theater, Literature Classics, 200 or above Foreign Language | 10 |
| Social Science Electives | 10 | Anthropology, History, Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology | 10 |
| Total Credits | 88-90 | Total Credits | 89-90 |
*Biochemistry is not currently required but highly recommended (CHEM 431, 432 - 6 credits).
**Beginning in Fall 2009 UW will require COM 250 (4 cr) and 6 Humanities elective credits
| Washington State University | CWU Equivalents | ||
| Requirement* | Credits* | CWU Course(s) | Credits** |
| General Education | General Education | ||
| Written Communication I | 3 | ENG 101 | 4 |
| Speech Communication | 3 | COM 207 or COM 250 | 4 |
| American Diversity | 3 | For example: ENG 247, HIST 346, HIST 449, MUS 101, SOC 101, or WS 201 | 4-5 |
| Intercultural Studies | 3 | For example: AIS, 101, 102, ANTH 107, 130, 359, AST 102, COM 302, ENG 347, ETS 101, HIST 315, 316, 383, LLAS 102, MUS 359, TH 283, 383 | 3-5 |
| World Civilizations | 6 | HIST 101, 102, 103 | 15 |
| Written Communication II | 3 | ENG 102 or 310 | 4 |
| Philosophy - Logic, Critical Thinking or Ethics | 3 | PHIL 201, PHIL 210, or PHIL 302 | 5 |
| Microeconomics | 3 | ECON 201 | 5 |
| Introductory Psychology | 3 | PSY 101 | 5 |
| Biology | Biology | ||
| Introductory Biology | 8 | BIOL 110, BIOL 111, BIOL 112 | 15 |
| Microbiology | 3 | BIOL 323 or BIOL 426 | 3-5 |
| Human Anatomy with lab | 4 | BIOL 355 and BIOL 356 and EMS 450 | 11 |
| Mammalian Physiology | 4 | BIOL 355 and BIOL 356 and EMS 450 | 11 |
| Immunology | 3 | BIOL 422 | 5 |
| Genetics or Molecular Genetics | 3 | BIOL 321 or BIOL 425 | 5 |
| Chemistry | Chemistry | ||
| Principles of Chemistry | 8 | CHEM 181, 181L, 182, 182L, 183, 183L | 15 |
| Organic Chemistry | 7 | CHEM 361, 361L, 362, 363, 363L | 13 |
| Biochemistry | 4 | CHEM 431, 432 | 6 |
| Math | Math | ||
| Calculus | 4 | MATH 170 or 172 | 5 |
| Statistics | 3 | MATH 311 | 5 |
*Semester credits
**Quarter credits
Note: shaded pre-requisites are considered met if you get a BA or a BS from CWU. If you do not get a BA or a BS from CWU you must meet these requirements. Greater than 70% of students admitted to WSU's PharmD have earned a baccalaureate degree.