<p>Hi everyone, So I'm a senior in high school and I've just begun to apply to different colleges in preparation for next year. I want to become a pharmacist, which is usually a 6 year program in most colleges. Except when I was filling out the application to a college (University of South Florida) I couldn't find pharmacy under the programs drop-down menu. I could find pre medical studies, but I'm not sure that this is the same thing. Could anyone tell me whether they are the same thing or if there is something I'm missing?</p>
<p>The 6 year program that you’re thinking of is in fact a combined BS/PharmD, which most schools do not have. Generally, you would complete a separate bachelor’s program with the general pre-pharm/pre-health requirements and take the PCAT, and you would then apply to 4-year graduate pharmacy programs</p>
<p>Right, so it would be considered pre-med for the time before the graduate programs?</p>
<p>there is no pre-med or pre-pharm MAJOR, OP. so it is incorrect to say a pre-pharm just takes pre-med courses at those schools that don’t offer pre-pharm courses. You can major in whatever you want as long as you take the courses required by the med/pharm schools and do well in them. There are pre-med PROGRAMS, however, which basically are advising programs for students interested in going to med school (no matter their major, of course). Someone who wants to go to pharmacy school would as an undergraduate take a lot of the same courses as someone who wants to go to medical school. A pharmacy degree is a PhD degree, and it requires 2 to 4 more years after the baccalaureate/bachelors degree.</p>
<p>@jkeil911 is correct. Pre-pharm isn’t a major. It’s just a track of courses that allows you to accomplish the prerequisites necessary for pharmacy school. Biochemistry is a great major for those wanting to get into pharmacy and attend schools that don’t have a pharmacy program. Just majoring in biochemistry allows you to still maintain some flexibility within your degree without risking not taking the necessary courses.</p>
<p>Also pre-med isn’t necessarily the same as pre-pharm. They are two different careers with two different aspects. I’m not sure of the exact details (that would be something you would have to investigate by looking up prerequisites and courses offered at the individual schools of your interest) but pre-med might have more of a focus in biology, while pre-pharm focuses on pharmacology and biochemistry. </p>
<p>Don’t get confused by going pre-med and then having to backtrack and take additional courses to satisfy the prereqs for pharmacy school. </p>