»Pharmacy Pathway

Pharmacists prepare and dispense medication, ensure medicines and doses are correct, prevent harmful drug interactions, collaborate with other health care professionals, counsel patients on the safe and appropriate use of their medications, conduct health and wellness screenings, provide immunizations, and manage pharmacy systems.

A GPA of 3.4 or higher is ideal as a competitive applicant. In addition, you should cultivate a variety of experiences that make you a strong candidate:

• Volunteer or paid experience working with patients in a pharmacy or healthcare setting (hospital, nursing home, etc.)
• Community service and involvement
• Research, extracurricular, and work/life experiences

All of these things demonstrate your readiness and motivation to pursue a career in pharmacy.

 

Activities and extracurriculars

Get involved early in these and ramp up to have a well-rounded resume by the time you apply. However, your first job is your academics. You need to maintain a strong academic foundation to be competitive.

• Clinical involvement. You can gain experience and learn about the field in a number of ways:
  • Shadowing a pharmacist and/or working in a pharmacy. What do they do that appeals to you?
  • Volunteering in free clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, stand-alone pharmacies—learn about the field.
  • Shadow other healthcare providers. How can these different professions be complementary? How do they work together? What are the differences in their roles?
• Community service. Give of yourself to your community. Shelters, food banks, community resource centers, after school programs. Preferably not clinically related, although in some cases there may be some crossover.
• Research. Chapman offers many opportunities for students to get involved in research as an undergrad.
• Extracurriculars. Involvement in things you’re interested in, including clubs; does not need to be clinically related.

Academics/prerequisites

These are the general courses you should take. There may be some programs that have additional or fewer requirements. Always check with the programs to confirm.

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High school graduates should consider Chapman’s Accelerated Pre-Pharmacy Experience Program. Students can earn their Pharm.D in 5 years. 

Students spend 2 years on Chapman’s Orange Campus completing prerequisites and then their final years at the Rinker Campus completing Chapman’s year-round Pharm.D program.