Pre-Pharmacy

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Featured Course:

Medicinal Chemistry

Explore the physical and chemical properties of drugs and their effect on biological activity, structure-activity relationships, drug metabolism and receptor theory.

What is a Pharmacist?

A pharmacist is a health professional with expertise in prescription medication. They store, dispense and sometimes oversee medication consumption. They provide advice on the safe and effective use of prescription drugs. They may also provide wellness exam and immunizations. Pharmacists work in a variety of settings including neighborhood pharmacies and chain stores, hospitals, and other health care facilities.

Why Alma?

Many schools encourage students, regardless of major, to consider strengths they could bring to the career. At Alma, students will develop strengths across different areas during their liberal arts education. Students will also have access to opportunities related to the pharmacy field.

These include, but are not limited to:

Hands on experience with evaluation of chemical compounds within chemistry labs.
Study of the chemistry of pharmaceuticals in Medicinal Chemistry.
Courses relevant to the field, such as Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, Psychopharmacology, Bioinorganic Chemistry, Microbiology and Advanced Organic Chemistry.
Courses outside of the sciences, such as Health Communication, Ethics and Medicine and Health Care Administration that build knowledge/skills applicable to the profession.

How do I become a pharmacist?

Practicing as a pharmacist requires a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) degree. Entrance into an Pharm.D. program requires at least 2 years of undergraduate education and fulfillment of the program prerequisites. Most Pharm.D programs take 4 years to complete, but there are some accelerated 3 year programs..