Admission
Admission Requirements
Students who complete their prerequisite coursework at another regionally accredited institution or in a major other than pre-pharmacy at Drake may apply to our PharmD program by meeting the following requirements. Please note that these are the requirements applicants must meet in order for their applications to be considered complete. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee admission to the PharmD program. These requirements can also be found on our PharmCAS School Directory page.
- Submit an application through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS).
- Complete the required Drake-specific questions within the PharmCAS application.
- Complete at least 2 years of undergraduate coursework (approximately 64 credit hours).
- No minimum GPA is required, although 3.0 (as calculated in PharmCAS) is considered competitive.
- Complete (or be in the process of completing) the prerequisite coursework outlined in the table below. All required courses must be completed by the end of the summer term prior to entering the PharmD program.
| Subject | Credit Hours | Drake Courses |
|---|---|---|
| General (Inorganic) Chemistry: A complete year course sequence in general (inorganic) chemistry is required. Courses must fulfill the prerequisite requirements for organic chemistry. Labs are required. | 8 credit hours (including labs) | CHEM 001, CHEM 002, CHEM 003, CHEM 004 |
| Organic Chemistry: A complete year course sequence in organic chemistry is required. Labs are required. | 8 credit hours (including labs) | CHEM 097, CHEM 098, CHEM 108, CHEM 110 |
| Biological Sciences: A complete year course sequence in the biological sciences is required. Must include topics in human anatomy. Additional courses may include ecology, evolution, anatomy/physiology, cell biology, and biological diversity/structure. Labs are required. | 8 credit hours (including labs) | BIO 012, BIO 012L, HSCI 141, HSCI 141L |
| Microbiology: A one-semester course in microbiology is required. A course intended for health care majors is recommended. A lab is not required. | 3 credit hours | BIO 095 |
| Statistics: A one-semester course in general statistics is required. Business statistics, psychology statistics, or biological science statistics courses are accepted. | 3 credit hours | HSCI 060 |
| Calculus: A one-semester course in calculus is required. Business calculus, applied calculus or calculus courses designed for the social sciences will NOT be accepted. | 3 credit hours | MATH 050 (or MATH 070 or MATH 100) |
| English Composition/Writing: A complete year course sequence in college-level English writing or composition is required. The sequence can be made up of a one-semester college-level composition course and a one-semester intensive writing course. | 6 credit hours | FYS and Written Communication AOI |
| Public Speaking: A one-semester course focused on public speaking is required. Interpersonal speaking and interpersonal communication courses will NOT be accepted. | 3 credit hours | ENG 052 |
| General Electives: 26 semester credit hours in general electives are required; Drake requires students to complete a minimum of 2 years of undergraduate coursework (at least 64 credit hours). | 26 credit hours | Drake Curriculum Areas of Inquiry: https://www.drake.edu/dc/areasofinquiry/ |
Students must earn a grade of C or higher in order to receive transfer credit and fulfill prerequisite courses. Please see Drake University's Transfer Credit Information page or contact the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at (515) 271-3018 for more information. Students who wish to fulfill prerequisites using Advanced Placement (AP) scores must earn a 4 or higher on the AP exam. Please contact the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences for more information.
Drake University's Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program operates on a rolling admission process. We will interview and admit students until the P1 class is full and a sufficient number of applicants have been identified for the wait list. We recommend submitting application materials early in order to ensure your application is processed and considered in a timely manner. Students with strong applications and academic credentials will be invited to complete the second phase of the admission process, which includes a required virtual or on-campus admission interview.
Advanced Standing for Transfer Applicants
Students currently in a PharmD program at another University who wish to transfer and pursue advanced standing in the PharmD program at Drake are encouraged to complete an official request form on our website. "Advanced Standing Students" must be in good academic and professional standing at their current school. If there are seats available in a class, an evaluation will be completed to determine admissibility and qualified candidates will be offered an interview. If admissible, a curricular evaluation will be conducted by Drake CPHS which will determine one’s class standing in our program on a case-by-case basis. Due to didactic and experiential curriculum differences between PharmD programs, transfer students who enter the professional pharmacy program may experience delays in completing their degree. Questions may be directed to the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Enrollment Services team at dupharm@drake.edu.