Pre-Pharmacy

Overview

At Illinois Wesleyan, students receive premier preparation in the sciences, along with challenging coursework in the liberal arts, highly personal instruction from a well-qualified faculty, and hands-on experience with state-of-the-art equipment.

As at most universities, students cannot major in pre-pharmacy at Illinois Wesleyan. Instead, students will major in their primary field of interest—often Biology, Chemistry, or Psychology—while also completing the courses required by pharmacy schools.

Pre-Pharmacy at Illinois Wesleyan — Our Advantages

• Top-quality scientific equipment in the labs, including dedicated space for student research
• Opportunities to pursue independent research projects under the supervision of Ph.D. professors
• Advising support from both the Health and Science Career Counselor and science faculty members to guide students through prerequisite planning and the pharmacy school application process
• A strong foundation in the liberal arts that builds the communication, ethical reasoning, and critical thinking skills valued in clinical and research pharmacy roles
• Access to internships, shadowing opportunities, and early exposure to pharmacy practice settings through community partners and alumni connections

Curriculum

Pre-Pharmacy Course Plan

The course plan below outlines commonly required prerequisites for Pharm.D. programs. Students will work closely with their faculty advisor and the Health and Science Career Counselor to build a schedule that fits their professional goals and academic strengths.

Students will major in their primary field of interest while completing the courses required by most pharmacy programs. It is highly recommended that students take additional upper-level science courses, especially if their major is outside of the natural sciences. Many pharmacy programs also value patient-facing experience, so clinical exposure should be incorporated into the student’s broader academic and extracurricular plan.

As an IWU student, it is your responsibility to track your progress each semester towards completing graduation requirements using the MyIWU degree evaluation tool.

Study Abroad

Students interested in studying abroad are encouraged to plan early and work closely with their academic advisor and the Health and Science Career Counselor. With careful planning, study abroad can be integrated into a pre-pharmacy academic plan without delaying graduation or application timelines.

Since most Pharm.D. programs do not require a gap year and do not operate on a centralized interview cycle like medical schools, there is more flexibility in choosing when to study abroad. However, sophomore or junior year fall semesters are generally the most feasible, as students typically complete key science sequences in the first and second years.

Additional Information

Once enrolled, all students have access to the MyIWU Degree Evaluation Tool, which helps track progress toward graduation and pharmacy school prerequisites. Students are responsible for monitoring their own degree progress and ensuring all required courses are completed in a timely manner.

While there is no longer a standardized test (such as the PCAT) required by most pharmacy schools, Pharm.D. programs place strong emphasis on performance in prerequisite courses. These typically include biology, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, statistics, and communications.

In addition to the core science requirements, most pharmacy schools expect applicants to complete a statistics course (Biostatistics is preferred), general psychology, and English composition. Some programs may also recommend coursework in ethics, economics, or sociology.

• PSYC 100 (General Psychology) fulfills the Life Science Issues (LSI) general education requirement.
• SOC 101 (Intro to Sociology) fulfills the Contemporary Social Institutions (CSI) general education requirement.
• Acceptable statistics courses at IWU include: ECON 227, PSYC 227, SOC 227, or BIO 209.

Students should use the PharmCAS School Directory and each school’s website to confirm specific requirements and deadlines.