The Huntingdon Pharmacy Track
The Huntingdon Pharmacy Track provides the knowledge, confidence, laboratory training, and skills to be successful in pharmacy school and in a variety of professional settings. Whether you practice in a lab, a hospital or clinic, or in a retail setting, your Huntingdon education will prepare you for any path you choose.
Challenging coursework and labs, experience with research equipment, and opportunities for meaningful internships give you a competitive advantage for admission to Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs. In addition, letters of recommendation written by Huntingdon faculty who know you well will strengthen your professional school applications. Mock interviews, essay writing assistance, and personal advising by faculty in Huntingdon’s Pre-Health Professions Committee are part of the Huntingdon Pharmacy Track.
Overview of the Profession
Since the 1960s, the pharmacy profession has grown in many directions other than traditional pharmacy settings. Once you earn your doctorate and have passed the pharmacy state board licensure exam, your career opportunities will be great. These opportunities include community, hospital, clinical, or nuclear pharmacy; pharmaceutical research or industry; government agencies; and many other specialty areas.
A degree from Huntingdon with a Pharmacy Track curriculum can lead to acceptance into pharmacy schools nationwide. Huntingdon’s Pharm.D. placement rates are 98% for Biochemistry and Chemistry majors.
A Partial List of Pharm.D. Admissions
- Belmont University
- Auburn University
- Samford University
- Mercer University
- Philadelphia College of Medicine
- Temple University
- University of Florida
- University of Tennessee
- Florida A & M University
- South College
- South University
- Union School of Pharmacy
- University of Southern Nevada School
- Ohio State University
Five Steps to Pharm.D. Admission
In order to gain acceptance into a pharmacy school, you must accomplish five things:
- Complete the required courses listed below;
- Achieve excellent grades overall and in the basic sciences;
- Earn a competitive PCAT score; and
- Get involved as a health-related volunteer and/or pharmacy technician;
- Obtain shadowing and research experience.
Pharm.D. programs do not select candidates on the basis of major. While most of our successful applicants have majored in one of the sciences (Biochemistry, Biology or Chemistry), students from other majors have been admitted. In order to do your best, choose a major that interests you. However, remember that doctoral programs look for evidence that you have completed a rigorous plan of study.
Pharm.D. Prerequisites
The course prerequisites for admission vary significantly across pharmacy programs. Our advisers will help you with the specific requirements for your program. You can also visit the pharmacy school’s website to determine what courses are required by each institution. The most common course prerequisites are listed below:
- Microbiology with lab (4 credits)
- Anatomy and Physiology I & II with labs (8 credits)
- Introductory Biology with lab (4 credits)
- General Chemistry with labs (8 credits)
- Organic Chemistry with labs (8 credits)
- Physics with labs (8 credits)
- Economics (3 credits)
- English Composition (6 credits)
- English Literature (3 credits)
- Statistics (3 credits)
Other Admission Requirements: Some schools require: Biochemistry (8 credits), Immunology (3 credits), and/or Ethics (or medical ethics; 3 credits).
The PCAT
Most Pharm.D. programs require the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) for admission. Programs may have minimum acceptable scores and last acceptable test dates. Policies regarding the consideration of multiple sets of PCAT scores vary by institution. Acceptable scores at Alabama doctoral programs (Auburn, Samford) require a composite above the fiftieth percentile and Biology/Chemistry subscores above the sixtieth percentile.
References
Most pharmacy programs require one to three letters of reference as part of the admission process. You may need to submit references from a particular individual, such as a pharmacist, science faculty, or academic health professions adviser. You should select individuals who meet the program’s requirements. Your references should know you well and be able to speak to your maturity, dependability, dedication, compassion, communication skills, leadership, and any hands-on experience in the field.
Interviews
Pharmacy programs may require competitive applicants to visit the campus for an interview. The interview format varies by institution. Applicants may be required to speak with a single faculty member, a student, a pharmacist, or a panel of interviewers; or to participate in an orientation program.
If you are invited for an interview, dress in professional business attire. You should be prepared to discuss why you have chosen this career field and how you perceive the pharmacist’s role in health care. For this reason, research and direct exposure to the profession are essential to your interview preparation. During the interview, applicants may be rated on their oral communication skills, professional behaviors and attitudes, ability to interact in a group, knowledge of the profession, ability to solve problems, and motivation to pursue a career in pharmacy. An applicant’s written communication skills may also be measured with an on-site essay.
Field Experience
Field experience is available in a wide variety of settings, either as paid part-time work or internship while at Huntingdon. Pharmacy Track students obtain their Phamacy Technicians’ licenses from the State of Alabama during their first semester at Huntingdon.
Internship and Field Experience Settings
- The M.D. Connection
- CVS Pharmacy
- Adams Drug Company
- Rite-Aid Pharmacy
- Walgreen’s Pharmacy
- University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
- Walmart Pharmacy
For more information on the Pharmacy Track program, contact Pre-Health Professions adviser Dr. Maureen Kendrick Murphy ’78.
