Pre-Pharmacy
Start your journey to becoming a healthcare professional.
Take Prerequisites Courses.
University of Nebraska Lincoln offers the classes you need to apply for a pharmacy program while earning your bachelor’s degree. See the list below for a brief overview of required prerequisite courses.
Get Experience.
Start building your shadowing and volunteer hours to be a more competitive pharmacy school applicant. Don’t forget to keep track of your hours too!
Talk to an Advisor Each Semester.
There’s a lot of coordination and planning that needs to happen to make sure you do everything you need before graduate school. The Explore Center’s advisors are here to help you navigate this journey. Meet with an advisor today to get a personalized 4-year pre-pharmacy plan!
Pre- Pharmacy Roadmap at UNL
Pharmacy Prerequisite Classes
Depending on the school you plan to attend, you may need additional prerequisite courses. Meet with an advisor for more information.
Typical Pharmacy School Requirements
General Chemistry - 2 semesters
Organic Chemistry - 2 semesters
Calculus, Quantitative Chemical Analysis, or Physics – 1-2 semesters (depends on school)
Biology – 1-2 semesters
Physiology – 1 semester (UNMC Only)
Anatomy – 1 semester
Psychology – 1 semester (Creighton Only)
English – 2 semesters (Creighton Only)
Speech – 1 semester (Creighton Only)
Statistics/Biostatistics – 1 semester (UNMC Only)
Economics – 1 semester (Creighton Only)
General electives – 6-7 courses
What to Take at University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Some classes require prerequisites. Meet with an advisor for help planning your courses as UNMC and Creighton have different requirements.
General Chemistry – CHEM 109A/L & 110A/L, or 113A/L, 114, & 221L
Organic Chemistry – CHEM 251/253 & 252/254 or CHEM 261/263 & 262/264
Calculus, Quantitative Chemical Analysis, or Physics – MATH 106, CHEM 221, or PHYS 141 or PHYS 211/221
Biology – BIOS 101/101L, 110/110L, BIOS 111, LIFE 120/120L, or LIFE 121/121L (depends on school)
Physiology – BIOS 213/213L
Anatomy – BIOS 214
Psychology – PSYC 181
English – ENGL 150, 151, 254, or 354
Speech – COMM 101, 209, or 286
Statistics/Biostatistics – STAT 218, STAT 380, EDPS 459, ECON 215, or PSYC 350
Economics – ECON 200, 211, or 212
General Electives - see below for a list of options. Talk to an advisor for specific course recommendations.
The above coursework recommendations fulfill the entrance requirements for pharmacy programs at Creighton University and UNMC. Students who are considering other pharmacy schools are encouraged to contact those schools directly for a list of entrance requirements.
Other Notes:
- GPA: For both Creighton and UNMC, grades below C are not accepted for prerequisite requirements.
- AP/IB Credit: Both Creighton and UNMC will accept AP credit toward prerequisite requirements if listed on a transcript from the undergraduate institution. UNMC will accept maximum 24 CLEP credit hours (not including organic chemistry, 4 credits of biology, or general chemistry).
General Education
NOTE: UNMC requires a minimum of 21 semester hours of general education electives, with suggested areas listed below. Creighton requires 9 semester hours in the humanities or behavior or social sciences and 9 hours of electives. Choose classes from at least two areas in these suggested subjects:
Accounting
Economics
Logic
Business Admin
Education
Management
Critical Thinking
Ethics
Philosophy
Gerontology
Fine Arts
Political Science
History
Foreign Language
Sociology
Humanities
Biology
Literature
Biochemistry
Chemistry
Physics
Suggested Sequencing
Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
**Take the PCAT 12-15 months before you intend to start Pharmacy school. | |
Semester 7 | Semester 8 |
*Sequence may vary from above depending on declared major requirements
Application and Admission
Application: Applications to Creighton, UNMC, and many other pharmacy schools is made through PharmCAS. PharmCAS.org has information on which schools participate in PharmCAS.
Entrance exam: The PCAT was discontinued in 2024. There are no other exam requirements for pharmacy programs.
Additional admission requirements: Letters of recommendation and a supplemental (secondary) application may also be required.