Pre-Pharmacy (A.S.)
| Faculty Advisors | General and Career Information | Transfer Institutions | Recommended Curriculum | Course Sequencing |
Faculty Advisors
Drs. Jim Braun, Susan Hornbuckle, and Patricia Todebush serve as faculty advisors for pre-pharmacy students.
Advisor assignments are listed on your personal academic information page in the Duck.
Contact information the Pre-Pharmacy advisors is provided in the table below:
| Dr. Hornbuckle | Dr. Braun |
|---|---|
| Email Address | Email Address |
| Home Page | Home Page |
| Current Schedule | Current Schedule |
| Office: Arts & Sciences Room G-210 J | Office: Arts & Sciences Room G-105 K |
| Phone: (678) 466-4780 | Phone: (678) 466-4773 |
| Dr. Todebush | |
|---|---|
| Email Address | |
| Home Page | |
| Current Schedule | |
| Office: Arts & Sciences Room G-105 A | |
| Phone: (678) 466-4788 |
General and Career Information
Pharmacy is the science of the interaction of chemicals with living organisms or systems. The goal of pharmacy is the development and use of medicine to cure, prevent, or ease the symptoms of disease. Pharmacists are the link between the science of pharmacy and the patient. Pharmacists interpret and evaluate prescriptions from authorized prescribers, then are responsible for seeing that the patient's drug therapy results in appropriate and definite outcomes that improve that patient's quality of life. They provide drug therapy information such as uses, side effects, drug interactions and optimal dosing and selection. They also assist patients in choosing nonprescription medicines and health products and counsel customers to seek the advice and treatment of a physician, dentist, or other health practitioner when appropriate. Pharmacy personnel are important members of a rapidly expanding science. The career options are very broad. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians may work in community pharmacies, hospitals, home health agencies, long-term care facilities, the pharmaceutical industry, colleges or schools of pharmacy, or public health facilities. This description is provided by the University of North Carolina.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics maintains detailed and current information on pharmacy careers.
Virtually all of the major employers of pharmacists maintain career and job related Web sites. Use any search engine with the words "pharmacy" and careers" to locate them.
Transfer Institutions
Upon completion of an Associate of Science degree in pre-pharmacy at Clayton State University, many students choose to attend Pharmacy school within the State of Georgia. A list of Schools of Pharmacy in the State of Georgia is provided here:
| Institution | Pharmacy Link | Degrees |
|---|---|---|
| University of Georgia | College of Pharmacy | B.S., Pharm.D. |
| Mercer University | Southern School of Pharmacy | Pharm.D. |
| South University | School of Pharmacy | Pharm. D. |
The Pharm.D. programs typically require six years beyond high school. Admissions to pharmacy schools is generally very competitive. Completion of the curriculum described in this advisement page does not guarantee admission into a pharmacy program. Generally, a student must have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.00 to have a competitive application.
Additionally, pharmacy schools require completion (and a high score) of the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT).
Recommended Curriculum
The completion of the pre-pharmacy degree depends very strongly on the proper selection and sequencing of courses. While the choices provided in Areas A-E of the Core Curriculum are valid for all students, there are some special requirements for pre-pharmacy students and all choices are not equal in terms of transfer requirements or optimum sequencing order.
The recommended pre-pharmacy curriculum complies with the approved Areas A-E for the core. You should note that pre-pharmacy students do not receive degree credit in the core for any mathematics courses at a level lower than Pre-Calculus (MATH 1113). If mathematics courses at levels lower than Pre-Calculus are required, the A.S. degree in pre-pharmacy cannot be finished in four semesters - summer terms and/or additional semesters will be required.
Economics (ECON 2105 or ECON 2106) is not required for completion of the A.S. degree in pre-pharmacy at Clayton State University. However, both Pharmacy schools in the State of Georgia list a course in economics as prerequisite for admission.
You will note that the Area F for pre-pharmacy far exceeds the standard 18 semester credit hours. The Area F descriptions reflect the requirements of the transfer institutions for consideration for admission. The extra hours (above 18) count toward upper-level requirements in the pharmacy degree programs.
The recommended curriculum for the A.S. degree in Pre-Pharmacy is provided at the following link:
Course Sequencing
Because of the strong prerequisite dependencies for the required chemistry courses within the pre-pharmacy curriculum, it is important that chemistry coursework begin in the first semester of attendance. Students who were undecided and failed to begin chemistry by their first term will not be able to complete the A.S. degree in pre-pharmacy in four semesters - summer terms and/or additional semesters will be required.
Use this link to obtain a recommended sequence of courses in pre-pharmacy for the A.S. degree.