Prepharmacy Studies
Prepharmacy students gain the strong foundation on which to build their studies at a pharmacy school, leading to successful careers in the burgeoning health industry.
Students are admitted directly into this program.Program Overview
Pharmacy schools accept students with various majors; prepharmacy students at GVSU commonly choose biomedical sciences, biology, biochemistry, or behavioral neuroscience. Students are assigned an advisor to guide them in preparing for professional school and completing the prerequisite coursework needed for admission to a PharmD program.
Grand Valley students are exceptionally competitive. In recent years, 92 percent of Grand Valley students who applied were accepted to pharmacy school. Nationally, 86 percent of applicants to pharmacy school were accepted.
The preprofessional advising team in the CLAS Academic Advising Center looks forward to helping students achieve their dream of pharmacy school.
Why Pursue Prepharmacy Studies at Grand Valley?
- Prepharmacy students at GVSU have access to state-of-the-art labs, including a cadaver lab, that provide unique and rigorous preparation for pharmacy school.
- The preprofessional advising team maintains a robust preprofessional website to help students find various resources and connect to shadowing and volunteer opportunities. The team also coordinates various workshops and events throughout the year to support prepharmacy students, in coordination with Michigan pharmacy schools and the GVSU Career Center. Such events include a healthcare experience panel comprised of local employers, professional and graduate school fairs, personal statement workshops, and medical school interview preparation.
- Students can join the Pre-Pharmacy Association at GVSU, which connects students with pharmacy school admission representatives, current pharmacy students (GVSU alumni), volunteer and other networking opportunities.
- Prepharmacy students receive a high level of support through the pharmacy school application process, through one-on-one advising, webinars/workshops, and application review services.
- GVSU partners closely with the University of Michigan and Ferris State University to offer PharmD early admission programs, mentoring opportunities and more.
Location & Format
Undergraduate students in this major study at Grand Valley's Allendale Campus.
- Face To Face
Coursework
Grand Valley offers all of the courses necessary to gain admission into pharmacy school, including:
- Anatomy & physiology
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Calculus
- Communications
- Economics
- General chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Physics
Career Options
Prepharmacy students who graduate from GVSU and progress on to pharmacy school go on to hold positions such as:
- Community pharmacist
- Researcher
- Hospital pharmacist
- Compounding pharmacist
Those not going on to pharmacy school find careers as a:
- Biochemist
- Research assistant
- Laboratory assistant
- Hospital administrator
- Clinical research associate
- Health care recruiter
Combined Degree Programs
Most undergraduate majors that prepharmacy students pursue can be combined with a master's degree if a student decides they would like to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree before starting pharmacy school. On average, students save $8,500 in our combined degree programs and take up to four fewer classes than if earning the degrees separately.
You can even build your own combined degree from programs in different disciplines to further personalize your education and meet specific career goals.
Admission Requirements
Visit the Admissions website for undergraduate requirements.
Helpful Links
For More Information
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Academic Advising Center
gvsu.edu/clasadvising
C-1-120-MAK
(616)
331-8585, [email protected]