Students interested in becoming a pharmacist may take 100 hours of coursework at Milligan to fulfill the prerequisites for admission to a pharmacy program. After matriculation at an U.S. accredited pharmacy college, 28 hours of first-year pharmacy courses are transferred back to Milligan to fulfill the Allied Health Science degree requirements. A complete description of the pre-pharmacy coursework and application process is found in the Allied Health Science major section of the Catalog.
Pre-Pharmacy
The Pre-Pharmacy adviser has a list of United States pharmacy programs and information regarding the application process. Each pharmacy school has its own prerequisite courses and undergraduate hour requirements so it is your responsibility to obtain the appropriate information for the pharmacy schools of interest early in your pre-pharmacy program at Milligan so that the prerequisites are fulfilled and admission requirements can be met. For admission, some schools require only 60 hours of prerequisite coursework, some 90 hours, and some require a bachelor’s degree. A competitive GPA (3.4 or higher) and solid PCAT score along with some shadowing experience with a pharmacist or job experience as a pharmacy technician will position you well to secure an interview for pharmacy school admission. To be a competitive applicant, a student should have significant (100 – 125 hours) exposure to the practice of pharmacy; the goal is to explore pharmacy and be able to effectively support your desire to become a pharmacist. The PCAT should be taken by August of the year prior to one’s anticipated entrance into pharmacy school.
Milligan University has formalized affiliation agreements with Gatton College of Pharmacy (GCOP), Mercer University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MUCOPHS), and Union University School of Pharmacy (UUSOP). These affiliation agreements outline the terms and conditions under which a student will be eligible for an interview at these pharmacy schools. Copies of the affiliation agreements are available from the Pre-Pharmacy adviser.
The application process for pharmacy schools begins the summer prior to the year the student will apply for admission (for most students, the summer following sophomore year). PharmCAS (pharmacy college application service – www.pharmcas.org) is used by the majority of pharmacy schools and one can apply to several schools together. If a pharmacy school does not use PharmCAS, then their application documents will be found on their website. When a student takes the PCAT, which schools are to receive a report of the scores are identified (i.e. PharmCAS and any other non-PharmCAS schools one is applying to). It is very important that a student watches for application deadlines (which vary from school to school) and that all required documents are submitted well before the posted deadlines. It is highly advised that the application be finished by September prior to the anticipated admission the following August.
Milligan will accept the following three-year program coupled with one year of successful work in a U.S. accredited pharmacy school in satisfaction of the course requirements for the B.S. degree in Allied Health Science. Students expecting to complete this degree must file a pre-pharmacy declaration form with the Pre-Pharmacy adviser before beginning their junior year courses. Students must complete at least 100 semester hours of undergraduate course work, of which at least 45 hours must be completed at Milligan. Twenty-eight hours of pharmacy school course work will be transferred back to Milligan to complete the 128 hours required for graduation. Students who are admitted to pharmacy school after 3 years at Milligan, will have their spiritual formation program hours prorated to a total of 115 hours (instead of the required 150 hours).
The limits on class size in most of the pharmacy programs may prevent acceptance of some qualified applicants. In the event a first application is unsuccessful, the program may be easily changed to a Chemistry or Biology major leading to a B.S. degree, and then application may be made a second time. To complete the biology degree (B.S.), students must take BIOL 130, 131, 210, or 360, BIOL 310, an advanced Biology elective, the Biology Capstone Experience, and 14 to 16 hours of general electives for a total of 28 hours along with the additional Spiritual Formation Program credits. To complete the chemistry degree (B.S.), students must take CHEM 202 and 12 hours of chemistry electives along with 12 hours of general electives for a total of 28 hours along with the additional Spiritual Formation Program credits.
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