Pre-Pharmacy Curriculum at College of DuPage
College of DuPage has articulated the prerequisite coursework with each of the pharmacy schools in the state. In parentheses are courses that were taught on the former quarter system that are equivalent to the current semester courses. The courses taught under the old quarter system will satisfy prerequisites among the pharmacy schools located in Illinois. The three pharmacy schools in Illinois are listed below:

UIC: The University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Pharmacy
(312) 996-7242

MU: Midwestern University, Chicago College of Pharmacy
(630) 969-4400, (800) 458-6253

SIU: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, School of Pharmacy
(618) 650-5150

CSI: Chicago State University University, College of Pharmacy
(773) 821-2500

Pre-requisite curriculum for College of DuPage according to pharmacy school

	UIC	MU	SIU	CSU
English 1101, 1102	X	X	X	X
Speech 1100	X	(1)X	(1)X	X
Biology 1151, 1152	X	X	X	X
(2)Anatomy and Physiology 1551 or 1571	X	X	X	X
(2)Anatomy and Physiology 1552 or 1572	X		X
(3)Chemistry 1551, 1552	X	X	X	X
Chemistry 2551, 2552	X	X	X	X
Math 1635		X		X
Math 2231	(4)X	(4)X	X	(4)X
Math 2232	(4)X			(4)X
Physics 1201	X	X	X	X
Physics 1202	X		X	X
Economics 2201	X	(5)X	(5)X	(5)X

Notes
In following the old quarter system, MW only required Biology 101 and 102. These courses are being phased out. Most pharmacy schools in the United State require one year of introductory biology taught as a majors sequence.

1 MW accepts either Speech 1100 or Speech 1120. SIU accepts Speech 1100 or Speech 2160.

2 Anatomy and Physiology 1551 and 1552 are without cadaver experience while Anatomy and Physiology 1571 and 1572 include cadaver experience. Students typically take one sequence (either 1551 and 1552 or 1571 and 1572). Biology 1151 is recommended to be taken before Anatomy and Physiology.

3 Math 1431 or equivalent needs to have been taken prior to enrollment in Chemistry 1551.

4 The math sequence leading to Math 2231 is as follows (with regard only to 1000-level courses): Math 1431 → Math 1432 → Math 2231. UIC, MU and CSU will accept Math 2134 in place of Math 2231 and 2232. The math sequence leading to Math 2134 is as follows (with regard only to 1000-level course): Math 1431 → Math 2134. Although Math 2231/2232 involves a longer sequence, it may improve curriculum vital for the application process to a pharmacy school. Pharmacy schools aside from UIC, MU, and CSU may not accept Math 2134 as a satisfactory prerequisite course.

5 MW and SIU will accept Economics 2201 or 2202.

General Education Courses
In addition to the courses listed above, the three pharmacy schools also request the taking of general education courses.

UIC requires 10-12 semester hours of general education coursework from the following areas:
1. Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 semester hours minimum)
2. Economics 2201
3. Humanities (3 semester hours minimum)
4. Electives (0-4 semester hours)
One of these courses must fulfill UIC’s cultural diversity requirement

MW requires the taking of 6 Social and Behavior Science electives (recommended are psychology, sociology, and cultural anthropology) and 8 general education electives (any course not related to science, math, physical education, or health care. Recommended are arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, foreign language, business, and computer courses).

SIU requires the taking of 9 semester hours of general education coursework as follows:
1. Any 3-semester credit philosophy course
2. A 3-semester credit course in art, music or literature, e.g., art appreciation, but not a studio course.
3. Any one of the following courses: Political Science 1100, Psychology 1100, or Sociology 1100.

CSU requires the taking of 12 semester hours of general education coursework divided equally among the social sciences and humanities courses.

Comments about Course Selection Admission to a Pharmacy School
Entrance to a pharmacy school is very competitive. Many students apply to several pharmacy schools in hope of gaining admission to at least one of them. As the recommended curriculum of UIC shown above is more rigorous than Midwestern, consider following the prerequisite requirements for UIC. They are applicable to most pharmacy schools in the United States. Be sure to inquire into the pre-pharmacy requirements of schools outside of Illinois by contacting these schools. Applicants will likely be required to take the PCAT. Work experience at a pharmacy may be required.

Pre-Pharmacy advisers at College of DuPage
Mary Newberg, (630) 942-4066, HS 3331
Chris Petersen, Ph.D., (630) 942-2517, HS 1337
Thomas Ruehlmann, Ph.D., (630) 942-3064, HS 2327

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Faculty Advisers

Health and Sciences Division
HS 1220
(630) 942-8331