Pharmacy School Educational and Training Requirements

Eligibility requirements:

Bachelor's degree completed before admission to entrance in any grad school program.
Some colleges and universities have a 3+3 program where you complete a Bachelor's degree at the school and transferred automatically to a pharmacy grad school to finish your doctorate.
A minimum of 3.0 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) in all college work and pre-reqyusutes at an accredited college or university. You may take pharmacy prerequisite courses at a community or vocational school or college.
All prerequisite required courses must have a passing grade of C or higher. Courses that grade on Pass or Fail will not be counted towards your prerequisite coursework sheet. Distance learning or online courses are not accepted in prerequisite courses for biology, chemistry of physics. Prerequisite courses must be retaken if they are 9 years older or at the time the application is completed.
Those applying with a foreign visa are not eligible for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree graduate programs.
Criminal background/Drug evaluations:

Most graduate schools require a background and drug check before one is allowed to test for admission into the graduate program. All prospective students are fingerprinted for criminal checks for licensure. Students must hold a license from the Board of Pharmacy for clinical parts of the PharmD program.
You must earn a Doctorate in Pharmacy or Pharm.D from an accredited college of school of pharmacy. After receiving your Pharm.D degree, it replaces your Bachelor of Pharmacy degree. Most Pharm.D programs usually are 4 years but there are accelerated programs that are offered at some schools. Upon graduating, or during your program, you will train for 1-2 years in residency programs or fellowships.

If you are looking to accelerate your resume and stand out from the crowd, why not start by working as a pharmacy technician. That way you can see hands on and directly in front of you what it's like to work as a pharmacist. You'll get a better understanding of why you are really there and what your future would be like working as a pharmacist!

Many people take this route before appying to pharmacy school as it makes you stand out more since you have received on the job training for most pharmacy concepts. This also will build your self confidence and people skills.