Pre-Pharmacy
Study as an undergraduate in the College of Liberal Arts and complete your degree at Mercer's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Pre-pharmacy is unlike any program at Mercer University. It provides a student with the opportunity to study as an undergraduate in an excellent College of Liberal Arts and complete a degree in pharmacy at one of the nation's top pharmacy schools, Mercer's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
The College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, located on Mercer's Cecil B. Day Campus in Atlanta, has been training pharmacists since 1903. The College merged with Mercer University in 1959 and has an outstanding reputation for the highest caliber of professional pharmacy education. Mercer was the first school of pharmacy in the Southeast and fifth in the nation to offer the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) as its sole professional degree. The College has the advantage of utilizing a variety of pharmacy settings for practical experience. The benefits of our location allow for exposure to the new, emerging roles open to pharmacists.
The mission of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is "to prepare its graduates to provide pharmaceutical care and thereby assure the safe and effective use of medications for the benefit of the patient and society."
To achieve this mission, the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences:
- Adheres to the values founded and supported in the University's Judeo-Christian heritage, while respecting the pluralistic values of our society;
- Provides an environment where students can participate in active learning and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
- Provides an environment that fosters innovation, creativity, the pursuit of intellectual curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning;
- Provides resources that will enhance the personal and professional growth of students, faculty and staff, and that will foster a positive and continuing relationship with alumni;
- Supports a highly qualified faculty in their pursuit of teaching, scholarly activity and service in recognition that these activities are integral components of continuing professional growth;
- Provides postgraduate education including graduate programs, residencies, fellowships and certificate programs; and
- Demonstrates a caring and responsive attitude toward all constituents.
Nationally and internationally known professors educate students in the advanced knowledge and communication skills necessary to exercise sound professional judgement regarding the proper use of medical agents. Students receive extensive clinical training. Excellent counseling, career guidance and job placement services are available, as are residency programs.
More than 98 percent of College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences graduates pass the National Board Examination.
Pharmacy Study
The Guaranteed Admissions Plus Program (GAPDP) in Pharmacy will be offered by the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Students who meet all of the criteria of the GAPDP will be accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences after the successful completion of 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework. The Mercer University College of Liberal Arts will award the Bachelor of Science in Health Science degree to those GAPDP students who then successfully complete one year of work in the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Pre-pharmacy GAPDP students must apply to enter Mercer University and the GAPDP as first-time undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts. The application process requires separate evaluations for admissions into Mercer University and into the pre-pharmacy GAPDP. Once admitted to the GAPDP, students must participate in all academic advising and pharmacy career seminar programs presented by the Mercer University pre-professional advisor and by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. GAPDP students must earn all pre-pharmacy program course credit hours in the College of Liberal Arts. Occasionally, dual-enrollment credit hours, earned while the student was still in high school, will be accepted to fulfill the pre-pharmacy program requirements if special approval has been granted by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Pre-pharmacy GAPDP students must maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.00, as well as a minimum 3.00 grade point average in all mathematics and science courses. A minimum score on the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) and some pharmacy experience are also required. Like all students in the College of Liberal Arts, pre-pharmacy GAPDP students must declare an academic major between the completion of 30 and 60 credit hours of coursework and must remain on track and in good standing in the academic major. GAPDP students must successfully complete 90 credit hours of coursework at Mercer University, including all the pre-pharmacy program courses listed below, by the end of the spring semester of the third year of undergraduate study. (Note that dual-enrollment courses can fulfill academic requirements, but they do not contribute to the 90 credit hours that GAPDP students are required to earn while in residence.) Entry into the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will also require the completion of the appropriate application materials as directed by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions.
The coursework required for the pre-pharmacy GAPDP includes: Introductory Biology (BIO 211, 212); General Chemistry (CHM 111, 112); Organic Chemistry (CHM 221, 222); Biochemistry (BIO/CHM 465); Public Speaking (COM 210); Principles of Economics ECN 150 OR ECN 151; Calculus (MAT 191); Elementary Statistical Methods (MAT 126); Introduction to Physics (PHY 141+121L OR PHY 161+121L); and the College of Liberal Arts general education requirements, excluding Senior Capstone.
Profile of the GraduateThe Pharm.D. graduate of the Mercer University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will be able to:
- Deliver pharmaceutical care based on sound scientific knowledge;
- Solve problems and think critically;
- Effectively counsel patients;
- Educate the public and health care professionals;
- Protect the public by identifying, resolving and preventing adverse drug reactions;
- Monitor therapeutic outcomes;
- Effectively manage resources based on sound financial knowledge and administrative skills;
- Adhere to state and federal laws regulating the practice of pharmacy; and
- Adhere to professional and ethical standards of conduct.
The Career as a Pharmacist
There are numerous advantages to pursuing a career in pharmacy, such as providing opportunities to work with people on a daily basis. Pharmacy plays a unique and vital role in today's health care services industry and is considered to be one of the most respected professions in the country. Pharmacy training prepares students for a wide variety of vocational options. Further, the employment outlook and salary potential for pharmacists are excellent.
The traditional role of the family druggist who fills prescriptions is as important as ever. However, the field has changed significantly over the past 20 years, evolving into diverse and challenging practice areas. The focus of pharmacy has shifted from supplying pharmaceutical products to providing health care. Modern drugs are more potent and more specific than in the past. The pharmacist is the best resource for comprehensive patient education, drug therapy monitoring and information concerning proper medicine use.
The community pharmacy and the hospital pharmacy environment hold expanded responsibilities for future pharmacists. Many community pharmacies are providing screening for hypertension and diabetes, as well as home health care services. In today's hospital, the pharmacist is assuming a new role as a therapeutic consultant to physicians and patients, while continuing to assure the availability and distribution of drug products. Skills in management and administration are also part of practicing pharmacy. In all settings, pharmacists are needed to supervise and monitor personnel as well as dispense and purchase products. The pharmaceutical industry affords positions in sales, marketing, manufacturing, quality control and public service posts, including those with the Food and Drug Administration, Drug Enforcement Agency, Public Health Service and the Veterans Administration. Additionally, pharmacists teach in a variety of settings.