Nature of the Program
The primary objective of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program is to educate practitioners for current and future roles in the profession of pharmacy. The PharmD program comprises four years of professional study preceded by a minimum of two years of pre-pharmacy coursework in a U.S. or foreign accredited college/university of arts and sciences. To prepare for the professional curriculum, students must complete a pre-pharmacy curriculum that emphasizes the biological and chemical sciences. Additionally, pre-pharmacy students must complete a variety of courses of their choosing in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. An early assurance program, the direct admit pathway program, is available for high-achieving first-time freshmen who wish to pursue a PharmD degree. Students enter a competitive application process in the year prior to intended matriculation to the four-year professional curriculum. Details regarding the pre-pharmacy course requirements are found on the major tab.
Admissions for 2025-2026
Undergraduate Admissions
First-time freshmen and undergraduate transfer students may apply through the main WVU application. Applicants should note "pharmacy" as their major of choice. Upon application evaluation, the applicant is automatically admitted to the direct admit pathway if they meet the criteria. If the applicant does not meet the requirements for the Direct Admit Pathway (DAP) program, they are admitted to the Healthcare Pathways with Pharmacy Interest major. Students may continue to update test scores, GPA and other means of meeting the math requirement for the DAP program through August 1 of the admissions year.
PharmD Admissions
Admissions are competitive. Criteria used to evaluate candidates include academic performance, as measured by the grade point averages (GPA) for all the above-noted prerequisite courses and the cumulative GPA achieved in all prior college-level coursework, a personal statement, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview. Prerequisite courses may be taken at an accredited U.S. or foreign institution of higher education and completed with a grade of C or better. Careful consideration is given to those personal qualifications which bear upon the fitness of applicants for the study and practice of the profession of pharmacy.
All applicants must first file an initial electronic application with the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS). Instructions for completing the application are found on the PharmCAS website: http://www.pharmcas.org/. Application deadlines are subject to change; check PharmCAS, the School of Pharmacy website at http://pharmacy.hsc.wvu.edu, or contact the School to verify current deadlines. It is recommended students apply early as the PharmD Program operates on a rolling admissions basis.
Each applicant recommended for acceptance is required to pay a deposit of $100 before their name is added to the official list of those accepted by the School of Pharmacy. If the applicant enrolls, this sum is applied to the first semester tuition. If the applicant fails to enroll, this deposit is forfeited.
With enrollment in the School of Pharmacy, all students must comply with the immunization and diagnostic procedures required by the WVU Board of Governors, WVU, the WVU Health Sciences Center, and the School of Pharmacy.
Complete information may be obtained from http://pharmacy.hsc.wvu.edu/students/
Personal Interview
The Admissions Committee requires a personal interview with selected candidates. Interviews are held during the fall and spring semesters at the WVU Health Sciences Center in Morgantown.
Letters of Recommendation
A total of three recommendations are required. One academic recommendation is required and must be provided by a course instructor in any of the pre-pharmacy course requirements. The second and third recommendation may be provided by a variety of individuals including a second faculty member or advisor, employer, etc. Please refer to the PharmCAS or the School's PharmD Admissions page (pharmacy.hsc.wvu.edu/student-services/pharmd-admissions) for a list of appropriate letter sources.
Admission to Advanced Standing for Transfer Students
If space is available, students from other accredited schools of pharmacy may be admitted provided they meet the prerequisite course requirements of the WVU School of Pharmacy, have at least a 2.5 professional grade point average, are in good academic and professional standing at the school of origin, and are eligible for continuation toward a degree in pharmacy at the school initially attended. Grades of D in professional courses cannot be transferred.
Provisional Admission
An applicant accepted into the first year or an advanced standing transfer student is expected to have met all entrance requirements and satisfactorily completed all pre-pharmacy coursework in progress prior to matriculation. A satisfactory performance in the completion of such coursework is defined as one that is consistent with the student’s previous academic record and must include no grades of D or lower in prerequisite courses. While it is preferred that all prerequisite coursework be completed by the end of the spring term prior to matriculation, it is possible to complete up to two non-sequential prerequisite courses before the start of pharmacy student orientation in the fall semester of matriculation. Failure to do so will result in revocation of the acceptance by the Admissions Committee.
Admitted students must remain free of any violations of local, state, or federal law that would prohibit their ability to obtain an intern license from the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy.
Furnishing or causing to furnish false or incorrect information for the purpose of gaining admission to the School of Pharmacy constitutes grounds for disciplinary action including, but not limited to, expulsion or revocation of acceptance.
Students in the School of Pharmacy agree to abide by the provisions of the Student Code of Academic and Professional Integrity. Upon admission, each student is required to return a signed statement to the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs indicating the student has read and understands the Policy on Academic and Professional Standards and the Student Code of Academic and Professional Integrity of the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy. The code and copies of the statement are available in the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs in the School of Pharmacy and on the School of Pharmacy website.
Academic and Technical Standards and Policies
http://pharmacy.hsc.wvu.edu/student-services/pharmd-program/
Direct Admit Major Code: 8948
Healthcare Pathway Major Code: 1160 (Pharmacy Interest Code G011)
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Healthcare Pathway Pharmacy Interest and Direct Admit Pathway Pre-Pharmacy Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Introductory Biochemistry | ||
| Introduction to Human Biochemistry | ||
| Biology Requirement | ||
| BIOL 115 & 115L | Principles of Biology and Principles of Biology Laboratory (May fulfill GEF 2) * | 4 |
| or BIOL 101 & 101L & BIOL 102 & BIOL 102L | General Biology 1 and General Biology 1 Laboratory and General Biology 2 and General Biology 2 Laboratory | |
| BIOL 117 & 117L | Introductory Physiology and Introductory Physiology Laboratory (May fulfill GEF 8) | 4 |
| Chemistry Requirement | ||
| CHEM 115 & 115L | Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (May fulfill GEF 8) | 4 |
| CHEM 116 & 116L | Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory (May fulfill GEF 8) | 4 |
| CHEM 233 & 233L | Organic Chemistry 1 and Organic Chemistry 1 Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 234 & 234L | Organic Chemistry 2 and Organic Chemistry 2 Laboratory | 4 |
| Economics Requirement | ||
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics (May fulfill GEF 4) | 3 |
| English Requirement | ||
| ENGL 101 & ENGL 102 | Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research (May fulfill GEF 1) | 3-6 |
| or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| Math Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following (May fulfill GEF 3): | 3-4 | |
| Applied Calculus | ||
| Calculus 1 | ||
| Microbiology Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| General Microbiology | ||
| Environmental Microbiology | ||
| Medical Microbiology | ||
| Physiology Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Human Physiology | ||
| Elementary Physiology | ||
| Public Speaking Requirement | ||
| MDS 270 & 270S | Effective Public Speaking and Effective Public Speaking Studio | 3 |
| or COMM 104 | Fundamentals of Public Communication | |
| Statistics Requirement | ||
| STAT 211 | Elementary Statistical Inference | 3 |
| or ECON 225 | Elementary Business and Economics Statistics | |
| General University Orientation Requirement | ||
| PHAR 191 | First-Year Seminar ** | 1 |
| or WVUE 191 | First Year Seminar | |
| PHAR 199 | Orientation to Pharmacy 1-2 Hr *** | 2 |
| General Education Foundations | ||
| GEF Requirements 5, 6, 7 | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 63-66 | |
- *
Select BIOL 115 OR BIOL 101, BIOL 101L, BIOL 102 & BIOL 102L. BIOL 115 is preferred.
- **
PHAR 191 is restricted for Direct Admit Pathway students only. WVUE 191 is restricted for Healthcare Pathway Pharmacy students only.
- ***
PHAR 199 is restricted for Direct Admit Pathway students only.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 115 & 115L | 4 | BIOL 117 & 117L | 4 |
| CHEM 115 & 115L | 4 | CHEM 116 & 116L | 4 |
| MATH 150 or 155 | 3-4 | ENGL 101 | 3 |
| MDS 270 & 270S | 3 | STAT 211 or ECON 225 | 3 |
| PHAR 191 or WVUE 191*** | 1 | GEF #5 | 3 |
| PHAR 191** | PHAR 199** | 2 | |
| 15-16 | 19 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | Select one of the following: | 3-4 |
| CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 | ||
| CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | BIOL 235 or PSIO 241 | 3-4 |
| ENGL 102 | 3 | GEF #7 | 3 |
| ECON 201 | 3 | ||
| GEF #6 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 13-15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 63-66 | |||