Biology applies to a pharmacy career for the simple reason that medicines and drugs affect the human body in various ways. Biology classes help students begin to learn about the body and how it works. Many pharmacy schools require applicants to take undergraduate classes in general biology, which focuses on how life works at the cellular and molecular level, and in human anatomy or physiology. Biology classes typically feature a laboratory component in addition to lectures and discussion groups.
The active ingredients in most medicines are chemicals, so pharmacy schools want students to have a working knowledge of chemistry before they enroll. Classes in both general chemistry and organic chemistry are prerequisites of many pharmacy schools. Organic chemistry focuses specifically on carbon-based compounds and helps students begin to learn about amino acids, carbohydrates and other key aspects of biochemistry. As with biology classes, chemistry classes generally include a laboratory component.
This area of study focuses on the principles of motion, energy and forces such as gravity and other Newton's Laws phenomena. A physics class lays the groundwork for understanding the properties of matter and how it behaves, a topic that figures centrally in the study of pharmaceuticals. Most physics courses include a laboratory component.
Pharmacy school faculty members assume incoming students have a working knowledge of calculus topics such as functions, limits and derivatives. Pharmacists frequently use math for tasks such as determining the proper dosage of a drug and preparing and reviewing various formulas. Many pharmacy schools cite statistics as a prerequisite along with calculus.
The curriculum at a typical pharmacy school also features classes in economics and behavioral and social sciences. These areas of study help prepare a pharmacist to run a business if needed and interact with customers. To this end, most schools require applicants to have course credits in communication, economics, sociology and psychology.