* Biology: This is a very common choice, as it provides a strong foundation in biological processes crucial to understanding pharmacology and drug mechanisms.
* Chemistry: A strong background in chemistry (organic, inorganic, physical, analytical) is essential for understanding drug structure, interactions, and metabolism.
* Biochemistry: This combines aspects of biology and chemistry, focusing on the chemical processes within living organisms.
* Pharmacognosy (sometimes offered as a minor): This is the study of drugs derived from natural sources.
Students choose a major from these options (or sometimes others, depending on the university), and then they take a set of required pre-pharmacy courses. These required courses typically include:
* General and organic chemistry
* Biology (general and possibly cell/molecular)
* Physics (often general physics)
* Mathematics (often calculus)
* Biochemistry
* Possibly other science electives, humanities, and social sciences courses.
The exact requirements vary significantly between universities and pharmacy schools, so it's critical for prospective pharmacy students to check the specific prerequisites of the pharmacy schools they intend to apply to. They should also check the university's prepharmacy advising department for specific course recommendations that align with those schools' expectations.
In short, prepharmacy is a planned sequence of coursework, not a major in itself. It's a path, not a destination. The destination is pharmacy school.