The basic entry-level professional degree in the pharmacy field is the doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.). Students wanting to pursue a Pharm.D. usually have the intention of becoming a pharmacist. Because nearly every pharmacy school in the state of Texas (or anywhere else) will offer this degree, it is simple to peruse the admission requirements of some of the larger state universities with pharmacy schools. In general, because there is no undergraduate degree in the field, students must complete two years of undergraduate general education courses. The programs at Texas Tech University and Texas A& M University require many of the basic liberal arts courses such as history and English composition, but also expect students to complete courses in biology, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, molecular biology and microbiology. Students also have to take the Pharmacy College Admission Test and meet the standards set by the school, which tend to vary according to the school's selectivity. Other factors beyond the student's control can also affect the admission process. Schools attempt to be as diverse as possible and will sometimes admit students based on gender or ethnic heritage. Being aware of the statistical data regarding admissions can give prospective students a leg up on the competition. Each school usually publishes this information each year on its website.
Aside from the Pharm.D., some schools such as the University of Texas at Austin offer the Ph.D. as well. The Ph.D. is a graduate degree focused on research. Admission requirements for a Ph.D. program tend to be more stringent than those of a Pharm.D. program. In order to be admitted to the Ph.D. program, students generally have to be admitted to the graduate school along with the pharmacy school. General requirements for admission to a pharmacy Ph.D. program include a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, a minimum grade-point average (3.0 at the University of Texas) in all upper-division coursework, letters of recommendation (usually from faculty members of your undergraduate institution) and official scores from the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). Students generally need to have met certain prerequisite course requirements as well.
Top pharmacy schools usually offer additional programs outside of the Pharm.D. and Ph.D. programs. Students wanting to pursue research in the biomedical sciences can be admitted to a master of science program. Admission requirements for these programs are generally the same as or similar to the Ph.D. program, since students are admitted for the sake of pursuing a graduate-level research degree. The program at the University of Texas requires a bachelor's degree, a minimum of a 3.0 GPA and recent GRE scores. Here, the university is more specific about its requirements; students need to have a combined score of 1000 or better on the quantitative and verbal sections of the test.
College of Pharmacy
The University of Texas
at Austin
1 University Station A1900
Austin, TX 78712
512-471-1737
www.utexas.edu
Texas Tech University
3601 4th Street
Lubbock, Texas 79430
806-743-1000
www.ttuhsc.edu
Texas A&M Health Science Center
MSC 131, 1010 W. Avenue B
Kingsville, TX 78363
361-593-4272
pharmacy.tamhsc.edu