Peer advisors supplement the professional staff advisors at the Pharmacy Advising Center. Our peer advisors are exceptional Pharm.D. students who receive special training in advising and mentoring. They provide a unique perspective and can offer a student perspective on the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program.

Students who prefer not to have a peer advisor can meet with professional staff.

Students in their first semester at UConn will meet with the Pre-Professional Advisor and be assigned to a Peer Advisor in their second semester. Your Peer Advisor will reach out to you via your UConn email in the weeks prior to registration for the following semester.

No. Students may elect to complete prerequisite coursework over three or more years. A student's individualized plan of study depends on their placement in English, mathematics, and chemistry at UConn, any AP, ECE, dual enrollment, and/or transfer credits they have, and the student's academic goals. Many students who would like to have a dual undergraduate degree with another UConn School or College, work on a minor, or take more time to transition to college choose to complete coursework over three years.

Yes. The Professional (Pharm.D) Program cannot be completed in fewer than four years. Students who choose to delay beginning the Pharm.D. Program for any reason will graduate in a later year. Students who are pursuing two undergraduate degrees may elect to graduate with one of the degrees within four years. However, we encourage students to check with the Office of Student Financial Aid Services and Residential Life to determine how graduating with one degree before the other may impact financial aid and housing.

No. The STEM pre-requisite courses are structured in a way that are built upon each other. Please see the flowchart below to see how the courses relate to each other.

The Pre-Professional Program is rigorous and students should plan to follow the curriculum map that best fits their circumstances.

In order to meet the credit requirements of the BS and Pharm.D. programs, students in the Pre-Professional years should plan to take 5 courses (15-18 credits) each semester beginning in spring of their first year. The Pre-Professional curriculum is designed to prepare students for the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program.

Students should consult with the Pre-Professional Staff Advisor to discuss individual circumstances.

No one can determine what the best (or easiest) general education courses are for you as this is dependent on your interests and personal/professional goals. However, below you will find courses that have been enjoyed by pharmacy students in the past:

Prerequisite courses may be taken at UConn or at regionally accredited institutions with a C or better for transfer to UConn. Pre-Professional students who plan to take a prerequisite course for the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program or a professional elective at another college or university should meet with one of our staff advisors to discuss how this will impact their application or professional plan of study.

If you plan to attend a college or university in Connecticut and the course can be found on the Transfer Admissions Transfer Course Equivalencies page, you do not need to fill out a Prior Course Approval request. For all courses taken at an institution outside of Connecticut, even if the course is on the Transfer Course Equivalencies page, you must fill out a Prior Course Approval Request on Student Admin.

You can review the full requirements to transfer credit as a current UConn student on the Transfer Admissions website.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prerequisite courses that are laboratory courses may not be taken in an online or hybrid format, even if the lab is in-person.

The School of Pharmacy has mandatory advising each semester prior to registration. This is to ensure you remain on track for prerequisites and applying to the professional (Pharm.D.) program. Students at the Storrs campus meet with either the Pre-Professional advisor or their assigned Peer Advisor to have their hold lifted. Regional campus students meet with their assigned campus advisor each semester.

Students are encouraged to schedule advising appointments early to ensure advising holds are lifted prior to registration opening. Student demand during the registration period limits appointment availability and registration may be delayed if you are unable to have your hold lifted prior to your pick time.

If you are an incoming student who wishes to change their major prior to the start of their first semester at UConn, please request a major change via the Admissions portal.

All other students should review our major change process, which is available on our Pre-Professional Policies page. However, if you are a UConn student with less than two semesters of prerequisite courses to complete prior to starting in the Professional (Pharm.D). Program, you should remain in your current major.

Work hard to excel in your prerequisite courses. The Professional curriculum builds directly from the foundation built in the prerequisite coursework. Demonstrating excellence in the prerequisite courses will not only improve your application but will set you up for success in the Professional (Pharm.D.) Program.

Healthcare shadowing or work experience. This is something we recommend for any student pursuing a healthcare career as it will help you determine if you enjoy the field. This could be through work as a pharmacy technician but does not have to be.

Join clubs and organizations and pursue volunteer and leadership positions. Joining clubs and organizations, particularly if they are pharmacy related, can help with connections and support, and give you opportunities for leadership and responsibility. Service to the community is particularly important to the School of Pharmacy.

Pursue research opportunities. Our students are heavily involved in clinical and more traditional 'bench' research. Getting involved early can help refine your research skills and support your journey to understand what aspects of pharmacy you are most interested in.

Start preparing early and make use of resources. Attend one of our Admissions workshops or meet with our Admissions Coordinator. We encourage applicants to workshop their personal statements and answers to questions using University resources, such as the UConn Writing Center. Ask your recommenders for letters with at least a month of advance notice to ensure they have plenty of time to write an excellent letter. Use the resources at the UConn Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills to prepare for your interview.

Many of our students are also interested in other healthcare programs! You should plan to get connected with UConn's Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Advising office early. The first-year courses for pharmacy and pre-med/pre-dent are similar, which gives you time to explore all the options.

You can access your course recommendation notes in Nexus through the shared documents and notes tab under advising. This option is currently only available for students at the Storrs campus.

Yes! Students in the pre-professional program may apply to live in the Pharmacy House Learning Community for sophomore year, even if you did not live in the LC your first year. There is not currently a course requirement for students who are sophomores or higher living in the LC.

The Pharmacy House Living Learning Community is designed for students who are majoring in the pre-professional pharmacy program to live together as a community. Students who are rooming with non-pharmacy majors would not be eligible to apply to the LC but are encouraged to apply should their living arrangements change.

Please reach out to the Learning Community office for assistance: LiveLearn@uconn.edu.

Any student wishing to campus change to Storrs will need to follow the process outlined on their specific campus. Please refer to the campus change website to get started. Students should reach out to their current regional campus advisor for questions regarding the process and requirements to campus change to Storrs.

The deadline to apply to campus change may be found on the campus change website. Please contact your regional advisor for questions about the deadline to apply for a campus change.

This depends on your goals, plans, and campus you are attending. Each student's path is unique; however, all prerequisite courses must be completed or in progress in order to begin the professional (Pharm.D.) program. The professional (Pharm.D.) program only admits in the fall semester and is a four-year program, regardless of how long a student takes to complete the prerequisite courses. Students should meet with their regional campus or the Pre-Professional advisor to discuss their plans as early as possible to plan for a campus change.

Yes. UConn allows students to split courses between multiple campuses; however, you must remain enrolled in at least 50% of your credits at your home campus to not be charged additional fees associated with the Storrs campus.

The School of Pharmacy offers a variety of clubs and organizations that are open to pre-professional students, many of which offer virtual options to join regular meetings. Students are also encouraged to meet with a Pharmacy Ambassador or connect with our Regional Campus Peer Advisor, Mike Andriyashko, who reaches out to connect with our regional campus students each semester.

Students can also become involved in pharmacy by working as a pharmacy technician or joining other clubs or organizations available at the regional campuses!