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I can process new information because I have a good foundation in biology and chemistry.
Pre-Pharmacy
Study Track
Fully prepare for pharmacy school
You probably have one question: does this study track actually get you ready for pharmacy school? Absolutely.
Goshen College’s pre-pharmacy study track is a pre-professional advising path that you’ll follow alongside a science major in biology or chemistry. Advisors fit in the courses pharmacy schools require, so you graduate with a bachelor’s degree plus your pre-pharmacy prerequisites. Students leave with the research and interpersonal experience that Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs look for.
You’ll have small classes and one-on-one advising with faculty who know you as a person. Whether you are aiming for clinical pharmacy, community pharmacy, pharmaceutical research or healthcare administration, the work you’ll do here, in chemistry labs and at local pharmacies, is what makes your application real.
Where pre-pharmacy graduates go
Goshen College pre-pharmacy alumni have continued to PharmD programs at Purdue University College of Pharmacy, Fairleigh Dickinson University School of Pharmacy, and the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, among others.
Pre-pharmacy is a track, not a major — you’ll major in biology or chemistry, and your advisor will work with you to align your coursework to each pharmacy school’s prerequisites.
View the complete program requirements in our catalog.
Opportunities for real-world pharmacy experience
The record that gets you into pharmacy school is built from hands-on work, not a checklist. You will carry out undergraduate research in chemistry and biology, take lab-based coursework with real-world applications, and shadow/intern at local pharmacies and hospitals near campus. The Maple Scholars summer program pays you to do research without leaving Goshen.
You work in the Schrock Science Laboratories, with modern scientific equipment and mentoring from faculty who care about your success. You’ll run HPLC, GC-MS and FT-NMR — the instruments used to identify and assay pharmaceutical compounds — starting well before graduate school.
Joel Yoder '22
PhD Candidate in Organic Chemistry at Baylor University
Paying for Goshen
The pre-pharmacy track costs you nothing extra. You pay tuition for your science major, and the advising that maps you to pharmacy school comes with it. Most Goshen students receive financial aid or scholarships, so the sticker price is rarely what a family actually pays. To see your own price after aid, run the net price calculator, or explore your options at the financial aid and scholarships pages.
Common questions about the pre-pharmacy study track
No. Pre-pharmacy is a study track, not a major. You major in a science such as biology, chemistry, or molecular biology/biochemistry, your advisor will work with you to fit in the courses pharmacy schools require. You graduate with a bachelor’s degree and your completed pre-pharmacy prerequisites.
Pharmacy school admission requirements vary by school; some require the PCAT, while others no longer do. Your pre-pharmacy advisor will help you track each target school’s specific requirements, and together, you’ll build a testing timeline around your applications and your coursework.
Most pharmacy programs accept applicants after two to three years of prerequisite coursework, though many Goshen students complete a full bachelor’s degree first for a stronger application. You’ll be able to talk with your advisor about which timeline fits your target schools.
With 91% of classes under 30 students, the science faculty who teach your chemistry and biology coursework also know your specific lab work and shadowing experience well enough to write substantive, individual .letters of recommendation, which carry more weight with admissions committees than the generic ones that you’d get at a larger university. That same familiarity means more direct coaching on interview prep and application timing as you get close to applying.
Dan Smith
Professor of Chemistry
Department ChairPhil Allman
Professor of Marine Biology
Andy Ammons
Professor of Biology
Raquel Montanez Gonzalez
Associate Professor of Biology
Jonathon Schramm
Professor of Sustainability and Environmental Education
Department Chair
