The Doctor of Pharmacy degree, or PharmD as it’s commonly known, is a professional doctorate that usually requires four years of education and prepares individuals to become practicing pharmacists, as opposed to other terminal pharmacy degrees that are focused more on training researchers, educators, or medication experts.
Minimum Admission Requirements
- Candidates must complete a minimum of 63 credits of prerequisite coursework at a regionally accredited college or university, each course completed within ten years prior to application.
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale is preferred, and each prerequisite course must have a grade of “C” or better to be accepted. Candidates may use credit achieved by AP or CLEP examination as long as credit was awarded at a previously attended college or university.
- Belmont does not require the PCAT, but candidates may strengthen their application with competitive scores.
- International applicants whose native language is not English may be required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language by submitting an official copy of your Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. A minimum score of 550 is required (213 CBT or 80iBT). For more information on applying as an international student, visit the University Admissions site.
Candidates for the class will be considered on their own merits but will compete for a seat in the program. Eligible candidates will be offered an interview with a faculty member in the modality of their choice (on campus or online). Additional information regarding transfer from other pharmacy programs, requirements for matriculation, and technical standards for admission can be found in the graduate catalog.
- Prerequisite Requirements
- *1st Writing (3) - A course designed to improve writing skills which may include a course designated by the institution as writing intensive. English Composition I is recommended.
- *2nd Writing (3) - A second course designed to improve writing skills which may include a course designated by the institution as writing intensive. English Composition II is recommended.
- *1st Communication Skills (3) - A course designed to improve oral communication skills, such as public speaking (recommended), interpersonal communication or professional communication.
- *2nd Communication Skills (3) - A second course designed to improve communication skills. May include a third writing course.
- *1st Behavioral or Social Science (3) - A course from one of the following areas: psychology (recommended), economics (recommended), anthropology, sociology, history, political science, communication theory, minority studies or global issues.
- *2nd Behavioral or Social Science (3) - A second course from one of the following areas: psychology (recommended), economics (recommended), anthropology, sociology, history, political science, communication theory, minority studies or global issues.
- *Humanities (3) - A content-based course (rather than skill-based) from one of the following areas: literature, fine arts, philosophy, ethics, foreign culture or religion. (Excludes skill-based courses such as language study, voice or instrument study, and art skills.)
- *1st Elective (3) - A college level course, excluding all other prerequisites.
- *2nd Elective (3) - A college level course, excluding all other prerequisites.
- *3rd Elective (3) - A college level course, excluding all other prerequisites.
- Rolling Admission / Early Decision
- Early Decision Application deadline: October 1
- Interview Days: prior to November 1
- Reply Date for Accepted Candidates: December 1
- The Interview Experience
- Why Choose Belmont – A Student's Story
Pre-pharmacy requirements may be taken at any regionally-accredited college or university and must be completed prior to matriculation into Belmont University College of Pharmacy. All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better or credited by receiving Advanced Placement (AP) high school credit.
Applicants are encouraged to work closely with their undergraduate academic advisor and map out their course of study accordingly. Although our staff is happy to discuss specific prerequisites with applicants, they are unable to provide definitive counsel until all official transcripts have been processed by PharmCAS.
Required Prerequisite Courses
1st Biology (4) - A course in biology such as general biology, microbiology, botany, zoology, genetics, and A&P. Must include a lab.
2nd Biology (4) - A second course in biology such as general biology, microbiology, botany, zoology, genetics, and A&P. Must include a lab.
General (Inorganic) Chemistry I (4) - The first course in a two-course general chemistry sequence. Must include a lab. General chemistry concepts include atomic structure, molecular structure and bonding, chemical reactions, periodic properties of the elements, thermochemistry, properties of gases, solid and liquid states of matter, chemistry of acids and bases, principles of chemical kinetics, precipitation reactions, elementary thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and nuclear chemistry.
General (Inorganic) Chemistry II (4) - The second course in a two-course general chemistry sequence. Must include a lab. (At quarter-based institutions, the sequence must also include a third course)
Organic Chemistry I (4) - The first course in a two-course organic chemistry sequence. Must be a standard college-level course for science majors and include a lab, which can be part of a 2-credit lab for both organic chemistry courses. Organic chemistry concepts include types of carbon compounds, stereochemistry, substitution reactions, carbon compounds properties, aromatics, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, and amines.
Organic Chemistry II (4) - The second course in a two-course organic chemistry sequence. Must include a lab, which can be part of a 2-credit lab for both organic chemistry courses. (At quarter-based institutions, the sequence must also include a third course)
Physics (3) - An algebra-based or calculus-based physics course. Does not require a lab.
Calculus (3) - A calculus course providing an introduction to analytical geometry, limits, integration, and differentiation.
Statistics (3) - A course in probability and statistics. Topics include descriptive measures, elementary probability distributions, sampling distributions, one and two sample inferences on means and proportions, simple linear regression, and correlation.
Additional Credits Required for Applicants Without a Bachelor’s Degree*
Prerequisite courses designated with an asterisk below are not required of applicants who will complete a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution before enrolling in the PharmD program. However, these prerequisites will be required up until the time that the degree is completed and verified on a submitted official transcript.
Total: 63 hours
Credit requirements are based on semester hours. Courses taken in quarter-based systems will be calculated at semester hour equivalents. In cases where quarter hours fall below the semester hours indicated, the school reserves the right to require additional coursework in the topic area to meet the minimum stated prerequisite.
Credit granted by your university through the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board may be used to meet prerequisites if the standards set by Belmont University are met. These standards can be found in the Advanced Placement section of the catalog.
Rolling Admission
Applications are considered on a rolling basis until all spaces in the entering class are filled and an appropriate wait list of alternate candidates is formed. The College of Pharmacy considers candidates for an on-campus interview opportunity as soon as their application is complete. Interview days are normally offered each week, typically on a Thursday or Friday. Invited candidates will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee soon after their interview and a decision is communicated within one week of the interview date. Admitted candidates who choose to accept an offer of admission can confirm their seat in the entering class with a non-refundable deposit of $500 which is applied toward their first-semester tuition. All prerequisites must be completed before the first day of classes or admission will be rescinded.
Final Application Deadline
The final deadline for submitting a Belmont application for admission through PharmCAS is June 1. All official transcripts and recommendations must be received by PharmCAS no later than June 15 for submitted applications. Final interviews are scheduled weekly through the end of June.
Early Decision
Early Decision is available to applicants whose first and only choice is Belmont University if accepted for admission and who submit/complete their application by October 1, 2021. If not accepted for Early Decision by November 1, applicants should then apply to other programs. While PharmCAS has phased out the Early Decision option, Belmont's College of Pharmacy continues to offer this opportunity for candidates who apply only to Belmont during the Early Decision period and pledge to attend if admitted.
Candidates are required to come to campus or join us online to interview for admission to the PharmD program at Belmont. The interview day provides each invited applicant the opportunity to demonstrate individual strengths which support their potential for professional and academic success. Each candidate will have the opportunity to meet individually with three different faculty members for short interviews, participate in small group lunch conversations with a current student, and provide an onsite writing sample. The day also allows the College of Pharmacy to showcase the benefits of our PharmD program through such activities as a program overview with our Dean; informal conversations with current students; and an in-depth tour of our facilities including student laboratories, on-campus pharmacy, drug information center, patient simulation suite, and faculty/student research labs. The day is designed to give a "feel" for what it would be like as a graduate student at Belmont.
Being a pharmacist is something I had desired to become since I was in middle school, after job-shadowing a family member on career day. When I was applying for pharmacy school, I desired an institution where I could both further my education and remain in my home state of Tennessee.
Just a few years prior to my application cycle, Belmont University announced its plans to open a College of Pharmacy, and I knew it was the perfect fit! I still remember how excited I was when I received the call regarding admission. What I didn’t know was what was really in store for me as a student pharmacist, and how what I experienced would change my interests and grow me professionally in those 4 short years at BUCOP.
Early in my P1 year, I learned of “clinical pharmacy” which fascinated me, as I have always enjoyed situations that challenged my critical thinking skills. I decided that in order to fulfill this role, residency training was in my future. I began looking at adult residency programs and could envision that my future position would involve something in adult critical care or cardiology. That was until I volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House along with some of my classmates.
At the end of P2 year, a group decided to do a community service event at RMH. Needless to say, the children there stole my heart, and I left that day knowing that I had to find a way to help pediatric patients. When the pediatrics block was covered in Pathophysiology and Therapeutics, I was fascinated by developmental pharmacology and how children really aren’t “little adults”, which further solidified my interest in this field. Lucky for me, many others had previously chosen that path and had created residency programs focused solely on pediatric medicine. I requested as many pediatric-focused APPE rotations as I could fit, and I chose to apply to residency programs that would provide pediatric experiences so that I could continue into a PGY2 specialty training.
My didactic courses, APPE rotations, and practical experience as an intern enabled me to compete successfully, and I completed a first year residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. To further my training, I completed a second year pediatric specialty residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.
As my residency training was coming to an end, I was certain that I wanted to return to the middle Tennessee area to begin my career; however, this “plan” of mine did not have a clear path to becoming reality. Fortunately, there was a new hospital opening in Franklin, Tennessee- the Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital Vanderbilt at Williamson Medical Center- and they were in need of a pediatric clinical pharmacy specialist. It was a dream come true! I applied for the position and graciously accepted the offer to become their newest colleague. I am able to care for children of various ages and levels of acuity through my coverage of the neonatal intensive care unit, general pediatrics ward, and pediatric emergency department.
I am a true believer that God is unfolding His plan for my life, and Belmont was part of that wonderful plan. I am grateful for my time at Belmont and for all that I learned while a pharmacy student, as it has provided the foundation needed to prepare me for the position that I hold today.
Dr. Courtney Sutton