Road Map to Pharmacy

2–4 YEARS: Pre-pharmacy coursework can be completed at any accredited college or university. Some pharmacy schools offer early assurance pathways to pre-pharmacy students. The majority of pharmacy schools do not require students to complete a bachelor’s degree before entering the professional Pharm.D. curriculum. View a list of pre-pharmacy and other feeder programs (Google Sheet) offered by AACP Member Institutions.

3–4 YEARS: Most pharmacy colleges and school in the U.S. require 4 years of study in the professional Pharm.D. curriculum. Some pharmacy institutions offer accelerated programs that require the same amount of professional coursework to be completed within 3 years.

LICENSURE:All Pharm.D. graduates must successfully complete the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) and other licensure assessments required by a state board of pharmacy before they can legally practice as a pharmacist in the U.S.

OPTIONAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT

RESIDENCY: 1–2 years of postgraduate training focused on certain patient populations or disease states in a clinical setting.

FELLOWSHIP: Individualized postgraduate training with a focus in academia, research, or industry.

CERTIFICATION: Licensed pharmacists may choose to become board certified as a way to demonstrate pharmacy expertise in a specialty area of practice: Ambulatory Care, Cardiology, Compounded Sterile Preparations, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Geriatric, Infectious Diseases, Nuclear, Nutrition Support Oncology, Pain Management, Pediatric, Pharmacotherapy, Psychiatric and Solid Organ Transplantation.