FAQs about the BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences
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Deadline
The deadline to apply to begin in the Fall 2023 semester is March 1, 2023.
Please note this date is earlier than both the regular UIC Transfer deadline (April 3, 2023) and the UIC Intercollege Transfer (ICT) deadline of May 15, 2023.
In order to be accepted to the program, students need to complete approximately two years of college credits. Check the Admissions Requirements page for more information, and view the BSPS Course Requirements.
Upcoming BSPS Info Sessions:
prereqs
Prerequisites (the courses you must take before you are accepted into the BSPS major) are listed below.
If you are a transfer student, visit transferology.com for assistance with which of your college courses may transfer. You can also view the UIC Admissions Transfer Guides for more information, or contact BSPharm@uic.edu.
Prerequisite Courses
| BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences | |
| Summary of Degree Requirements | Required Semester Hours |
| I. Pre-Pharmaceutical Sciences | 58-60 |
| II. Pharmaceutical Sciences Major | 50-52 |
| III. Electives | 8-12 |
| Total Semester Hours | 120 |
| I. Pre-Pharmaceutical Sciences Requirements | |
| ENGL 160: Academic Writing I: Writing in Academic and Public Contexts | 3 |
| ENGL 161: Academic Writing II: Writing for Inquiry and Research | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 |
| COMM 100: Fundamentals of Human Communication a | |
| COMM 102: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication a | |
| CHEM 122: General Chemistry I Lecture b | 4 |
| CHEM 123: General Chemistry I Laboratory b | 1 |
| CHEM 124: General Chemistry II Lecture b | 4 |
| CHEM 125: General Chemistry II Laboratory b | 1 |
| BIOS 110: Biology of Cells and Organisms c | 4 |
| BIOS 120: Biology of Populations and Communities c | 4 |
| CHEM 232: Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 233: Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| CHEM 234: Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 |
| PHYS 118: Physics in Modern Medicine c | |
| PHYS 131: Introductory Physics for Life Sciences I c | |
| PHYS 141: General Physics I (Mechanics) c | |
| Select one of the following: | 4-5 |
| MATH 165: Calculus for Business c | |
| MATH 170: Calculus for the Life Sciences c | |
| MATH 180: Calculus I c | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 |
| STAT 101: Introduction to Statistics | |
| STAT 130: Introduction to Statistics for the Life Sciences | |
| Two General Education courses d | 6 |
| PHAR 200: Introduction to Pharmaceutical Sciences e or One General Education course f | 3 |
| PHAR 201: Drugs and Society e or One General Education course f | 3 |
| Total Semester Hours - Pre-Pharmaceutical Sciences | 58-60 |
| a Course approved for the Understanding the Individual and Society General Education category. | |
| b Each of the following pairs of courses will be considered one course in meeting the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category: CHEM 122/CHEM 123 and CHEM 124/CHEM 125. | |
| c Course approved for the Analyzing the Natural World General Education category. | |
| d Students should select courses in two of the following General Education categories: Understanding the Creative Arts, Understanding the Past, Understanding US Society, and Exploring World Cultures. | |
| e UIC students who plan to apply to the BS should complete PHAR 200 and PHAR 201. | |
| f Non-UIC students who plan to apply to the BS should complete two additional courses that fulfil UIC General Education requirements (i.e., students must earn a minimum of 24 hours of General Education credit with at least one course in each of the six categories: Analyzing the Natural World, Understanding the Individual and Society, Understanding the Creative Arts, Understanding the Past, Understanding US Society, and Exploring World Cultures. PHAR 200 and PHAR 201 will be completed after admission to the BSPS. | |
Guaranteed PharmD Admission
No. Students who choose the 7-year BSPS/PharmD pathway will need to apply to the PharmD program during their junior year, which is their first year of the BSPS major.
College of Pharmacy Student Affairs staff provide resources for BSPS/PharmD students to build a strong PharmD application so they can begin their P1 courses (first year of the PharmD) during their senior year.
High school students with a strong academic background can apply to the Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions (GPPA) program for the PharmD at the same time they apply to UIC as a first-year student. This program is separate from the BSPS, although GPPA students can apply to BSPS as well.
switch from 4 to 7 year pathway
Unfortunately you cannot switch to the 7-year pathway to BSPS/PharmD after you start the 4-year pathway. This is because BSPS/PharmD students start working on their PharmD application right after they officially start the major.
BSPS/PharmD students also must complete additional requirements in their first year of the major that the 4-year students do not take as part of their program.
4-year BSPS students are still welcome to apply to the PharmD program in their senior year, but they will miss out on the extra year of time saved (8 years total instead of 7) that the BSPS/PharmD students have.
Common App
You are not able to apply to this major until your sophomore (second) year of college. High school students cannot apply to the major directly through the Common App. We recommend selecting “Undecided” or another major of your choice if you’re applying to UIC from the Common App.
Once you are admitted to UIC, we recommend registering for courses that fulfill the requirements to apply to the BSPS major.