Pre-Pharmacy

The pre-pharmacy program is available at the following Alvernia University campus:

• Reading

Students interested in attending pharmacy school should contact the Alvernia Pre-Professional Program Advisors as soon as possible upon enrollment at Alvernia. It is the responsibility of the student to research pharmacy schools in which they are interested. Pharmacy schools will have their own admission requirements, and students should take courses needed for those specific programs. The Alvernia Pre-Professional Program Advisors guide pre-pharmacy students to choose the best major and courses, so they have the best chance for acceptance to pharmacy schools.

Through a rolling admission process, prospective undergraduate students — including first-year, transfer, and international students — may apply via the Alvernia web portal or The Common Application. To learn more about how to complete your application, please visit our application page.

There are options to assist in financing your education and making the tuition affordable. Visit our Student Financial Services page for a detailed overview of the process, including a link to complete the FAFSA application, as well as more information about tuition, the tuition payment plan and the tuition deferment program we offer. Alvernia’s Title IV code for the FAFSA is 003233. The Office of Student Financial Services is available to help with any questions you may have. Call 610-796-8201 or email sfs@alvernia.edu.

Pre-pharmacy students typically pursue an undergraduate degree in biology or biochemistry, but some pharmacy schools accept students who study different majors. Students who plan to apply to a non-LECOM pharmacy program should check with the pharmacy programs to be sure they complete the required undergraduate coursework. Students who plan to apply to the LECOM program should major in biology or biochemistry.

Most pharmacy schools require the following coursework for admission to a graduate program:

Chemistry: 2 Semesters

• General Chemistry I
• General Chemistry II

Organic Chemistry: 2 Semesters

• Organic Chemistry I
• Organic Chemistry II

English: 2 Semesters

Math: 2 Semesters

• Calculus I
• Calculus II
• Statistics

Biology: 3 Semesters

• Principals of Biology I
• Principals of Biology II
• Microbiology

Physics: 2 Semesters

• Physics I
• Physics II

Psychology: 1 Semester

Some pharmacy schools require the following coursework for admission to a graduate program:

Anatomy and Physiology: 2 Semesters

• A & P I
• A & P II
   

Upper-Level Sciences

• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Cell Biology
• Microbiology

Pharmacists are medication specialists who provide innovative ways to keep people health. Most pharmacists work in retail pharmacy settings, hospitals, home health care facilities or in research laboratories. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of pharmacists is projected to grow 2 percent from 2021 to 2031. The median annual salary for a pharmacist in 2021 was over $128,000.

With hundreds of community connections in Greater Reading and beyond, pre-professional students can complete internships in a variety of healthcare settings. Recently, pre-professional students have complete internships with:

• Reading Hospital
• Bryn Mawr Hospital Pharmacy Department
• St. Joseph Medical Center
• Phoebe Berks Nursing Home
• Sinking Spring Manor Care
• Country Meadows
• Flying Hills Pharmacy

With a growing demand of healthcare professionals, Alvernia and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) partnered to help prepare new doctors, dentists and pharmacists. This special Early Acceptance Program (EAP) with LECOM allows students to apply to LECOM medical, dental, or pharmacy school as early as their senior year of high school. Students who meet the requirements in high school are conditionally accepted into both Alvernia and LECOM’s program simultaneously.

Lake Erie College of Medicine (LECOM) is a private college with locations in Pennsylvania and Florida. Its main campus is located in Erie, PA, with additional locations at LECOM at Seton Hill, in Greensburg, PA and LECOM Bradenton, a branch campus in Florida. 

• SAT score greater than or equal to 1240 (Math and Critical Reading) or ACT score greater than or equal to 26
• High school GPA of 3.5 or higher
• Maintain a cumulative GPA at Alvernia of 3.4 or higher and a science GPA of 3.2 or higher

Students already attending Alvernia must meet these criteria to enroll into the Early Acceptance Program.

Students must enroll in the Early Acceptance Program by Feb. 1 of their second year at Alvernia University. After completing four years at Alvernia and meeting GPA and other requirements, students enter LECOM the following July. LECOM graduates will receive a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and Alvernia will award the graduate with an appropriate bachelor’s degree.

Alvernia is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). MSCHE is an institutional
accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Ondra Kielbasa, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
610-230-5701
Ondra.kielbasa@alvernia.edu

Brandi Burns, MMSPAS, PA-C
brandi.burns@alvernia.edu