Pre-Pharmacy
As a pre-pharmacy student at Dominican, you’ll master the skills to make a lasting impact in health care. From state-of-the-art labs and expert advising to top internships and caring mentors, you’ll find the resources necessary to succeed in the health sciences and earn admission to graduate school.
A powerful approach to professional preparation
You’ll work side-by-side with a faculty advisor who will help you identify, refine and pursue your professional goals. You’ll refine your plan regularly in ongoing conversations with your advisor and with additional expert, caring faculty who understand what it takes to enroll in graduate school and succeed in the health professions. Your advisor will help you design a personal academic plan, will guide you through the graduate school application process, and will connect you with all the people, resources and experiences you need to make your dreams a reality. These productive relationships are at the heart of Dominican’s pre-professional programs.
Dominican offers an innovative Dual Acceptance Program with the Chicago College of Pharmacy at Midwestern University. It enables you to obtain a doctor of pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.) in five-and-a-half years instead of the usual eight years. You’ll save time and tuition dollars. You’ll apply to both institutions before your freshman year. Upon successful completion of two years of pre-professional and liberal arts coursework at Dominican, students selected for the Dual Admission Program are automatically admitted into the three and one-half-year professional curriculum at Midwestern.
Upon successful completion of this five-and-a-half year program, students earn only the PharmD degree. No undergraduate degree is awarded as part of this program. Students who wish to obtain a bachelor’s degree may do so at Dominican and then enter a graduate pharmacy program according to the normal timetable. Learn more about the pre-pharmacy program.
Students selected for the Dual Admission Program may not participate in the Dominican University Honors Program due to Midwestern's curriculum requirements.
A first-rate environment for learning
Our cutting-edge curriculum includes all the courses you’ll need for success in professional or graduate school. You’ll find a new home in Parmer Hall, the campus’s newest building, with 16 labs and state-of-the-art research equipment. Our internship program draws on Chicago’s world-class research and clinical resources. We make our connections your connections, so you can test-drive your dream job in the real world. You also can combine academic study with compassionate service to people in need, in the Chicago area and beyond. You’ll start your career knowing from experience how to serve as an effective member of today’s health-care teams.
Patrick Tednes
Clinical Pharmacist
“My research with my chemistry professor allowed me to learn the intricacies of creating a hypothesis and generating outcomes. I was also able to publish my research, which positively impacted my ability to get into pharmacy school. Dominican laid the groundwork for that.”
Prepare for a life of service and achievement
Dominican has a remarkable record of placing students in outstanding professional and graduate schools. You will find Dominican graduates at work across the full spectrum of the health professions: as physicians, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, occupational therapists, optometrists, physician assistants and more. Some alumni apply their scientific knowledge to careers as clinical psychologists or social workers. Others pursue industrial or academic research. Our graduates are highly trained, open to new ideas, skilled in the lab and ready to thrive through long and meaningful careers. They have earned their way into leadership positions in the health profession of their choice.