In addition to course requirements, to remain in the 3+4 Accelerated Program in Pharmacy, students must maintain a cumulative Penn State Behrend GPA of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale and earn a grade of C or better in all Penn State Behrend courses. Students will meet with a program adviser who will provide counseling, evaluate performance, and monitor student progress on application documentation. Penn State Behrend reserves the right to dismiss students for academic or disciplinary reasons.
Phase I
Typical Course Sequence
Students in Phase I of the Accelerated Program in Pharmacy must follow the Suggested Academic Plan for the Health Professions option of the Biology degree.
Semester 1
- Biology: Basic Concepts and Biodiversity (4 credits)
- Rhetoric and Composition (3 credits)
- Chemical Principles I (3 credits)
- Experimental Chemistry I (1 credit)
- Health and Physical Activity (1.5 credits)
- Arts course (3 credits)
Total Credits: 16.5
Semester 2
- Biology: Function and Development of Organs (4 credits)
- Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (4 credits)
- Experimental Chemistry II (1 credit)
- Chemical Principles II (3 credits)
- Health and Physical Activity (1.5 credits)
- Humanities course (3 credits)
Total Credits: 16.5
Semester 3
- Biology: Populations and Communities (4 credits)
- Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
- Calculus with Analytic Geometry II (4 credits)
- Social and Behavioral Science course (3 credits)
- Humanities course (3 credits)
Total Credits: 17
Semester 4
- Biology: Molecules and Cells (4 credits)
- Organic Chemistry II w/lab (5 credits)
- Effective Speech (3 credits)
- Introduction to Biostatistics (3 credits)
- Arts Course (3 credits)
- Supporting Course from School Approved List (1 credit)
Total Credits: 19
Semester 5
- Genetic Analysis (3 credits)
- Introductory Microbiology w/lab (5 credits)
- Introductory Physics I (4 credits)
- Approved supporting course (3 credits)
- Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates (4 credits)
Total Credits: 19
Semester 6
- General Biochemistry w/lab (4 credits)
- Approved supporting course (3 credits)
- Effective Writing: Technical Writing (3 credits)
- Introductory Physics II (4 credits)
- Social and Behavioral Science course (3 credits)
Total Credits: 17
* Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT): Students must take the PCAT no later than October of the junior year and earn minimum scores of 400 (computed by combining the percentile scores in verbal ability, reading comprehension, biology, chemistry, and quantitative ability). A maximum of two test administrations will be allowed.
Phase II
See the curriculum for the University at Buffalo's Pharmacy Program for course requirements.
The first year in the Pharm.D. program at the University at Buffalo will include science courses or their equivalents listed in the academic year program: biochemistry (4 credits), medicinal chemistry (3 credits), pharmacy calculations (3 credits), human physiology I (3 credits), human physiology II (3 credits), microbiology (4)and physical pharmacy (3 credits). Only grades of C or better will transfer from the University at Buffalo to Penn State Behrend. University at Buffalo courses and credits, but not grades, will be listed on the Penn State Behrend transcript.
- Conferral of B.S. Degree: Penn State Behrend will confer the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology to students in the program who have successfully completed the Penn State Behrend courses in Phase I (minimum 103 credits) and 23 science credits at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
- Conferral of Pharm.D. Degree: The University at Buffalo will confer the Doctor of Pharmacy degree to students who have successfully completed their course and clinical requirements.