Pre-pharmacy students can opt to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences as they work toward their Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of South Carolina. The bachelor's degree is awarded at the end of the second professional year of pharmacy school.
This optional degree is available only to USC Pharm.D. students who have completed pre-pharmacy coursework and the first two years of the professional program, as well as all Carolina Core requirements. This program, which combines core and laboratory-based coursework, instills the knowledge and skills of a well-rounded and well-educated scientist.
While you cannot practice the profession of pharmacy with a bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical sciences, this degree is helpful for students interested in pursuing graduate school or Pharm.D. students who simply want to possess a four-year undergraduate degree.
The benefit of the optional pharmaceutical sciences degree is earning four-year degree while working toward your ultimate goal: a University of South Carolina Pharm.D. degree.
While some students opt not to pursue the Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, every pre-pharmacy student at South Carolina is admitted into the bachelor's degree program. The coursework so closely follows the pre-pharmacy and professional coursework in the College of Pharmacy that many students only need to take one or two additional courses to earn their bachelor's degree.
How Do I Apply
Every University of South Carolina pre-pharmacy student is admitted into the College of Pharmacy's bachelor's degree program. Students who meet the requirements can fulfill the degree coursework if they choose to do so.
Degree Eligibility
Candidates who meet the following criteria are eligible to earn the optional bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences:
- Accepted into the Pharm.D. program at the USC College of Pharmacy
- Completion of the first two years of the Pharm.D. program
- Completion of all Carolina Core requirements including:
- Meet the foreign language requirement through one of the following:
- Earning credit for 109 and 110 in Spanish, French, German or Latin through AP or IB
- Scoring a 2 or higher for Spanish, French, German or Latin on the foreign language placement test at USC
- Taking two semesters or six hours of Spanish, French, German or Latin for college credit
- Taking one semester or four hours of Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese or Russian
- While a foreign language is not required for admission into the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) program, students without AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment credit for a foreign language are strongly encouraged to take the foreign language placement test
- Earn three hours of AP, IB, or dual enrollment, or college credit for a 100 level U.S. OR world history course to meet the historical thinking (GHS) requirement
- Earn three hours of AP, IB, or dual enrollment, or college credit for a 100 level fine arts course (e.g. music, arts, dance, theatre or film) to meet the aesthetic and interpretive understanding (AIU) requirement
- Earn three hours of AP, IB, or dual enrollment, or college credit for a political science or ethics course (i.e. American government) to meet the values, ethics and social responsibility (VSR) requirement
- Meet the foreign language requirement through one of the following:
AP, IB, dual enrollment, or college credit for foreign language (GFL), U.S. or world history (GHS), fine arts (AIU), and political science (VSR) may be used to complete liberal arts electives in the pre-pharmacy curriculum at USC.
The coursework of both pre-pharmacy and professional years one and two, supplemented with several additional courses, fulfills the degree requirements.
View or download the Major Map [pdf] - The recommended course plan for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree.
For questions on transfer course equivalencies, please contact our Director of Pre-Professional Studies.
Though pre-pharmacy students are advised by individuals within the College of Pharmacy, courses for pre-pharmacy students are taught by multiple departments throughout the university.
As such, tuition for freshman and sophomore years in the pre-pharmacy program will be at the rates established for the general undergraduate population at South Carolina.
Information regarding tuition, scholarships, and estimated costs of education is available from the Bursar's Office and Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Once students begin the Pharm.D. program, they are subject to the College of Pharmacy's annual tuition and fees.