Pre-Pharmacy

Program Description

The Associate of Arts, AA at JCCC is a general transfer degree and partners well with the first two years of most bachelor degree programs. Students pursuing the AA may select courses that satisfy both the AA degree requirements and lower division requirements for a bachelor’s degree at four-year institutions. The elective hours within the AA allow students to complete additional general education and lower division courses required for specific majors. The AA degree requires completion of 60 credit hours. Meeting with a JCCC counselor is strongly recommended for selection of appropriate courses.  

The UMKC School of Pharmacy offers the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), which students may apply to join after completing approximately two years of undergraduate study. Pre-Pharmacy students must complete all prerequisite courses prior to starting the Pharm.D. program (see page 2 for details). A bachelor’s degree is not required for entry into the Pharm. D. program. 

Minimum UMKC Transfer Admission Requirements: 

• 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA.
• Credit/No-credit or Pass/Fail coursework may only be applied to elective coursework and will not apply towards UMKC’s General Education Core or major requirements.
• Visit the full transfer admission requirements for more information.

School of Pharmacy Admission Requirements: 

• All prepharmacy course requirements must be satisfactorily completed with a grade of “C-“ or higher.
• Equivalent courses may be repeated but all grades will be averaged for GPA calculation purposes.
• Credit/No Credit, Pass/Fail, and S/U Grades will be accepted for Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 coursework due to COVID-19.
• Deadline for Application – June 1 to join the cohort starting the fall.
  • Application filing period is July 14 through June 1.
• Admission to the Pharm. D. program is competitive, therefore meeting minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission.  Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the process and to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher to be above minimum academic standards. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Pharmacy Student Affairs Office to discuss the strength of their application with our pre-pharmacy academic advisor.
  • Up to Ninety-five (95) students are admitted annually to the Pharm.D. program at the UMKC Campus.
  • Up to Thirty (30) students each are admitted annually at the UMKC Pharmacy locations at the University of Missouri-Columbia & Missouri State University campuses.
• All students are considered students of UMKC regardless of the program site they attend.
• All students must submit an application, visit PharmCAS to submit.
• All students must submit at least one letter of reference, visit PharmCAS to submit.
• All students must submit the UMKC Pharm.D. Supplemental Application after completing the PharmCAS application.
• Visit the UMKC School of Pharmacy Admissions for more information.

NOTE: Completing an Associate of Arts degree or the Associate of Science in General Sciences at JCCC will satisfy all lower-level general education requirements at UMKC including the Missouri Constitution requirement. It is highly recommended that students complete the associate's degree prior to transfer to UMKC whenever possible.

Admission Requirements

2025 – 2026 UMKC Pharm.D. Admissions Timeline

PharmCAS Application Opens July 10, 2025

Early Action Deadline1 September 15, 2025

Early Action Interview Dates September 19 and October 3, 2025

All Pharm.D. Interview Dates2 Rolling Interview dates November 2025 – June 2026

Application Deadline June 1, 2026 

UMKC participates in rolling admissions and encourages applicants to apply early. Applicants applying earlier have a greater chance of being placed at their preferred campus. 

It is the STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to check for updates to all transfer information. This transfer guide is provided as a service and is updated as needed. Degree requirements at the four-year colleges are subject to change by those institutions. To ensure you have the most accurate information about the program, you must meet with an advisor at the transfer institution.