Organic Chemistry II Online for Pharmacy School- completes the two-semester organic sequence that nearly every pharmacy program requires — and you can take it online for pharmacy school, self-paced, with a lab, as regionally accredited credit that posts to an official transcript. If you’ve finished Organic Chemistry I, the second semester is the natural next step, and finishing the full sequence is what actually satisfies the prerequisite at most PharmD programs. At $695, Organic Chemistry II is priced well below the $1,195–$1,785 many providers charge for the same course. This page explains why the second semester is required, what it covers, how it sequences, and where it leads next in pharmacy’s chemistry chain.
Pharmacy programs almost always require the full organic chemistry sequence, not just the first semester, because the two halves form a single foundation. Organic Chemistry I establishes structure, bonding, stereochemistry, and basic mechanisms; Organic Chemistry II applies that foundation to a wider range of reactions and molecular families that pharmacology and medicinal chemistry draw on directly. Completing only the first semester leaves the prerequisite unfinished at most programs. See the complete pharmacy prerequisites guide for how the sequence fits the overall requirement set, and the Organic Chemistry I page if you haven’t started the first semester.
The second semester extends the mechanistic thinking of the first into more complex chemistry:
This is academic course content describing the chemistry itself — the molecular knowledge later professional coursework relies on. The course includes a lab component recorded on your transcript, which matters for prerequisite acceptance.
Organic Chemistry II builds directly on the first semester, so the sequence matters: complete Organic Chemistry I before starting the second course. Trying to take them out of order, or skipping the first semester, sets you up to struggle, because the second course assumes fluency with the mechanisms and structural reasoning of the first. A self-paced format actually helps here — you can move from Organic I straight into Organic II without waiting for a new term to begin, keeping the momentum (and the chemistry) fresh.
At PrereqCourses, Organic Chemistry II maps to CHEM 252, delivered online and self-paced with a lab through Upper Iowa University, regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. As institutional credit, it posts to an official transcript — the form PharmCAS programs recognize — and feeds your science GPA. You can start any time and progress at your own pace. Begin on the pharmacy prerequisites page, and if you need the whole sequence, the pharmacy chemistry sequence bundle coordinates Organic I, Organic II, and biochemistry together.
Like the first semester, Organic Chemistry II is expensive at many providers — roughly $1,195 to $1,785 for the same course. At $695, CHEM 252 is a meaningful saving on a course nearly every pharmacy applicant must complete, with no separate application or registration fees. Taking both organic semesters here rather than elsewhere compounds the saving. For the full comparison, see the cheapest way to take pharmacy prerequisites online.
Confirm acceptance — including the lab. No outside course transfers automatically, and lab-science policies vary by program. Confirm with each program’s admissions office and PharmCAS that CHEM 252 (including its lab) will satisfy your requirement before enrolling. We don’t guarantee admission or transfer, and this page covers prerequisites only — not clinical or pharmacological topics.
With both organic semesters complete, the chemistry chain continues into biochemistry, which nearly every PharmD program requires. Biochemistry connects the organic chemistry you’ve just learned to biological systems, making it the natural next link. Most applicants move directly into biochemistry for pharmacy online after finishing the organic sequence. Planning organic and biochemistry together keeps your science credits current and on one timeline.
Both organic semesters carry heavy weight in the science GPA pharmacy programs scrutinize, so a strong grade in Organic Chemistry II is as valuable as a strong grade in the first. If a weak second-semester grade is the gap in your record, retaking it can directly improve your science GPA; see retaking prerequisites to get into pharmacy school and improving your science GPA for pharmacy school.
| Semester | Focus |
|---|---|
| Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 251) | Structure, bonding, stereochemistry, and the introductory reaction mechanisms. |
| Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 252) | Aromatic and carbonyl chemistry, additional reaction families, multistep synthesis, and spectroscopy. |
The two semesters form one foundation: the first builds the mechanistic toolkit, and the second applies it to the broader chemistry pharmacology draws on. Most programs require both.
Timing the second organic semester well matters as much as completing it. Because Organic Chemistry II assumes the mechanisms, nomenclature, and structural reasoning of the first course, the ideal window is fairly soon after Organic Chemistry I, while that foundation is still fresh — a long gap means relearning the first semester before you can succeed in the second. Self-paced delivery helps here, since you can move into the second course as soon as you’re ready rather than waiting for a new term to open. There’s also a recency dimension: if your Organic Chemistry I credit is approaching a program’s five-to-seven-year window, plan both semesters so they stay current together, rather than letting the first age out while you finish the second. Finally, finish with the grade posted to an official transcript before your application deadline, since pharmacy programs generally don’t credit in-progress coursework. The practical rule: take Organic Chemistry I and II close together, finish both before you apply, and confirm each program’s recency policy with PharmCAS so neither semester slips out of the accepted window. Handled this way, the two organic courses read on your transcript as a clean, recent, complete sequence — exactly what pharmacy programs want to see.
Yes — most pharmacy programs require the full two-semester organic sequence, so completing only the first semester usually leaves the prerequisite unfinished. Confirm the exact requirement with each program.
Yes. A self-paced, regionally accredited online course with a lab that posts to an official transcript — like CHEM 252 — can satisfy this requirement. Confirm acceptance, including the lab, with your programs and PharmCAS.
Yes — Organic Chemistry II builds directly on the first semester’s mechanisms and structural reasoning, so complete Organic Chemistry I first. A self-paced format lets you move from one into the next without waiting for a term.
CHEM 252 is $695, with no separate application or registration fees — well below the roughly $1,195–$1,785 many providers charge for the same course.
Biochemistry, which nearly every PharmD program requires. It connects organic chemistry to biological systems and is the natural next link in the chemistry chain.
Many programs accept regionally accredited online lab sciences recorded on a transcript, but lab policies vary, so confirm explicitly with each program and PharmCAS before enrolling.
Continue with biochemistry for pharmacy online, the Organic Chemistry I page, and the pharmacy chemistry sequence.
Authoritative resources: PharmCAS on coursework and the application, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education on program accreditation, the American Chemical Society on chemistry education, and the Higher Learning Commission on regional accreditation.
