USC PharmD prerequisites: the USC Mann School of Pharmacy course list

USC PharmD prerequisites at the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are built around eight required course areas, a bachelor’s degree before you start, a 3.0 floor in both cumulative and pre-pharmacy GPA, and a grade of C or higher in every required course. There is no PCAT and no GRE. For the 2026-2027 cycle, the priority deadline has passed, but the final PharmCAS deadline is April 1, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time.

This guide covers the eight areas, labs, the online policy, letters, interviews, remaining cycle dates, and how to finish missing courses before spring 2027 ends. PrereqCourses.com offers self-paced online courses through Upper Iowa University (UIU), which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Credit appears on a UIU transcript. Upper Iowa University is not on USC’s Course Equivalencies list as of November 9, 2026, so email pharmadm@usc.edu with each course description link and wait for USC’s answer before you enroll.

Table of contents

• USC PharmD prerequisites at a glance
• About the USC Mann PharmD program
• The eight required courses
• Recommended courses
• USC’s online course policy
• GPA, grades and the admitted class
• PCAT, letters and essays
• Interviews
• 2026-2027 deadlines and when prerequisites must be done
• How to fill USC PharmD prerequisites with UIU courses
• Compare with other PharmD programs
• FAQ
• Next steps

USC PharmD prerequisites at a glance

This table follows USC Mann’s admissions and FAQ pages, plus the PharmCAS USC survey for semester-hour minimums and the program home Admissions Calendar.

About the USC Mann PharmD program

Before you map USC PharmD prerequisites, it helps to know the program. USC created the nation’s first PharmD program and later the first PharmD/MBA. The current Doctor of Pharmacy is a four-year professional degree on the Health Sciences Campus, with fall entry only. The first three years combine coursework with IPPEs. The fourth year is APPEs across greater Los Angeles and beyond, plus a capstone. PharmCAS lists the program’s ACPE status as Full Accreditation.

USC’s FAQ reports about 500 applications, about 300 interviews, and about 170 enrolled students per year. PharmCAS lists 179 students in the last entering P1 class. There is no residency preference. As a private university, USC charges the same tuition to all students. It also has no preference by major.

The eight required courses

USC lists eight required areas on its admissions page. PharmCAS publishes minimum semester hours for each. Requirements are subject to change, so recheck USC before you enroll.

Chemistry: General and Organic

You need a full year of General Chemistry with labs and a full year of Organic Chemistry with labs, both for science majors. If your school offers less than a full year of Organic Chemistry, finish the second semester elsewhere. See the pharmacy chemistry sequence for sequencing tips.

Biology, Microbiology and Human Physiology

General Biology must be a full-year science-major series with labs. USC excludes human anatomy, human physiology, botany, and microbiology from that series, so do not count A&P or Microbiology toward General Biology.

Microbiology and Human Physiology are separate required courses. If you take a combined Anatomy and Physiology sequence, USC counts it for Human Physiology only when you finish the entire series. USC recommends Physiology and Microbiology at a four-year school. A lab is not listed for Microbiology or Human Physiology. If your school’s course includes a lab, confirm the fit with USC.

Biochemistry: upper division at a four-year school

Biochemistry must be one upper-division course for science majors from a four-year institution. A community-college Biochemistry course will not meet this rule. See biochemistry for pharmacy school online. A lab is not listed.

Calculus and communication

Calculus should include differential and integral calculus for science majors (one semester or two quarters). PharmCAS lists a four-semester-hour minimum. Communication is one course in communication, public speaking, interpersonal communication, speech, or intercultural communication. See physics and calculus for pharmacy.

Recommended courses

These are recommended, not required. They sit outside the required USC PharmD prerequisites and do not replace any of the eight required areas:

• Microeconomics
• Upper-division Molecular biology
• Physics that includes thermodynamics and electromagnetism
• Psychology and/or Sociology
• Statistics (not business statistics)

PharmCAS also lists General Psychology, Intro to Sociology, or Cultural Anthropology. Physics and Molecular biology stay recommended only. Genetics is not a Molecular biology substitute.

USC’s online course policy

USC’s online rule is stricter than many PharmD programs because it ties acceptance to a published Course Equivalencies list. Here is the admissions-page wording:

“The USC Mann School accepts online courses for pre-pharmacy requirements if they are listed on the Course Equivalencies page. These courses must have been taken during or after spring 2020. Any online prerequisites taken prior to spring 2020 will need to be reviewed by the admissions committee. To submit a course for consideration, email a link to the course description to pharmadm@usc.edu.”

The Course Equivalencies site covers universities and colleges in California and selected out-of-state schools. As of November 9, 2026, Upper Iowa University is not listed on any of the A to Z pages. That means UIU online courses are not pre-cleared for USC. Before you enroll in any UIU course for USC, email pharmadm@usc.edu with the course description link and wait for USC’s answer. If a course is not on the list, USC’s FAQ also says you can send a syllabus, units, course description, or catalog for official consideration.

Other credit rules from USC:

• Pass/no pass is acceptable only if the course was taken in 2020. Other pass/no pass grades may be acceptable after admissions committee verification.
• CLEP is not accepted.
• AP and IB credit are considered only if you hold a bachelor’s degree. AP scores of 3, 4, or 5, or IB scores of 5, 6, or 7, can count toward the first term of a one-year series such as General Biology or General Chemistry. AP Calculus BC can satisfy Calculus.

For a broader look at how pharmacy schools treat online coursework, see can you take pharmacy prerequisites online.

GPA, grades and the admitted class

USC asks for a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 3.0 pre-pharmacy GPA. Below 3.0 may still be considered case by case. The FAQ puts the average admitted GPA at about 3.4 for both. Every required course needs a C or higher.

A separate science GPA is not listed. A recency limit for science courses is also not listed on the admissions, FAQ, or PharmCAS pages we reviewed. If your science courses are older, ask USC whether a retake would help. See what GPA do you need for pharmacy school.

PCAT, letters and essays

USC does not require the PCAT or the GRE. International applicants should plan for the TOEFL; foreign transcripts go through an IERF evaluation per PharmCAS. See is the PCAT still required for pharmacy.

Applications run through PharmCAS only. There is no separate supplemental application or fee. USC asks for two USC-specific essays inside PharmCAS.

You need three letters through PharmCAS. One must come from a science professor you took a class with and/or did research with. Others can come from professors, advisers, researchers, pharmacists, or employers. Family members are not accepted. Reapplicants from the prior year need one new letter. Pharmacy observation hours are not required per PharmCAS.

Interviews

Interview invitations typically arrive 1 to 3 weeks ahead. The day includes a 20-minute traditional interview with a faculty member or alumnus and a current PharmD student, plus a scenario-based assessment of communication, critical thinking, ethical decision-making, leadership, and interpersonal skills. No pharmacy-specific knowledge is needed. An online option exists. Interviews run from October through June. The next dates on USC’s calendar (subject to change) are November 13, 2026 in person and December 17, 2026 virtual. Missing your slot or arriving late cancels the application except in rare emergencies.

2026-2027 deadlines and when prerequisites must be done

Priority applicants received full consideration for earlier interview dates, merit scholarships, and a reduced enrollment deposit if admitted. The final deadline includes letters and official transcripts. Because PharmCAS processing takes 2 to 5 weeks, submit well before April 1.

USC’s pages do not all use the same completion date. Admissions says finish at least one week before entry. The FAQ highly recommends the end of spring term or June 30, with an extension to August 15 by emailing pharmadm@usc.edu. The equivalencies site says end of spring term. PharmCAS lists August 15, 2027.

Plan conservatively: finish by the end of spring term 2027 (June 30, 2027 at the latest). Anything later needs an approved extension no later than August 15, 2027. You can apply with courses in progress, and conditional acceptance is possible when courses or the degree are not yet posted.

How to fill USC PharmD prerequisites with UIU courses

PrereqCourses offers self-paced online courses through Upper Iowa University, which is accredited by the HLC. Credit appears on a UIU transcript. Courses start on the first of every month. Because Upper Iowa University is not on USC’s Course Equivalencies list, email pharmadm@usc.edu with each course description link and get USC’s written answer before you enroll. USC Mann decides whether coursework qualifies.

Please note: any prerequisite requirements listed on a UIU syllabus apply only to full-time UIU students. Students enrolling through PrereqCourses.com are exempt from those syllabus prerequisites.

MATH 120 may not satisfy Calculus. UIU describes MATH 120 as the first of four courses, with a focus on differentiation. USC wants differential and integral calculus, and PharmCAS lists four semester hours while MATH 120 is three credits. Do not treat MATH 120 as a match. Send the course description to pharmadm@usc.edu before you enroll. PrereqCourses does not currently offer a Calculus II or integral-calculus course.

Gaps to plan around. We do not offer integral calculus (Calculus II), upper-division Molecular biology, a standalone Human Physiology course, or calculus-based physics. For Human Physiology, take BIO 270 and BIO 275 together; never BIO 275 alone. Genetics is not a substitute for Molecular biology.

Sample plan. Courses start on the first of every month, so you can stage each science series across back-to-back starts.

Compare with other PharmD programs

If you are building a school list, compare USC with UCSF PharmD prerequisites, UW PharmD prerequisites, University of Michigan PharmD prerequisites, UNC Eshelman PharmD prerequisites, Ohio State PharmD prerequisites, and Purdue PharmD prerequisites. Applying to USC’s PA program instead? See our USC PA prerequisites guide. For a wider view, use pharmacy prerequisites by school.

FAQ

Does USC require the PCAT?

No. The PharmD program does not require the PCAT or the GRE. International applicants should plan for the TOEFL.

Do I need a bachelor’s degree?

Yes. A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) is required before matriculation. You can apply while the degree is in progress if it will be finished before you start.

What GPA do I need for USC PharmD prerequisites?

USC asks for a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA and a 3.0 pre-pharmacy GPA. Below 3.0 may still be considered case by case. The admitted average is about 3.4 for both.

Does USC accept online prerequisites?

Yes, if the course is listed on the Course Equivalencies page and was taken during or after spring 2020. Earlier online courses need admissions committee review. Email a course description link to pharmadm@usc.edu. Upper Iowa University is not on that list as of November 9, 2026, so get USC’s answer before you enroll.

Does a combined A&P course count for Human Physiology?

Only if you finish the entire series. A single combined A&P course is not enough. Take both halves when your school uses a combined sequence.

When is the final deadline?

April 1, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, for the PharmCAS application including letters and official transcripts. The November 2, 2026 priority deadline has passed. February 1, 2027 is the scholarship consideration deadline.

Can I apply with courses in progress?

Yes. Applying with courses in progress is welcome. Conditional acceptance is possible when courses or the degree are not yet posted. Plan to finish by the end of spring term 2027, or request an extension through August 15, 2027.

Next steps

1. Compare your transcript with the eight required areas and note any grade below a C.
2. Check whether each finished course appears on USC’s Course Equivalencies list.
3. Email pharmadm@usc.edu with course description links for anything not listed, including every UIU course you are considering, before you enroll.
4. Line up three recommenders, including one science professor, and draft the two USC essays in PharmCAS.
5. Submit PharmCAS early enough for the 2 to 5 week processing window before April 1, 2027.
6. Finish remaining courses by the end of spring term 2027, or request an extension no later than August 15, 2027.
7. Book a free advisory session if you want help mapping gaps to UIU options after USC confirms them.

Confirm every course with USC Mann admissions before you enroll.