General Pharmacy Information
Pre-Pharmacy at Cleveland State University
Contact Information

General Pharmacy Information

Pharmacists are an integral part of any healthcare team.  Primarily responsible for distributing the drugs prescribed by physicians, pharmacists must be well-versed in the indications, dosages, side-effects and interactions of medications.  Therefore, a strong foundation in chemistry, biology and physics is essential to the field.

In order to practice as a pharmacist, a license must be obtained.  Pharmacists in all states are required to graduate from an accredited college of pharmacy and pass the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam and/or the Multi-State Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam.  Once licensed, pharmacists have numerous career options.  Retail pharmacy (working in drug stores and grocery store pharmacies) is the most prevalent career path.  However, pharmacists are employed in a number of different capacities such as conducting research for pharmaceutical companies, formulating drugs into tablet, intravenous or other forms, monitoring patient drug therapy progress, working in health care facilities to educate both physicians and patients on drug developments and usage, and serving as faculty members at colleges and universities.  Fueled by the growing population of elderly, increased demand for pharmaceuticals is expected to increase the demand for pharmacists.  The need for pharmacists is especially great in the Northeastern Ohio region. 

Pre-Pharmacy at Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University is a partner university of Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), which offers the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree.  NEOMED intends to admit 75 students to the PharmD program each Fall, with 15 of the 75 seats reserved for qualified Cleveland State students (defined as students who have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours at CSU).  Students must complete all Cleveland State prerequisite courses, either as a Cleveland State course or a transfer course equivalent to the required Cleveland State course.  Because science courses build upon one another, students are encouraged to take all science courses at Cleveland State.

NOTE: The pre-pharmacy program is not a competitive admissions program.   Any student (new freshman, transfer, or post-baccaluareate) who wishes to pursue the pre-pharmacy coursework at Cleveland State and meets the standard CSU admissions requirements is eligible.  However, the program is highly competitive at the PharmD level, when students apply directly to NEOMED.

For New (first-time) Freshmen:

• Entering freshmen who are considering pursuing a career in pharmacy are encouraged to review the section Pursuing Pre-Pharmacy Courses vs. Pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree.  Understanding this distinction and making some preliminary decisions regarding academic plans will assist in the provision of accurate and timely academic advising which takes into account all of a student’s academic goals.  Additional information regarding application to Cleveland State can be found here.

For Transfer Students: Transfer students must arrange to have their official transcripts sent to Cleveland State.  After the transcripts are received and processed by the University Registrar, students will be able to see their official Transfer Credit Evaluation.  This will allow students to easily compare what they have previously taken with what is required by NEOMED.  Additional information regarding application to Cleveland State can be found here.

For Students Who Have Already Earned a Degree:
Students who have already completed a baccalaureate degree, either at Cleveland State or another accredited institution, are considered to be post-baccalaureate students.  For more information about this status and application instructions, please visit Post-Baccalaureate Pre-professional Application.

Contact Information

For additional details regarding the Cleveland State University Pre-Pharmacy Program, please contact:

Corey Piazza
Academic Advisor

College of Sciences and Health Professions Advising Center
2121 Euclid Avenue, MC 218B
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
216.687.9321
coshpadvising@csuohio.edu

For additional details regarding the NEOMED Doctor of Pharmacy Program, please contact:

Northeast Ohio Medical University
Office of Enrollment Services
4209 St. Rt. 44
PO Box 95
Rootstown, OH 44272
800.686.2511
NEOMED Enrollment Services