Pharmacy Agreement with UT College of Pharmacy

Guaranteed Interview Agreement (GIA) with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center – College of Pharmacy

CBU now has a Guaranteed Interview Agreement with UT College of Pharmacy (UTHSC-COP) that makes it possible for CBU students to be accepted into the University of Tennessee Health Science Center – College of Pharmacy after their third year at CBU, and to earn a BS in Natural Science from CBU as they earn their Doctorate in Pharmacy degree, a Pharm.D., from UTHSC-COP.

This GIA allows highly qualified CBU students to sit for an Admissions Interview for UTHSC-COP’s next entering class up to a year earlier than the typical undergraduate student. This may result in acceptance to UTHSC-COP following their junior year, reducing their total undergraduate and professional education by one full year. Students who have successfully completed their junior year at CBU, including all GERs, and who subsequently obtain their pharmacy degree at UTHSC-COP may be awarded the Bachelor of Science in Natural Science degree by CBU.

Terms and Conditions

  1. Students must complete the prerequisite coursework for admission to UTHSC-COP as specified below.
  2. Students must earn no grade below a “C” in any specified prerequisite course.
  3. Students must take the PCAT.
  4. Students meeting the foregoing conditions shall be exempted from initial screening and will be granted an admissions interview for the next entering class.
  5. The foregoing notwithstanding, this agreement provides no assurances of admission for any student applying under this agreement.
  6. UTHSC-COP reserves the sole right to approve courses comprising the applicable GIA prerequisite coursework. The Christian Brothers University Pre-Pharmacy Advisor or other designated individual shall notify the UTHSC-COP Office of Admissions of any desired substitutions or changes to any of the courses comprising the prerequisite coursework.
  7. UTHSC-COP reserves the sole right to modify PCAT criteria; however, the criteria in effect at the time of a student’s enrollment at CBU shall be applicable.

Eligiblily and Process

  1. GIA students are required to apply for admission via PharmCAS and the UTHSC-COP supplemental application. UTHSC-COP works on a rolling admissions cycle. The completed application (which includes all supporting materials) deadline for GIA applicants is February 1.
  2. Students are required to notify the pre-pharmacy advisor at Christian Brothers University of their intent to apply for admission to UTHSC-COP through the GIA program. The pre-professional advisor shall determine the process for doing such and shall be responsible for informing students of said process.
  3. The pre-pharmacy advisor shall be responsible for informing the UTHSC-COP Office of Admissions of applicants meeting the GIA criteria.
  4. Students certified by the pre-pharmacy advisor as meeting GIA criteria will be contacted by the UTHSC-COP Office of Admissions to schedule the interview following receipt of the PharmCAS application and the UTHSC-COP supplemental application.

Required Courses for UTHSC-COP

  • Biology (2 semesters) BIOL 111, 111L, 112, 112L
  • Biochemistry (2 semesters) CHEM 315, 315L, 316
  • General Chemistry (2 semesters) CHEM 113, 113L, 114, 114L
  • Organic Chemistry (2 semesters) CHEM 211, 211L, 212, 212L
  • Human Anatomy & Physiology (2 semesters) BIOL 217, 217L, 218, 218L
  • Microbiology (1 semester) BIOL 321, 321L
  • Calculus (1 semester) MATH 131
  • Statistics (1 semester) MATH 201, PSYC 354, or BIOL 340
  • Written Composition (2 semesters) ENG 111, 112
  • Communications/Speech (1 semester) SPCH 125
  • Humanities Electives (2 semesters) Any courses in ART, ENG, PHIL, HIST, FREN , GERM, RUSS, SPAN
  • Social Science Elective (2 semesters) Any courses in ANTH, ECON, POLS, PSYC,
  • SOC UTHSC-COP requires a total of 90 credit hours at the undergraduate level, including the prerequisites listed above.

Recommended Courses

Courses that will increase the strength of the applicant’s candidacy include:

  • Immunology (BIOL 415, 415L)
  • and Genetics (BIOL 311, 311L)

B.S. in Natural Science from CBU with completion of the pharmacy degree

A student interested in this three year program may pursue any major at CBU as long as the listed courses are included. In addition to the listed required courses, the student should be sure that all the CBU General Education requirements are met and that the eight hour physics requirement is met. If the student is accepted into the program, the professional school courses can be used to satisfy the remaining science and free electives of the Natural Science major. The NSCI 410 requirement can be waived in favor of the professional school courses. The student should work both with the CBU Pre-Health Advisor and with their academic advisor for their major to be sure the student remains on track. If the student is not accepted into the professional school after the third year, the student is encouraged to continue with their preferred major and apply for regular admission during the following year. The first three years of the paradigms for Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Science, and Natural Science can be followed with only minor adjustments based on including all of the required courses listed above.