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.

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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 healthcare 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. 

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PRE-PHARMACY AT CSU

Cleveland State University is a partner university of both Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), which offers the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. 

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ABOUT LECOM

The Cleveland State University Partnership with LECOM is for students seeking early entry into their Three Year Accelerated Pharmacy Program. The Early Acceptance Program (EAP) allows qualified students to be given a provisional letter of acceptance; i.e. a reserved seat, to a student based on completion of a successful interview. Applicants must be US Citizens or legal permanent residents. Students can apply as early as their senior year of high school and up until the start of their third year a Cleveland State. Once admitted, you must be officially enrolled in the EAP for two consecutive years prior to matriculating to LECOM. Students can choose to complete the minimum prerequisites (roughly two years at CSU) or a bachelor's degree. In either situation, once the EAP is granted, the student holds the seat until they are ready and qualified to begin at LECOM. 

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To enter LECOM, students must have completed the prerequisite coursework as an uninterrupted full-time student, have a cumulative Science GPA of 3.2 or higher and an overall GPA of 3.4 or higher. 

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AP Credits are considered as long as the student earned a 4 or 5 on the exam (for prerequisite courses). 

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Please review the Academic Coursework Link below for information about prerequisite courses.

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ABOUT NEOMED

NEOMED intends to admit 75 students to the PharmD program each Fall, with up to 15 of the 75 seats reserved for qualified Cleveland State students (defined as students who have completed a minimum of 25 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.

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NOTE: The pre-pharmacy program is not a competitive admissions program. Any student (new freshman, transfer, or post-baccalaureate) 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.

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For New (first-time) Freshmen:

Entering freshmen who are considering pursuing a career in pharmacy are encouraged to review the College of Arts & Sciences website to understand and make preliminary decisions regarding academic plans; this 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.

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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.

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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.

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NEOMED Contact Information

Northeast Ohio Medical University

Office of Enrollment Services

4209 St. Rt. 44

PO Box 95

Rootstown, OH 44272

800.686.2511

NEOMED Enrollment Services

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Please see additional Pharmacy pages for additional information: 

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