Dual Acceptance Program in Pharmacy
Rockford University and Midwestern University-Chicago College of Pharmacy (CCP) offer a dual acceptance program in pharmacy. Students who complete the program will be granted early acceptance to CCP. The following is a brief outline of the Pre-Pharmacy program requirements. For further details, please contact the Rockford University chief health professions advisor or a member of the admission staff.
Students meeting the following criteria are eligible to apply to the Dual Acceptance Program, through Rockford University, by February 15 of their senior year in high school. Criteria are as follows:
- Must score in the top 20 percent on a college entrance exam (ACT: 25 OR SAT (3 sections): 1700) that includes a writing component score.
- Earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
- Show a people/service orientation through community service or extracurricular activities.
- Show proper motivation for and commitment to the pharmacy profession as demonstrated by previous work, volunteer, or other life experiences.
- Possess the oral and written communication skills necessary to interact with patients and colleagues, as evaluated by group interviews and candidate visits.
Accepted applicants will be ensured a seat at CCP upon successful completion of these program requirements:
- All pharmacy prerequisite courses (outlined below) must be taken at Rockford University and completed within two years. Students who do not meet this requirement can still apply via the traditional procedure.
- An Advanced Placement (AP) score of 4 or above posted on a Rockford University transcript will fulfill the corresponding course requirement.
- A minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 must be achieved at the end of the spring semester of the first and second pre-professional years and at the end of all pre-pharmacy course work at Rockford University.
- Students must earn a grade of “C” or higher in all required courses. A grade of C- or less is not acceptable.
- Students are not permitted to repeat courses for a higher grade.
- Students must submit all required deposit fees according to the schedule in their letters of understanding, which are provided to students at the time of acceptance to the Dual Acceptance Program.
- Students must comply with the requirements outlined in the matriculation agreement and technical standards certification form, which are provided to students in the spring of their second pre-pharmacy year.
- The PCAT and PharmCAS applications are waived for students who successfully complete the program requirements.
Required Dual Acceptance Pharmacy Program Prerequisite Courses
(61 credits)
English Composition*
| RHET 101 | Introduction to Writing and Rhetoric | 3 |
| RHET 102 | Rhetoric and Research Writing | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Speech (public speaking)
| RHET 351 | Applied Rhetoric | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Biology (w/lab)
| BIOL 150 | Principles of Biology | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 4 |
Anatomy
| BIOL 209 | Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 4 |
General Chemistry (w/lab)
| CHEM 105 | General Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM 106 | Inorganic & Analytical Chemistry | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 8 |
Organic Chemistry (w/lab)
Physics
| PHYS 105 | Fundamentals of Physics I | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 4 |
Calculus*
| MATH 230 | Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 4 |
Statistics*
| MATH 223 | Beginning Statistics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Economics
| ECON 101 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| OR | |
| ECON 102 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 3 |
Social/Behavioral Science Electives
Two courses within the areas of psychology, sociology and/or anthropology (6 credits)
General Education Electives
Three courses within the areas of humanities, foreign language, fine arts, business, and computer science. Must be non-science, non-math, non-health care, non-physical education related (8 credits)
Total Credit Hours: 61
*Placement exams are required for English and math courses. Therefore, students may be required to take additional hours if they need to complete prerequisite course work. Summer courses may be required to complete the program within the two-year timeframe.
Other Pre-Professional Programs
Although other pre-professional programs are not exhaustively listed in the catalog, the pre-professional advisors can help a student develop an academic plan to assist in applying the value of a Rockford University liberal arts education to many other professional programs. Please contact a pre-professional advisor for additional information.