Admission to the program is NOT direct entry from high school.

Prerequisite Courses for Applicants Who Have Studied at Memorial University

Applicants must successfully complete eight (8) specific and two (2) elective Memorial University prerequisite courses (or their equivalent at another institution) by May 1 in the year in whch admission is sought. The following Memorial University courses are required: 

• Biology 1001 and 1002
• Chemistry 1050 and 1051 (St. John’s Campus), or Chemistry 1200 and 1001 (Grenfell Campus)
• Six credit hours in English, three credit hours of which may be replaced by any MUN Critical Reading & Writing (CRW) course 
• Mathematics 1000* (1006) and 1001
• Six credit hours of electives

*MUN Calculus Placement Test (CPT): The alpha grade a student receives on MUN's CPT will be converted to a numeric grade when calculating academic scores. A= 87, B=75, C=65 and D= 55.

A course in which a final grade of Pass was awarded will be deemed as having been successfully completed. 

Prerequisite Courses for Applicants Who Have Completed Studies at Another Institution

Currently, Memorial University calendar section 5.1.3 outlines Pharmacy admissions requirements for courses completed at other academic institutions that do not align with the information below. We are in the process of changing the admissions regulations for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) full-time program outlined in the calendar; thus, for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, we will be waiving the requirement as it is currently outlined in the calendar. Please adhere to the information below.

To meet our pre-requisite requirements, students must have completed the following by May 1 in the year in which admission is sought:

Biology	Chemistry*	Math	English	Electives
• Minimum of 2 terms/semesters of 1st year intro/general biology most commonly required for science programs. • Labs are required. • Anatomy / physiology courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.	• Minimum of 2 terms/semesters of 1st year intro/general chemistry most commonly required for science programs. • Labs are required. • Biochemistry courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. *Chemistry courses will require direct transfer credit for the following Memorial University chemistry courses: • CHEM 1050 OR CHEM 1200 AND • CHEM 1051 OR CHEM 1001	• Minimum of 2 terms/semesters of 1st year calculus. • Linear algebra, statistics and pre-calculus courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.	• Minimum of 2 terms/semesters of University English courses in English composition, literature, communication and/or critical reading and writing. • Typically, courses offered by the English Department at an institution will be acceptable.1 • Courses in general academic writing or ESL2 courses cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.	• Minimum of 2 additional courses in any subject area.

¹ In rare circumstances, courses offered by departments other than English may be used to fulfill the English pre-requisite requirements. These courses should have a primary focus on English composition, literature, communication and/or critical reading and writing. If you are unsure whether the course(s) you have taken will fulfill our pre-requisite English requirements, please contact the Registrar’s Office by emailing pharmregistrar@mun.ca.

² ESL = English as a second language

The table available in the link below lists Biology, Chemistry and Math courses at other Canadian Universities that are typically included in most science programs (life and physical sciences) and represent courses that meet our minimum prerequisite requirements in these subject areas. This list is not comprehensive, but includes institutions from which we commonly receive applications or inquiries. Additionally, the list may include courses that are no longer offered at a given University (i.e. former course numbers/codes).

If your institution is not listed or if your course numbers/codes differ from what is in the table, please email pharmregistrar@mun.ca to see if the courses you’ve completed meet our requirements. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the preadmission courses meet the requirements for admission to the pharmacy program.

Furthermore, if one of the Biology or Chemistry courses listed below does not include a lab (i.e., the corresponding labs are separate courses at your institution), completing the corresponding lab course is necessary to meet our requirements.

Admissions: List of Acceptable Courses for Other Canadian Institutions 2025

Prerequisite Courses for Applicants Who Have Completed Studies at a University Outside of Canada

Applicants who have completed studies at universities outside of Canada must be prepared to submit detailed course outlines to facilitate an assessment of whether completed courses meet our pre-requisite requirements.

For All Applicants

AP and IB Courses

For information on Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, please see the Transfer Credit Chart.

Course Load

Candidates should demonstrate their ability to handle five courses (15 credit hours) per semester in at least one semester. The Admissions Committee may consider factors such as course loads taken throughout university education as well as the number and frequency of repeat course attempts by the candidate in making their recommendations for admission. Please note although it is not a requirement, students are strongly encouraged to take five courses in more than one semester to prepare for the rigor of the pharmacy program.