School of Pharmacy

Pre-Pharmacology/
Toxicology Program

Calculus Admission Requirement
Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirement
Non-Major Curriculum Graduation Requirements
Admission to the B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology Program
B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology Electives in the Major
B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduation Requirements
B.S.-Pharmacology/Toxicology Course Requirements
B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology Major Curriculum

The pre-pharmacology/toxicology program consists of two years of study, which can be completed at most accredited colleges. In Wisconsin, pre-School of Pharmacy advisors are located at both public and private colleges. These advisors are listed on the School of Pharmacy Web site, as is information about the specific courses at many colleges and universities that fulfill the pre-pharmacology/toxicology course requirements. Questions about the transferability of courses from any college or university to the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy can be addressed to the School of Pharmacy Admissions Office or the pre-School of Pharmacy advisor. At UW-Madison, pre-pharmacology/toxicology students usually enroll in the College of Letters and Science, but their advisor is in the School of Pharmacy. It is important to plan a sound program and stay up-to-date with admission requirements and any program changes; students should stay in contact with their advisor.

The admission application for pre-pharmacology/toxicology freshmen and transfers is available from the UW-Madison Office of (Undergraduate) Admissions.

Calculus Admission Requirement

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A good grasp of the fundamentals of differential and integral calculus is essential for success in the B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology program. The pre-School of Pharmacy calculus requirement is a content-based requirement (a list of required calculus topics). The calculus topics required for admission to the School of Pharmacy are:

• Functions and graphing
• Limits, including limits at infinity, infinite limits, and l'Hospital's rule.
• Derivatives of first and higher order, differentiation formulas, rates of change, the chain rule and implicit differentiation, related rates and differentials, Newton's method.
• Inverse functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, and applications of these functions.
• Geometric implications of first and second derivatives, and applications to finding extrema.
• Antiderivatives, summation and the definite integral, the Fundamental Theorum of Calculus, and substitution in integration.
• Applications of integration to finding area, volume, and average values.

To meet the School of Pharmacy calculus admission requirement, the following must be accomplished:

1. Completion of the first semester (4-5 credits) of a calculus sequence for math/science majors. A brief survey of calculus or calculus for business or social science majors does not fulfill this requirement.
   AND
2. Competence in the calculus topics listed above. Competence in these topics is critical to success in the School of Pharmacy. Faculty expect that students have a good grasp of all of the topics and conduct their classes accordingly; faculty do not review calculus in class. In the past, students whose calculus background did not include mastery of these topics have encountered academic difficulty early in their School of Pharmacy studies.

It is the responsibility of pre-School of Pharmacy students to compare the content of their calculus course work with the above list of topics, and, if that content does not include all of the required topics, to take the steps necessary to make sure that they are competent in the required topics. This may be accomplished by any of these means:

1. A second semester of calculus at an accredited college/university. OR
2. One or more modules of Mathematics 221, offered through the mail by correspondence (Independent Learning) by the University of Wisconsin Extension. These calculus modules will be offered for "continuing education credit," not "college transfer credit." OR
3. Independent study with a calculus professor at an accredited college/university. OR
4. Another arrangement, as appropriate.

Students do not need to submit documentation showing that any needed calculus topics beyond those in the completed first-semester calculus course have been covered. However, students are reminded that competence in all of the required calculus topics is essential for success in the School of Pharmacy.

Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirement

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The B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology degree requires the completion of 3 credits of ethnic studies course work. Students who fulfill the ethnic studies graduation requirement at UW-Madison or at schools outside the UW System must do so by selecting a course, or a course equivalent to one, approved by UW-Madison; students who fulfill the requirement at other UW System schools may do so by selecting course work that is designated on the transcript from the campus of attendance as fulfilling its ethnic studies/diversity requirement.

Ethnic studies course work, in addition to fulfilling the ethnic studies graduation requirement, may fulfill or count toward any one of certain other B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology admission or graduation requirements, if the course work qualifies as such. Students preparing for the School of Pharmacy may wish to incorporate ethnic studies course work into their preparatory course work, if there is time or space. Courses at UW-Madison that count as ethnic studies are so marked in the Schedule of Classes (Timetable). Guidance in the selection of a course to fulfill this requirement is available from the UW-Madison pre-School of Pharmacy advisor or the School of Pharmacy Admissions Office.

Non-Major Curriculum Graduation Requirements

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For graduation with the B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology degree, students must complete the UW-Madison Communication "B" requirement, 6 credits of humanities electives, and 3 credits of ethnic studies. Guidance in the selection of courses to fulfill these requirements is available from the UW-Madison pre-School of Pharmacy advisor or the School of Pharmacy Admissions Office.

Admission to the B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology Program

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See School of Pharmacy Admission Policies and Procedures.

B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology Electives in the Major

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Students must complete at least 6 elective credits in the pharmacology/toxicology major, in addition to at least 2 credits of independent laboratory research. Elective courses are available in many departments, both in the School of Pharmacy and elsewhere on campus. Students will select electives in consultation with their advisor.

B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology Graduation Requirements

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1. Completion of a minimum of 120 degree credits.

2. Completion of pre-pharmacology/toxicology course requirements.*

3. Completion of courses required in the pharmacology & toxicology major curriculum, including 6 credits of electives in the major plus 2 credits of independent laboratory research.

4. Completion of non-major curriculum graduation course requirements.*

5. Fulfillment of the grade point average requirements as stated in the School of Pharmacy academic policies.

6. Enrollment at UW-Madison for a minimum of 30 credits, with a cumulative GPA of 2.0. The last 30 credits for the degree must be completed while enrolled in the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy.

*Any course that meets any B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology course requirement must be taken for a letter grade, unless the course is, by definition, a credit/no credit course. No course that meets any B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology course requirement may be taken pass/fail. "Any course requirement" means (1) any pre-pharmacology/toxicology course requirement, (2) any B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology major curriculum course requirement, (3) any B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology non-major curriculum graduation course requirement, and (4) the B.S.-Pharmacology & Toxicology electives in the major requirement.