Santa Ana College does offer courses that prepare you to enter a pharmacy school.  While pharmacy school prerequisites vary from school to school, most pharmacy schools require a minimum of 60 semester units (or 90 quarter units) of general education courses, with emphasis on biology and chemistry.  The Academic Counseling Center and University Transfer Center at Santa Ana College can provide information on the courses that articulate with the various pharmacy schools.

Competition for admission to the schools of pharmacy is vigorous.  Most successful applicants have completed a baccalaureate degree (BA or BS) with a high GPA.  Many also have some familiarity with the pharmacy profession through employment as a pharmacy technician or clerk.

Once admitted to pharmacy school, students generally complete four years of academic and clinical coursework to earn a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree.  Some schools of pharmacy offer compressed calendars, which allow students to finish in three years by attending school year-round.

Practicing pharmacists have earned a degree in pharmacy, completed an internship, and have passed the pharmacist licensing exams.  Current requirements for California pharmacist licensure are available from the Board of Pharmacy web site.  

California now has seven schools of pharmacy, all of which offer an entry-level PharmD program:

There are  many other schools of pharmacy in the United States, offering both traditional and nontraditional training programs.

The American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) web site provides information on careers in pharmacy, as well as detailed information for the schools of pharmacy.  Prospective pharmacy students should also research the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) and Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS).