Pre-Pharmacy

How to Enroll

Des Moines Area Community College provides the flexibility to complete the pre-requisites for the Doctor of Pharmacy program while earning a two year Liberal Arts Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree.

1. Apply to DMACC.

2. Declare an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science major. Since requirements vary at senior institutions, students should become familiar with the specific course requirements of the four-year institution to which they plan to transfer. See below requirement links.

Why Enroll at DMACC?

DMACC's class sizes are often smaller than those at colleges and universities that offer pre-pharmacy programs, providing a high level of support while building the foundation for your academic and professional careers.

The health care field includes a wide range of opportunities for people who are interested in becoming a pharmacist including opportunities in academia, retail, health-systems and pharmaceutical industry. Two links are provided below for the colleges of pharmacy in Iowa and their pre-pharmacy requirements. The necessary coursework may change so double check with the pharmacy school's admissions office to determine the most up to date entrance requirements.

Tony Guerra, Pharm.D.

Tony Guerra, Pharm.D.

Program Chair; Professor
Ankeny Campus
Building 24, Room 304
515-965-7192

Dr. Guerra teaches several Pharmacy and Pharmacology courses.

Guerra earned an AS degree from DMACC in 2010.

“As a student, I was amazed by the opportunities at DMACC,” said Dr. Guerra. “I met famous authors and nationally known innovators and CEOs that were brought in for DMACC events. Also, many of my instructors had obtained the highest degree possible in their field. I enjoyed the accessibility of those experts because of the small class sizes.”

Dr. Guerra also earned an AA from the University of Florida, a BA in English from Iowa State University and a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Maryland.

Dr. Guerra is known for helping students. When a student needed to take a pharmacology class in the summer, and none was offered Dr. Guerra worked with DMACC Honors Program faculty to guide the student through a pharmacology independent study.

He also noticed that pronouncing and learning medication names is a big challenge for students. To help students, he wrote “Drug Names Decoded,” published in 2012. When he noticed a lack of resources to help pre-pharmacy students choose courses, he wrote another book, “Prepharmacy: Getting into Pharmacy School without Drowning in Debt” in 2013.

H​is book, “Memorizing Pharmacology: A Relaxed Approach” went to #2 in Audible Audiobooks Medicine and #10 in Audible Audiobooks Science nationally in 2017.

“We are seeing more students make DMACC their first choice because of the affordability and quality,” said Dr. Guerra. “It's freedom of career exploration, minus the financial worry.”

Dr. Guerra says his bucket list includes a trip to Ireland with his wife and seeing his triplet daughters graduate from college.