University of California, San Diego

ID10
NameUniversity of California, San Diego
CityLa Jolla
StateCalifornia
ContactOffice of Student Affairs and Admissions Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA 92093-0657 858-822-4900 http://pharmacy.ucsd.edu
Pharmacy School NameSkaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Accreditation StatusFull
Institution TypePublic
Main CampusLa Jolla, CA
Branch CampusesNone
CurriculumThe Pharm.D. curriculum at the University
of California San Diego is unique among
current schools of pharmacy. The curriculum
is a four-year course of study that is closely
integrated with the curriculum in the School
of Medicine. The curriculum is designed to
prepare graduates for a challenging career in Pharmacy over an anticipated professional
career spanning 30 to 40 years.
The curriculum prepares students to be
leaders in the profession of pharmacy and
provides the tools to effectively practice in a
variety of existing and potential professional
roles. In the first year, students are enrolled in
courses in the basic biological and chemical
sciences and receive an intensive introduction
to the practice of pharmacy. Students gain
their first exposure to patient care by working
alongside medical students in UCSD sponsored,
student-run, free medical clinics and
through introductory practice experiences in
community and hospital pharmacy. Essential
to the ability to self-educate oneself, as the
profession undergoes tremendous change in
the future, is a strong understanding of the basic
biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.
In the second year, pharmacy and medical
students are concurrently enrolled in courses
that serve as a foundation for understanding
disease and disease management. In this
unique environment, pharmacy and medical
students study the basic biomedical sciences.
Courses, specific to the needs of pharmacy
students, such as additional coursework in
pharmacology, drug study design, and pharmacy
practice are also provided.
The third year focuses the information
learned in the previous years to the clinical
management and care of patients.
The fourth year is devoted entirely to advanced
pharmacy practice experiences. The
experiential portion of the curriculum is
closely supervised by the faculty and takes
place in university hospitals and clinics and
affiliated sites in the San Diego region. Both
classroom elective courses as well as advanced
practice experience electives provide flexibility
for the student to explore the many facets
of the profession and provide an opportunity
for the curriculum to meet a particular student’s
educational goals and objectives.
Additional RequirementsAll students are enrolled in the full-time,
four-year professional program leading to
the Doctor of Pharmacy degree. No students
in advanced standing, transfer students from
other schools of pharmacy or part-time students
are accepted. All students enter at the
first year level.
Applications for admission are only accepted
through PharmCAS. In addition to
the PharmCAS application, students must
complete an on-line supplemental application
that can be found on the school web
site and submit a supplemental application
fee. To be considered for admission, students
must complete a set of required pre-requisite
courses with a strong grade point average.
Other factors considered include demonstrated
leadership activities, verbal and
written communication skills, knowledge
of the profession and research or pharmacy
experience. Since the school opened, more
than 99% of admitted students have entered
with at least a B.S. or B.A. degree. Although
the majority of applicants are California
residents, students with superior academic
and leadership ability from other states are
encouraged to apply.
Prerequisite CoursesGeneral Chemistry with Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . . .12
Biology with Lab (must include cell and molecular biology
and the study of the biology of whole animals or humans;
courses in botany and biochemistry). . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . . .12
Organic Chemistry with Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . . .12
Physics (with at least one lab that includes the study of
electricity and magnetism). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . . . 8
Calculus with analytical geometry.. . . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . . . 8
English with a writing component (English as a Second
Language courses are not acceptable to meet this
requirement).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . . . 8
Human Behavior (may include a course in psychology, sociology,
cultural anthropology or related course) .3. . . . . . . . . 4
Macro or Micro Economics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . . . 4
Public Speaking and/or Debate. . . . . . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . . . 4
Elective coursework in the Humanities and Social
Sciences (technical, mathematics, computer and science
courses are not acceptable elective courses to meet this
requirement). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12. . . . . . . .18
Enter Class StatNumber interviewed: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280 Number accepted: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 Estimated entering class size: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Estimated male (%): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18% Estimated female (%): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82% Estimated out-of-state (%): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6%
Application Process RequirementsParticipates in PharmCAS: Yes
Deadline for receipt of applications: November 1
Supplemental application required: Yes
Supplemental application fee: $60
Expected GPA: 3.4
Minimum overall GPA considered: 3.0
Minimum prerequisite GPA considered: 3.0
PCAT required: No
Minimum PCAT scores considered: Not applicable
Oldest PCAT scores considered: Not applicable
Interview required: Yes