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BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences

BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Established in 2006, our undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences is the first of its kind in the UC system.

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About

UCI’s undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences integrates concepts from biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, pharmacology, and physiology while preparing graduates for careers in the health sciences and the pharmaceutical industry.

Graduates emerge from the program with knowledge of:
  • the development, characterization, and delivery of drugs
  • physical, organic, and medicinal chemistry
  • biology
  • engineering
  • pharmacology and toxicology
  • healthcare
  • drug interactions in the human body
  • cost effectiveness of medicines
  • ethics and access
  • compliance
  • clinical care/patient care
Future opportunities for BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences graduates:
  • Advanced scientific degrees (PhD, PharmD, MSP, MD)
  • Careers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries
  • Healthcare (pharmacist, physician, dentist, physician’s associate, etc.)
  • Pharmaceutical administration and sales
  • Government regulatory positions

Meet our Students

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Research and Internship Opportunities

UCI is an R1 Research University! Undergraduate students in the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences have extensive research opportunities, including working in faculty members’ labs, writing journal articles and getting published, presenting at conferences, and participating in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)!

Research interests that our students are able to explore include synthetic biology, RNA and disease, medicinal chemistry, molecular evolution, therapeutics for childhood cancer, bioengineered tools for drug delivery, and anti-aging and health.

We offer a summer internship that allows students to experience pharmacy in the hospital setting! During this 10-week program that is exclusive to PharmSci majors, interns shadow pharmacists at the UCI Medical Center in Orange, CA.

Three-Year Plan: Fast Track to UCI’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program

Want to graduate in three years? Have your plans set on UCI’s PharmD program?

Our plan meets ALL of UCI’s PharmD prerequisites in three years.

    • Summer classes required

    • AP/IB and Comm College Credit satisfy many UCI requirements

    • Two senior year courses may count towards the first year of UCI’s PharmD program with grades of B or better

    • Benefits: One less year of tuition and housing; start grad school or your career one year earlier than you would “traditionally”

First-Generation Students

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of all enrolled undergraduates in the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences are first-generation students. The BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program offers a catalyst program for first-generation, low-income freshman students.

 

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