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BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences

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

UC Irvine’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

Degree Pathways

Our undergraduate program offers two degree pathways. Both pathways earn their BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences. The first two years of a students’ undergraduate program are identical for both pathways. The curriculum changes beginning in the junior year. Students will work with their academic advisor to select the path that is best for them prior to their junior year. Review the sample programs for both pathways.

Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Focuses on drug discovery & drug development
  • Answers the question: “How do we create and develop drugs?”
  • Best for students interested in pursuing research, academia, PhD, working in Biotech or Pharma industries
Pharmaceutical Sciences with Medicinal Pharmacology Specialization
  • Focuses on how drugs work in a medical context
  • Answers the question: “How are drugs applied to healthcare and patients?”
  • Best for students interested in pursuing healthcare (Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Optometry, etc.)

Meet our Students

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Research and Internship Opportunities

UC Irvine 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 UC Irvine’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program

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

Our plan meets ALL of UC Irvine’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 UC Irvine 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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