The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) is a professional degree leading to pharmacist careers in inpatient and outpatient health care settings, managed care, community pharmacies, academia, research, or government.

The UCI Pharm.D. is a four-year program that will prepare graduates to be practice-ready pharmacists who are problem solvers, independent lifelong learners, team players, and leaders who will drive transformative changes in the healthcare system. The curriculum will be taught by faculty from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice and delivered using innovative instructional methods and applying evidenced based practices. 

For admission, a bachelor’s degree is required; students must demonstrate readiness to enter the Pharm.D. by providing evidence of satisfactory completion of required courses in general biology, biochemistry, human physiology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, statistics, English/writing, macro- or micro-economics, communication/public speaking, and psychology with a preferred cumulative GPA of 3.0. Applicants must meet general requirements of the UCI Graduate Division. Applicants must submit applications via the Pharmacy College Application Service (PHARMCAS) http://www.pharmcas.org/ and the UCI Graduate Division Application https://apply.grad.uci.edu/apply. 

Additional information on PharmD Admissions, including recruitment events, can be found on the program web site: https://pharmsci.uci.edu/pharm-d/ 

The program of study emphasizes preventive and integrative health care, using innovative and evidence-based instructional methods. The curriculum includes didactic and experiential content areas that span across four categories of sciences: biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, social/administrative/behavioral sciences, and clinical sciences. Students complete internships and practicum training throughout the program.

Beyond the required coursework, pharmacy students are required to participate in co-curricular activities such as community service, societies/clubs, and/or student chapters of professional organizations. Students are formally evaluated on these activities, which must be approved in advance by a faculty advisor or committee and have supervision.

Additionally, students are required to complete self-directed learning throughout the program, i.e., students follow their interests, or as part of a guided course experience, to develop independent learning opportunities. Examples include group activities such as a journal club, or faculty-guided activities such as a research project.

There is a formal cumulative assessment at the end of each year. At the end of year four, the Doctor of Pharmacy epilogue PHMD 290 is the final course, which represents a cumulative assessment of the entire program.

Normative time to complete the requirements of the Pharm.D. degree is four years. Students enter and work through the program as a cohort. Those on approved leave of absence are expected to return at the same level and must continue making normal progress upon their return. Maximum time to degree is six years.

Course Requirements

A. Complete:
PHMD 200A	Interprofessional Clinical Foundations I
PHMD 200B	Interprofessional Clinical Foundations II
PHMD 200C	Interprofessional Clinical Foundations III
PHMD 200D	Interprofessional Clinical Foundations IV
PHMD 201A	Principles of Pharmacy Practice I
PHMD 201B	Principles of Pharmacy Practice II
PHMD 201C	Principles of Pharmacy Practice III
PHMD 202A	Self Care I: Conventional and Complementary
PHMD 202B	Self Care II: Conventional and Complementary
PHMD 202C	Self Care III: Conventional and Complementary
PHMD 203A	Pharmacotherapy Principles to Practice I: Cardiology and Respiratory
PHMD 203B	Pharmacotherapy Principles to Practice II: Gastrointestinal and Nutrition
PHMD 203C	Pharmacotherapy - Principles to Practice III: Renal and Immunology
PHMD 203D	Pharmacotherapy - Principles to Practice IV: Endocrine System
PHMD 203E	Pharmacotherapy - Principles to Practice V: Infectious Disease
PHMD 203F	Pharmacotherapy - Principles to Practice VI: Central Nervous System
PHMD 203G	Pharmacotherapy - Principles to Practice VII: Hematology and Oncologic Disorders
PHMD 203H	Pharmacotherapy - Principles to Practice VIII: Special Populations and Special Topics
PHMD 204A	Information Analytics and Numeracy I: Biostatistics
PHMD 204B	Information Analytics and Numeracy II: Drug Information, Research Methods, and Literature Analysis
PHMD 204C	Information Analytics and Numeracy III: Epidemiology
PHMD 205A	Molecular Basis of Health and Disease I: Microbiology and Immunology
PHMD 205B	Molecular Basis of Health and Disease II: Microbiology and Immunology
PHMD 205C	Molecular Basis of Health and Disease III: Clinical Chemistry
PHMD 210	Principles of Pharmacology
PHMD 211	Principles of Public Health
PHMD 212	Principles of Pharmacogenomics
PHMD 213	Pharmaceutical Biochemistry
PHMD 214	Pharmacy Law and Ethics
PHMD 215	Health Policy and Pharmacoeconomics
PHMD 216	Clinical Toxicology
PHMD 220	Medical Physiology with Anatomic Correlates
PHMD 274A	Pharmaceutics I
PHMD 274B	Pharmaceutics II
PHMD 274C	Pharmaceutics III 1
PHMD 277A	Medicinal Chemistry I 1
PHMD 277B	Medicinal Chemistry II
PHMD 280A	Scholarly Project I
PHMD 280B	Scholarly Project II
PHMD 290	Doctor of Pharmacy Epilogue
PHMD 400	Independent Licensure Exam Preparation
PHMD 401	Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE): Community
PHMD 402	Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE): Institutional Health System
PHMD 403	Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE): Integrative Health
PHMD 410	Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE): Ambulatory Care
PHMD 411	Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE): Community
PHMD 412	Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE): Institutional Health System
PHMD 414	Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE): Medicine
B. Select two of the following:
PHMD 404	Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE): Elective
PHMD 413	Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE): Integrative Health
PHMD 415	Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE): Psychiatry Elective
PHMD 416	Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE)
C. Didactic Electives. Select at least 6 units from the following:
PHMD 230	Cannabis Pharmacology and Therapeutics
PHMD 231	Anti-Aging Pharmacology
PHMD 232	Pharmacotherapy Principle to Practice: Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
PHMD 240	Mental Health, Medications, and the Media
PHMD 241	Travel Health
PHMD 242	Advanced Cardiology Pharmacotherapy
PHMD 250A	Managed Care Pharmacy I
PHMD 260	Leadership and Management
PHMD 261	Health Coaching and Wellness for Pharmacists
PHMD 262	Overcoming Healthcare Disparities in Pharmacy Practice
PHMD 281	Clinical Trial Design

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Students who completed PHRMSCI 174 and PHRMSCI 174L and/or PHRMSCI 177 as undergraduate students at UCI may waive PHMD 274C and/or PHMD 277A (respectively) if completed within 5 years prior and a grade of B or better was received. Students who completed similar courses on campuses other than UCI may not waive these courses. Eligible students must obtain formal approval for the waiver by the Associate Dean of Pharmacy Education and must replace the units with equal or greater elective course units.