Admissions: Requirements

Coursework Requirements

Pre-Requisite Coursework for Admission to the Doctor of Pharmacy Program

It is strongly recommended that students have four years of undergraduate study and complete the requirements for the bachelor's degree (B.S. or B.A.) prior to entering the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Applicants who have not earned a degree or who will not have earned one prior to the start of classes in the Fall, will only be considered if they have exceptional academic performance and evidence of outstanding leadership potential. Students currently enrolled in a community college should consider transfer to a four year college or university to complete the requirements for the Bachelor's Degree prior to application to the School.

No specific undergraduate major is recommended or required, but all applicants must have completed the following minimum pre-requisite coursework at an accredited college or university in the United States. Students who have attended a foreign school must have completed at least one year of study at a four-year college or university in the United States prior to application. Entrance examinations such as the P.C.A.T or G.R.E. are not required.

A solid understanding of the fundamental sciences is essential for the study of the pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences, and applicants are required to have successfully completed with a grade of C or better the following minimum pre-requisite coursework:

  1. One year (12 quarter or 8 semester units) of biology with laboratory - must include cell and molecular biology and the study of the biology of whole animals or humans. Courses in botany and biochemistry are not acceptable to meet this requirement.
  2. One year (12 quarter or 8 semester units) of general chemistry with laboratory.
  3. One year (12 quarter or 8 semester units) of organic chemistry with laboratory.
  4. 8 quarter or 6 semester units of physics with at least one laboratory that includes the study of electricity and magnetism.
  5. 8 quarter or 6 semester units of calculus with analytical geometry.
  6. 8 quarter or 6 semester units of English with a writing component. English as a Second Language courses are not acceptable to meet this requirement.
  7. One course (4 quarter or 3 semester units) in Macro or Micro Economics.
  8. One course (4 quarter or 3 semester units) in Public Speaking and/or Debate.
  9. One course (4 quarter or 3 semester units) in Human Behavior - may include a course in psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology or related course.
  10. 18 quarter or 12 semester units of elective coursework in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Technical, mathematics, computer and science courses are not acceptable elective courses to meet this requirement.

It is also strongly recommended that students take upper division courses in biochemistry, physiology and cellular and molecular biology. These courses will better prepare students for the rigorous curriculum provided at UCSD.

If multiple courses are offered in the same subject area, the courses taken should be the most academically demanding courses available at the college or university attended.

Introductory science courses for non-science majors are not acceptable.

The ability to express oneself clearly in both oral and written English is essential.

Proficiency in a foreign language, such as Spanish, is considered highly desirable.

To obtain a list of courses at your college or university that fulfill the pre-requisites listed above, go to the Assist website at http://www.assist.org/. Assist is a service of the UC Office of The President that provides course transfer information. Click on "Start Assist". Select the school or university where you are currently enrolled or expect to enroll to meet pre-requisites. Then select UCSF School of Pharmacy and then Pharm.D. as the major. The UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences requires the same pre-requisite courses as the UCSF School of Pharmacy except we do not require a course in Mammalian Physiology. Please use this procedure until such time as we have the UCSD requirements listed in the Assist system.

Policy on Time Limit for Pre-requisite Coursework

The policy of the School is that students who have taken pre-requisite coursework more than 10 years prior to the time of application must repeat that coursework. Some exceptions to this policy may be provided for coursework whose content is not time sensitive. Examples of such coursework are English literature, public speaking and other non-science courses. Exceptions will only be granted by the Admissions Office upon review of the applicant’s academic history.

For science courses that are at the foundation of the pre-requisite requirements, such as Organic Chemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, courses taken more than 5 years prior to the time of application should be repeated. Exceptions to this policy will only be granted under unusual circumstances. An example of a situation where an exception may be granted is when an applicant has been working in an environment that allowed the applicant to remain up-to-date on the subject.

The following is a profile of the applicants to the Classes of 2009-2011. This information should be used by potential applicants to determine if they will be competitive in the applicant pool.

Class Profiles

Profile of Applicants Interviewed for the Class of 2011


Description of Criteria

Number

Number of applications received

1278

Number of applicants invited to interview for the class of 30 students

225

Average overall grade point average (GPA)

3.66

Number of individuals holding or planning to receive a B.A., B.S., or Masters Degree at the time of interview or prior to matriculation

225 (100%)

Profile of Applicants Interviewed for the Class of 2010


Description of Criteria

Number

Number of applications received

1078

Number of applicants invited to interview for the class of 60 students

226

Average overall grade point average (GPA)

3.67

Number of individuals holding or planning to receive a B.A., B.S., or Masters Degree at the time of interview or prior to matriculation

226 (100%)

Profile of Applicants Interviewed for the Class of 2009


Description of Criteria

Number

Number of applications received

1058

Number of applicants invited to interview for the class of 60 students

229

Average overall grade point average (GPA)

3.67

Number of individuals holding or planning to receive a B.A., B.S., or Masters Degree at the time of interview or prior to matriculation

229 (100%)

Other Considerations:

All of the applicants interviewed demonstrated evidence of leadership, maturity, and participation in extracurricular and personal activities in school organizations, community service, and/or other outside interests.

All applicants interviewed demonstrated strong written English skills in their personal statement and essay.

All applicants interviewed demonstrated knowledge and/or experience in a healthcare field in their applications. This experience took a variety of forms and was in many varied locations. If they did not have volunteer or work experience specifically in pharmacy, they demonstrated that they had adequately explored the profession of pharmacy and had made a knowledgeable decision based on that exploration.

Note: This information is for the sole purpose of providing guidance for prospective students as a "general profile" of the applicants interviewed for admission. This information may vary from year to year and should not be viewed as admissions requirements for the UCSD School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Residency Requirements

The laws governing the establishment of California residence for tuition purposes provide that residence can be established by adult citizens and by certain classes of adult aliens. Students seeking to be classified residents for tuition purposes upon admission must be able to provide evidence of having established residence in California for more than one year immediately preceding the residence determination date of the term for which such classification is sought, and must have relinquished any prior residence. PHYSICAL PRESENCE WITHIN THE STATE SOLELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CALIFORNIA RESIDENCE FOR TUITION PURPOSES REGARDLESS OF THE LENGTH OF STAY IN CALIFORNIA. Financial independence will be included among the factors considered for students classified as nonresidents seeking reclassification as residents.

The applicant is cautioned that this summation is not a complete explanation of the law regarding residence.

Any student classified as a resident of California for tuition purposes who becomes a nonresident must inform the residence deputy at once. Application for a change in classification with respect to a previous quarter will not be received under any circumstances.

Inquiries regarding residence requirements, determination, and/or recognized exceptions should be directed to the UCSD Residence Deputy, Office of the Registrar, 9500 Gilman Dr. Dept 0021R, La Jolla, CA 92093-0021. No other University personnel are authorized to supply information relative to residence requirements for tuition purposes.
E-mail: ddeangelis@ucsd.edu . Web site: http://registrar.ucsd.edu.

Health Requirements

Each new student (or student re-entering after an absence of two or more consecutive quarters) is required to submit a completed Health History Form together with the results of a recent complete physical examination performed by the student's personal physician. A tuberculosis skin test is required within three months prior to enrollment. If entering students know from past experience that they have a positive tuberculin skin test, the report of a recent chest X-ray must be submitted. Students must also provide evidence of immunity from measles (Rubeola), mumps, rubella (German measles) and varicella (chicken pox). This evidence may take the form of documentation of immunization or laboratory confirmation of immunity. Students must have received at least 2 of 3 doses of hepatitis B vaccine prior to registration. The third dose in the series must be received prior to registration for the Winter quarter. The appropriate forms to be completed will be sent to students upon acceptance into the School.

Computer Literacy Requirement

All students are expected to have basic computer skills, specifically proficiency in personal computer operating systems, the ability to access online databases and resources on various computer networks and on the Internet and World Wide Web, and the ability to produce professional documents utilizing data that has been accessed and manipulated from a wide range of resources. All students enrolled in the program will be required to have a personal notebook (laptop) computer with wireless networking capability and software that meets a minimum set of specifications that will be provided prior to the beginning of the school year.

CPR Certification Requirement

All new students are required to become CPR certified before entrance to school in the fall quarter. The CPR for Health Care Professionals is recommended. However, any adult CPR course that is approved by the American Heart Association or American Red Cross will be accepted.

Technical Standards for Admission Requirement

The faculty of the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have established Technical Standards for Admission and Completion of the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree. Applicants should review these technical standards to assure that they can achieve them. Students with disabilities will be accommodated with reasonable accommodations. Students who are accepted into the School will be provided with a copy of the standards and will be asked to verify that they can meet the standards with reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. A copy of the Technical Standards can be found at http://pharmacy.ucsd.edu/tech.pdf in Adobe pdf format.