Quick Overview of 4-Year Curriculum | Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Curriculum Overview

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) curriculum is organized by year and term and integrates didactic, experiential, and co‑curricular components. The schedule below reflects the most current plan as of February 2026.

Curriculum Details by Year & Term

First Year

Curriculum at a Glance for First Year Students
Term	Block / Experience	Topics / Courses
This table lists First‑Year curricular blocks (Orientation, IPPE, APPE, etc.) for Fall, Winter, and Spring terms.
Week 0	First‑Year Orientation
Fall	Clinical & Biomedical Sciences: Didactic	Pharmacy Practice
	Foundational Sciences	Study Design & Biostatistics, Law & Ethics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
	Electives
Winter	Clinical & Biomedical Sciences: Didactic	Pharmacy Practice
	Foundational Sciences	Health Policy, Study Design & Biostatistics, Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry
	Electives
Spring	Clinical & Biomedical Sciences: Didactic	Pharmacy Practice
	Foundational Sciences	Anatomy, Informatics, Pharmaceutics
	Electives
Fall - Spring	Scientific Discovery Project
	Clinical Sciences: Experiential	Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE)
	Co-Curriculum	Leadership, Innovation/Entrepreneurship, Professionalism, Self‑Awareness, Student Engagement

Second Year

Curriculum at a Glance for Second Year Students
Term	Block / Experience	Topics / Courses
This table lists Second‑Year curricular blocks for Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring terms.
Summer	Clinical Sciences: Experiential	IPPE: Community
Summer	Optional Exploratory Pursuits
Fall	Interprofessional Biomedical Sciences	Cardiology Pulmunology Gastro-Intestinal & Nutrition Team-Based Learning
	Foundational Sciences	Pharmacology & Physiology
	Electives
Winter	Interprofessional Biomedical Sciences	Renal Team-Based Learning
	Foundational Sciences	Laboratory Medicine Pharmacology & Physiology
	Electives
Spring	Interprofessional Biomedical Sciences	Endocrinology, Reproduction, & Metabolism Immunology & Hematology Microbiology Team-Based Learning
	Foundational Sciences	Pharmacology & Physiology
	Electives
Fall - Spring	Scientific Discovery Project
	Clinical Sciences: Experiential	Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE)
	Co-Curriculum	Leadership, Innovation/Entrepreneurship, Professionalism, Self‑Awareness, Student Engagement

Third Year

Curriculum at a Glance for Third Year Students
Term	Block / Experience	Topics / Courses
This table lists Third‑Year curricular blocks for Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring terms.
Summer	Clinical Sciences: Experiential	IPPE: Institutional
Summer	Optional Exploratory Pursuits	Summer Research Program, Fellowships, Internships, Career Exploration
Fall	Clinical & Biomedical Sciences: Didactic	Therapeutics, Advanced Professional Practice
	Foundational Sciences	Pharmacogenomics
	Electives
Winter	Clinical & Biomedical Sciences: Didactic	Therapeutics, Contemporary Topics in Pharmacology
Winter	Electives
Spring	Clinical & Biomedical Sciences: Didactic	Therapeutics, Contemporary Topics in Pharmacology, Advanced Professional Practice
	Foundational Sciences	Pharmacoeconomics
	Electives
	Comprehensive Exam
Fall - Spring	Scientific Discovery Project
	Clinical Sciences: Experiential	Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE)
	Co-Curriculum	Leadership, Innovation/Entrepreneurship, Professionalism, Self‑Awareness, Student Engagement

Fourth Year

Curriculum at a Glance for Fourth Year Students
Term	Block / Experience	Topics / Courses
This table lists Fourth‑Year curricular blocks for Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring terms.
Summer - Spring	Scientific Discovery Project
Summer - Spring	Clinical Sciences: Experiential	APPE (Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences) Students complete 2 electives and 5 core APPE rotations: Community Health Systems Acute Care Ambulatory Care Either Acute or Ambulatory Care (additional)
Spring	Dissemination
Spring	Co‑curriculum, presentation of research

Legend:

Clinical & Biomedical Sciences: Didactic

Clinical Sciences: Experiential

Co-Curriculum

Comprehensive Exam

Electives

Foundational Sciences

Interprofessional Biomedical Sciences

Optional Exploratory Pursuits

Orientation

Scientific Discovery Project

Notes:

Updated: February 2026. The curriculum is continuously being improved and is subject to change.