The Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum prepares students to be leaders in the pharmacy profession and provides them with the tools to effectively practice in a wide variety of currently existing and potential future roles in hospitals, medical centers, community pharmacies, academia, government, and the pharmaceutical industry. It is expected that the emerging fields of pharmacogenomics and bioinformatics will have a profound influence on the future practice of pharmacy. Graduates of the UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are in an excellent position to bring these advances to the patient care setting.
The curriculum is dynamic and under frequent revision. Presently, the four-year Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum is as follows:
Year 1 (P1): Foundations of Pharmacy Practice and Science The first year builds a strong foundation in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences while introducing students to the core principles of pharmacy practice. Coursework emphasizes physiology, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, law, and self-care, alongside early experiential learning and professional development.
Year 2 (P2): Integrated Therapeutics and Applied Learning In the second year, students apply foundational knowledge to patient-centered care through integrated pharmacotherapy and system-based disease management. Coursework deepens clinical reasoning while expanding experiential learning, research skills, and understanding of healthcare systems.
Year 3 (P3): Advanced Clinical Decision-Making The third year focuses on advanced therapeutics, complex disease states, and special populations, strengthening students' clinical judgement and readiness for practice. Students complete advanced coursework, service-learning experiences, and preparation for full-time clinical rotations.
Years 1 through 3 During the first three years of the pharmacy curriculum, students complete Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) rotations in community pharmacy, institutional health-system pharmacy, and health-related service-learning settings. These experiences bridge classroom-based learning with the Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) rotations in the fourth year.
Year 4 (P4): Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences The final year is dedicated to full-time Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) across a range of clinical, community, health-system, and elective settings. These immersive rotations allow students to apply their knowledge in real-world environments and graduate practice-ready.
Research Project
Completion of a research project is required of all students and is a prerequisite for graduation. Students are encouraged to begin considering potential projects as early as their first year, and the project may be completed in any academic year. For students enrolled in the Pharm.D./Ph.D. program, completion of the Ph.D. thesis fulfills this graduation project requirement.