A unique degree program for pre-pharmacy education: An undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Within the coming decade, the demand for well-trained pharmacists is expected to only increase, especially with the aging of the United States (US) population.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: To help fill this growing demand, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) aims to offer a unique pre-pharmacy degree program and has developed a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences to help achieve this goal. In this commentary, we share our experience with our curriculum and highlight its features in an effort to encourage other institutions to enhance the learning experience of their pre-pharmacy students.

FINDINGS: The efforts of the UCI Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences has resulted in UCI being consistently ranked as one of the top feeder institutions by the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS) in recent years.

DISCUSSION AND SUMMARY: The UCI Pharmaceutical Sciences Bachelor of Science offers a unique pre-pharmacy educational experience in an effort to better prepare undergraduates for the rigors of the doctorate of pharmacy curriculum.