BS Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California, Irvine

Programme overview

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences is housed in the UC Irvine Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a pioneering program designed to train undergraduates in the art of discovering new medicines and deploying them into the clinic. After completing comprehensive background training in basic biology, chemistry, and mathematics, majors continue on to advanced training in organic chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, human genetics and physiology, and biochemistry. Starting in their third year, majors take very deep dives into the topics that define contemporary drug discovery and clinical implementation: medicinal chemistry, molecular pharmacology, and biologics.

Faculty: School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Irvine, CA, United States

Career pathways

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applies to admission to the university and this major, not a programme-specific cut-off: Students may be admitted to the Pharmaceutical Sciences major upon entering the University as freshmen, via change of major petition, or as transfer students from other colleges and universities. Information about change-of-major policies is available in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences office and at the UC Irvine Change of Major Criteria website . Transfer Students: All applicants must have completed the following required courses with a grade of B- or better in all courses: one year of general chemistry with laboratory equivalent to UC Irvine's CHEM 1A - CHEM 1B - CHEM 1C and CHEM 1LC - CHEM 1LD AND one year of organic chemistry with laboratory equivalent to UC Irvine’s CHEM 51A - CHEM 51B - CHEM 51C and CHEM 51LB - CHEM 51LC - CHEM 51LD . Transfer students must also complete two years of biology courses equivalent to UC Irvine’s BIO SCI 93 , BIO SCI 94 , BIO SCI 97 .

Domestic applicants: USD 14,202 a year (2026-27). Undergraduate tuition for California residents entering Fall 2026 (Tuition Stability Plan, held flat for that entering class). Tuition line only; excludes Student Services Fee, campus fees and health insurance. Applies to all undergraduate majors. Nonresi Source

UCI operates on a quarter system (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer quarters). First-year and transfer applicants apply for Fall entry; the UC Application for fall 2027 admission is open for submission from October 1 to November 30.

UC Application submission period for fall 2027 admission and scholarships: October 1 to November 30 (application opens August 1). Application fee is $80 for domestic applicants and $95 for international and non-immigrant applicants, payable by credit card or by mail; fee waivers are available for up to four campuses for qualified students. UC Irvine does not consider SAT or ACT scores for admission or scholarship purposes.

Dance, B.Mus. and Arts applicants complete an audition/portfolio process, December 1 to January 31; Drama applicants may submit an optional portfolio or audition. Priority deadline for transfer and second baccalaureate applicants to submit the Transfer Academic Update (TAU) is January 31.

Graduate applications are submitted online through the UCI graduate application portal; the non-refundable application fee is $135 for U.S. citizens and lawful U.S. permanent residents and $155 for all other applicants. Deadlines are set by each programme. GRE is required by some programmes only; TOEFL or IELTS English proficiency is required of graduate applicants unless waived.

Apply through the official page: https://uci.edu/admissions/

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