UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

What UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences does

UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) is a graduate-level public pharmacy school within the University of California, San Diego, established in 2002 and located on the UC San Diego Health Sciences Campus in La Jolla. The school delivers the four-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program with steady-state enrollment of approximately 280 students, supplemented by a 7-Year B.S./PharmD track, a dual PharmD/PhD program, a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development (PSDD), and a professional Master's in Drug Development & Product Management. Educational delivery combines didactic coursework with Introductory and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPEs/APPEs) at affiliated teaching hospitals and clinical sites, supported by an instructional technology stack including Canvas, ExamSoft, CORE ELMS, CORE CompMS, TritonLink, and OASIS.

The institution operates as a research-intensive pharmacy school, ranked #4 nationally for research funding by AACP. Core research infrastructure spans the Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases (CDIPD), the Center on International Pharmacy Education and Research (CIPER), the Center for Drug Discovery Innovation (cDDI), the Center for Computer-Aided Drug Design, and computational access via the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Active research programs include pharmacogenomics (genome-wide association studies for drug response), multi-omics analytics with AI/ML, VR-based molecular visualization of drug-macromolecule interactions, and clinical translational work exemplified by a $6.9 million NIH award for Alzheimer's disease treatment development.

Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a public professional school: tuition and fees from degree programs (PharmD, PhD, Master's), external research funding (notably NIH grants), and clinical training services delivered through experiential education partnerships. Student recruitment runs through the centralized PharmCAS application system with interviews conducted by the SSPPS Office of Admissions and Recruitment (SOAR). The customer base consists of prospective PharmD applicants as the primary segment, with secondary segments for PhD and Master's students; downstream employment of graduates spans health systems (UC San Diego Health, Kaiser Permanente, Rady Children's Hospital, VA Medical Centers, Loma Linda University Medical Center), community pharmacy operators (Target), contract research organizations (Profil Institute), and academic institutions (UCSF School of Pharmacy).

Name

UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Legal name

UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Website

https://pharmacy.ucsd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is a public graduate pharmacy school within UC San Diego, offering PharmD, PhD, and Master's degree programs to approximately 280 PharmD students and conducting NIH-funded pharmaceutical sciences and drug development research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmacy Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Schools of Pharmacy (EDAHAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology (EDABALAU), Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI)

Keywords

• Pharmacy education
• Pharmaceutical sciences
• Doctor of pharmacy program
• Clinical pharmacy training
• Drug development research

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Educational services revenue from PharmD, PhD, and Master's degree programs. Students pay tuition for pharmacy education leading to Doctor of Pharmacy degree
2. Research Grants and NIH Funding: External research funding from NIH and other agencies including $6.9 million NIH award for Alzheimer's research
3. Clinical Training Services: Revenue from experiential education programs where students train at affiliated hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies throughout California

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is a graduate-level pharmacy school that delivers accredited professional and research degree programs, including the four-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), a 7-Year B.S./Pharm.D. accelerated track, a Dual Pharm.D./Ph.D., a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development, and a Master's in Drug Development & Product Management. It supports these programs with simulation-based clinical training, pharmacy informatics education, pharmacogenomics research, and experiential rotations at affiliated teaching hospitals throughout California.

Product overview

The UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is an academic institution offering a portfolio of professional and graduate degree programs in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences. The core product is the four-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program (enrollment ~280 students), supplemented by accelerated (7-Year B.S./PharmD), joint (PharmD/PhD), graduate research (PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development), and professional master's (Drug Development & Product Management) programs. These are supported by experiential education components (IPPEs and APPEs), research centers (CDIPD, CIPER, Pharmacoeconomics Forum), seminar series (DDPP), and specialized curriculum modules (HEART, pharmacogenomics, informatics). The institution operates on a platform of ACPE-accredited education, translational research, and community engagement to improve health outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program
• 7-Year B.S./Pharm.D. Degree
• Dual Pharm.D./Ph.D. Degree
• Ph.D. Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development (PSDD)
• Master's Degree in Drug Development & Product Management

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UC San Diego School of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose association with outstanding clinical, research and academic programs in the School of Medicine. Pharmacy and medical students develop foundation in biomedical sciences in common classes and shared volunteer community clinical experiences. Joint advanced practice clinical experiences in fourth year.
• San Diego Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNumerous R&D companies devoted to biotechnology and pharmaceutical development surrounding the UC San Diego campus, many developed by or with UC San Diego faculty. San Diego ranks third in the nation as an engine for biotechnology product development.
• Scripps Institution of OceanographycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration providing pharmacy students opportunity for research in marine pharmacology and drugs of the sea. Contributes to PSDD PhD training program.
• Center for Drug Discovery Innovation (cDDI)coreTechnology or IntegrationUC San Diego center contributing to Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development (PSDD) training area, providing translational sciences research training.
• Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Diseases (CDIPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated research center contributing to drug development pipeline and PSDD PhD training program at UC San Diego.
• Center for Computer-Aided Drug DesigncoreTechnology or IntegrationPart of PSDD training infrastructure providing computational tools for drug design and development research.
• UC San Diego Student-Run Free Clinic ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest student-led free clinics in the nation. SSPPS students provide critical healthcare needs for the community, with service learning requirements for pharmacy students.
• UC BRAIDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of California network contributing to research training and collaboration in pharmaceutical sciences.
• Teaching Hospitals and Medical CenterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClinical teaching facilities including UC San Diego Health System, VA Medical Centers, Rady Children's Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, Scripps Health, and Loma Linda University Medical Center provide clinical rotations for PharmD students.
• Title I Schools and Community OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer STEM program partnerships with Title I schools to inspire passion for STEM in economically and educationally disadvantaged students from middle school through undergraduate levels.

Scale indicators10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ohio State University College of Pharmacy: Ohio State University College of Pharmacy is a large public pharmacy school with a full portfolio of PharmD, PhD, and graduate programs and substantial research output. It competes with SSPPS for top-ten research funding rankings and PharmD applicant pools.
• University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy: University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Pharmacy is a leading public pharmacy school and a top recipient of NIH research funding in the pharmaceutical sciences. It competes with SSPPS for federal research dollars, top faculty recruits, and PharmD applicants.
• University of Florida College of Pharmacy: University of Florida College of Pharmacy is a top-ten nationally ranked pharmacy school with large PharmD enrollment and significant NIH-funded research. It is a peer on both applicant recruitment and research funding rankings.
• University of Washington School of Pharmacy: University of Washington School of Pharmacy is a top-ranked public pharmacy school on the U.S. West Coast with comparable PharmD and PhD programs and a similar biomedical research profile. It competes with SSPPS for West Coast applicants and federal research funding.
• University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy: University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy is a leading research-intensive pharmacy school consistently ranked in the top ten nationally. It has a comparable mix of PharmD, PhD, and graduate programs and competes with SSPPS for AACP research funding rankings.
• UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy: UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is a top-five U.S. pharmacy school with strong NIH-funded research in pharmaceutical sciences and drug discovery. It competes with SSPPS on research funding rankings, NAPLEX outcomes, and recruitment of leading faculty.
• University of Michigan College of Pharmacy: University of Michigan College of Pharmacy is one of the highest-ranked pharmacy schools nationally, with parallel PharmD, PhD, and pharmaceutical sciences programs and a comparable scale of NIH-funded research. It competes with SSPPS for federal research dollars, top faculty, and high-achieving PharmD applicants.
• USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy: USC Mann School of Pharmacy is another California-based pharmacy school with PharmD and pharmaceutical sciences programs. It competes with SSPPS directly for in-state California applicants and clinical rotation partnerships with regional health systems.
• UCSF School of Pharmacy: UCSF School of Pharmacy is the other top-tier University of California pharmacy school and is consistently ranked alongside or above UCSD SSPPS nationally. It offers PharmD, PhD, and graduate programs with comparable research intensity and a similar academic medical center footprint, making it the closest direct peer within the UC system.

Broad incumbents

• UC San Diego School of Medicine: UC San Diego School of Medicine is the sibling medical school within the same UCSD Health Sciences campus, sharing faculty, students, and clinical training infrastructure with SSPPS. As a broader health-sciences incumbent, it is comparable on biomedical research funding, graduate education, and clinical training scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UCSDPharmacy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences