UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

What UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences does

The UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences is a public academic institution founded in 2020 as the first public pharmacy school in the Los Angeles-Orange County region. It operates within the University of California system as part of the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences and offers four degree programs: a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences (the first such undergraduate degree in the UC system), a Master of Science in Pharmacology, a PhD in Pharmacological Sciences, and a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. The inaugural PharmD class entered in September 2021. Two departments anchor the school: the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (drug discovery, target identification, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology) and the Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice (experiential education, clinical pharmacy, integrative health).

The school's research portfolio spans drug discovery platforms including methylarginine targeting chimeras (MrTACs) for targeted protein degradation, directed evolution of TNA (threose nucleic acid) polymerase, ultra-miniaturized microfluidic small molecule screening integrated with DNA-encoded library synthesis, bioluminescent RNA imaging probes, and a low-cost COVID-19 antibody detection platform. Funded by agencies including NIH, NSF, American Cancer Society, the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, the Keck Foundation ($1M), and the Kay Family Foundation ($1.3M). Faculty credentials include a Guggenheim Fellowship (Andrej Luptak, 2020), Faculty Innovation Fellowship (Weian Zhao, 2020), and a Samueli Scholar (Olivier Civelli, 2021).

Revenue is generated through tuition and fees across all degree programs, federal and private research grants, and donations/endowments (including the Seedling Scholarship Endowment and the Stephen Hanessian Distinguished Lecture Series). Distribution occurs through UC Irvine's admissions infrastructure, with clinical training delivered through a strategic partnership with UCI Medical Center's Department of Pharmaceutical Services (2021-2023 initiatives). The school is ranked #4 among California pharmacy schools by 2026 US News & World Report and #1 for pharmacy school admissions, with 41% of undergraduates being first-generation college students.

Name

UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Legal name

UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Website

https://pharmsci.uci.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences is a public academic institution founded in 2020, offering undergraduate, master's, PhD, and PharmD degree programs in pharmaceutical sciences and clinical pharmacy. It serves students pursuing careers in drug discovery, biomedical research, and pharmacy practice as part of the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmacy Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAGAE

Schools of Pharmacy

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Medical & Health Sciences Universities

SECONDARYEDAHAGAI

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Medical & Health Sciences Universities

SECONDARYEDAHABAC

Health & Biomedical Research Universities (Academic Medical Center–Affiliated)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

Keywords

• Pharmacy education
• Pharmaceutical sciences research
• Clinical pharmacy training
• Drug discovery programs
• Doctoral pharmacy degrees

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

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: Revenue generated from undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs including BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences, MS in Pharmacology, PhD in Pharmacological Sciences, and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD).
2. Research Grants and Funding: Federal and private research funding from agencies including NIH, NSF, American Cancer Society, California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, and various foundations including Keck Foundation and Kay Family Foundation.
3. Donations and Endowments: Gifts and endowed funds supporting student fellowships, scholarships (Seedling Scholarship Endowment), and named lecture series such as the Stephen Hanessian Distinguished Lecture Series.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The school delivers degree programs in pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice (BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences, MS in Pharmacology, PhD in Pharmacological Sciences, and a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy), supported by two academic departments. It also conducts funded research across drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical pharmacy practice, with clinical training delivered in partnership with UCI Medical Center.

Product overview

UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences is an academic institution offering a continuum of educational programs spanning from discovery and development of new therapeutics to optimizing medication therapy in patients. The school encompasses four degree programs: a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences (the first undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences in the UC system), a Master of Science in Pharmacology for graduate training in drug development, a PhD in Pharmacological Sciences for doctoral research, and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) professional program which is the first public pharmacy school in the Los Angeles-Orange County region. The institution also houses two departments (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice) and various research centers focused on drug discovery and health sciences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences: A department focusing on drug discovery, conducting research and teaching in disciplines associated with the development of new therapeutics including target identification, molecular screening, medicinal chemistry, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, and animal behavior
• Department of Clinical Pharmacy Practice
• BEACoN (Belonging, Engagement, And Community Network)
• Anteaters in Pharmacy
• ZOTRx Podcast

Products and services

• BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences An undergraduate degree program offering training for careers in pharmacy, medicine, and biomedical research. It is the first undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical sciences offered in the UC system and is designed for prospective students interested in healthcare and biomedical research careers.
• Master of Science in Pharmacology A graduate-level degree program focused on pharmacology training for careers in drug development and biomedical research, designed for students pursuing advanced scientific training in pharmacological sciences.
• PhD in Pharmacological Sciences A doctoral research program training students in pharmacological sciences for careers in academia and advanced research, covering areas such as drug metabolism, medicinal chemistry, and molecular pharmacology.
• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) A four-year professional doctorate program preparing graduates to be practice-ready pharmacists, problem solvers, lifelong learners, and healthcare team players. The program is delivered at the first public pharmacy school in the Los Angeles-Orange County region with clinical training at UCI Medical Center.

Quantifiable outcome

• 41% first-generation college students enrolled in undergraduate programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Taipei Medical University (TMU) College of PharmacycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2024The UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences formalized collaboration with the College of Pharmacy at Taipei Medical University. This is the school's first international partnership, expected to bring faculty, researcher, and student exchanges; joint research projects and publications; exchanges of materials and information; joint educational programs; and joint participation in conferences, symposia, seminars, and workshops. The collaboration was commemorated with a signing event on October 17th, 2024.
• UCI Medical Center Department of PharmacycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic partnership between UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and UCI Medical Center's Department of Pharmaceutical Services. Six strategic initiatives planned from 2021-2023 focusing on integrating student pharmacists within UCI Health, engaging pharmacy residents, creating learning experiences, identifying practice growth areas, expanding community pharmacy services, and co-creating a population health pharmacy program.
• Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020The School is part of the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, combining with UCI Health clinical enterprise to form UCI Health Affairs. Enables collaboration across medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and integrative health disciplines.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Florida College of Pharmacy: Top-5 nationally ranked public pharmacy school with mature PharmD, MS, and PhD programs and substantial NIH research funding, serving as a benchmark for what UCI's programs could scale toward.
• University of Michigan College of Pharmacy: Established R1 pharmacy school with top-ranked PharmD and PhD programs and major NIH-funded research portfolio; comparable breadth from undergraduate to doctoral pharmaceutical sciences training.
• University of Southern California (School of Pharmacy historical): USC parent institution provides broader health-sciences infrastructure and research scale relevant to comparing the pharmacy school's growth runway within a major R1 university.

Direct peers

• University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy: California pharmacy school offering PharmD and pharmaceutical/chemical sciences graduate degrees with a comparable mix of professional and research training in the same state.
• Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy: Southern California pharmacy school offering PharmD with emphasis on clinical pharmacy and whole-person care, directly competing for LA/Inland Empire applicants.
• Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy: Southern California pharmacy school with a comparable interprofessional health-sciences model and PharmD program targeting the same regional applicant pool.
• USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences: Southern California-based pharmacy school offering PharmD and pharmaceutical sciences graduate programs with similar drug discovery and clinical pharmacy focus, competing for the same regional applicant pool.
• UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences: Sister UC pharmacy school offering PharmD and PhD programs with strong drug discovery and clinical research; comparable structure and UC-system positioning to UCI's program.
• UCSF School of Pharmacy: Another University of California pharmacy school, ranked #1 in the US. Directly comparable as a UC-system PharmD, PhD, and research institution training pharmaceutical scientists and clinical pharmacists.

Others

• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP): National accrediting and trade body for US pharmacy schools; relevant peer ecosystem comparator for benchmarking curriculum, accreditation standards, and PharmD outcome metrics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPRIuvr91BW8sxH7tMh1t1w
• Facebookfacebook.com/ucirvinespps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucipharmsci
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucirvinespps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences