PharmD Degree Program
Program Overview
PharmD Degree Program
The PharmD Degree Program at the University of California San Francisco is a comprehensive program designed to provide students with a strong foundation in pharmacy education.
About the PharmD
- Program Overview
- Facts and Figures
- Career Opportunities
- Advanced Training
- Student and Alumni News
Admissions
- Admissions Overview
- Policies and Disclosures
- Financial Aid and Cost
- Application Process
- Frequently Asked Questions and Tips
- Applying Without U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status
- PharmD-PhD
- Post-Baccalaureate Program
- Pharm Tech to PharmD Pathway Program
Student Life
- Student Life Overview
- Year 1 Perspective
- Year 2 Perspective
- Year 3 Perspective
- Past Student Perspectives Overview
Curriculum
- Curriculum Overview
- Program Timeline
- Component 1 - Foundations
- Component 2 - Integrated Themes
- Component 3 - Patient Care Skills
- Component 4 - Practice Rotations
- Component 5 - Discovery Project
- Progress and Feedback
- Curriculum Outcomes
Discovery Project
Through a Discovery Project, students research a question in pharmacy that interests them and their classmates on their project team. The Discovery Project gives students a platform to apply the skills they gained across the first two years of their coursework, and through the Inquiry component of each of the Integrated Themes in one of the six UCSF domains of science:
- Biomedical science
- Clinical science
- Education science
- Epidemiology and population science
- Social and behavioral science
- Systems science
Students begin considering their Discovery Project area of interest in year one and identify a project topic in year two. As they and their team select a Discovery Project and carry it out during years two and three, they are guided and mentored by an expert in their project area. They meet regularly, in person or virtually, with their project team.
With their team, students formally present their project to faculty members and student colleagues at the end of year three. They also share their work through posters and published papers, as examples.
The Discovery Project gives students the opportunity to focus their scientific thinking skills on a question of direct interest to them professionally. Students may elect to participate in an expanded research experience through the intensive research discovery project. If they take this option, they will reallocate one of their elective rotations to gain this research experience.