The PharmD curriculum offers six areas of concentration:
- Comprehensive Medication Management and High-Risk Populations
- Education
- Health Systems and Care Management
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- Pharmacy Entrepreneurship
- Research
Twelve units are required for each area of concentration and can be completed as part of the regular PharmD curriculum.
To pursue an area of concentration, you must:
- Have completed your first year in the PharmD program
- Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Formally apply online
Didactic Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 655 Geriatric Pharmacy I (3 units): Specialized knowledge and skills in geriatric pharmacy, pharmacology of aging and unique functions of healthcare team providing care to the elderly patient
- PHRD 656 Geriatric Pharmacy II (3 units): Specialized knowledge and skills in gerontology and geriatric pharmacy, including pathophysiology of selected cardiovascular, endocrine, genitourinary gastrointestinal disorders, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis
- PHRD 669 Healthcare Needs of Special Populations (3 units): Development of specialized knowledge and skills for delivering comprehensive medication management to high-risk patients by addressing health disparities, cultural and economic barriers, health literacy and behavioral health issues
- PHRD 677 Risk Assessment and Management in Pharmacy Practice (3 units): Specific risk-management issues, legal and professional expectations of pharmacists, and assessing and avoiding risk
Experiential Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 731 Advanced Geriatrics APPE (6 units): Directed projects/practical experience in geriatric drug therapy
- PHRD 750 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Elective (APPE) (6 units, max 18)
- Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in a healthcare setting
Didactic Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 555 Pharmacy Education I (2 units): Understanding and application of learning theory and teaching methodology, small-group teaching, active learning, student motivation, basic assessment methods and general online teaching tools
- PHRD 556 Pharmacy Education II (1 units): Continuation of Pharmacy Education I or PHRD 599 Special Topics: Literature Analytics (3 units): Seminar course designed to teach effective synthesis and communication of scientific research to a wider audience, including students, patients and healthcare decision makers
- PHRD 599 Careers in Pharmacy Academia (3 units): Advanced seminar course focusing on forming a teaching philosophy, building an academic portfolio, presenting conference papers, moving your research forward, polishing your CV, initiating a job search and strategizing for careers as future leaders in pharmacy academia
- PHRD 671 Pharmacy Education Seminar (3 units): Advanced seminar course focusing on educational methods, teaching skills and hands-on training through teaching pharmacy technician students in the Los Angeles area
Experiential Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 751 Nontraditional Advanced Pharmacy Elective (APPE) (6 units): Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in a nontraditional or emerging setting
Note: As part of the fourth year APPE program, you are required to complete six rotations. You may take a nontraditional advanced pharmacy elective in education in partial fulfillment of this concentration. Examples of previous educational APPEs have included projects related to teaching, research, practice and community service.
Didactic Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 653 Health Systems Pharmacy I (3 units): Understanding formal and informal organizations in institutions, managed care, disease management, healthcare policy and financing, patient chart organization and clinical monitoring parameters
- PHRD 654 Health Systems Pharmacy II (3 units): Recognizing resources available for drug information, familiarity with institutional formularies, medication counseling, writing chart notes and clinical activities at an off-campus healthcare institution
- PHRD 670 Marketing and Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry (3 units): This course will cover basic and advanced strategies for marketing and development of new compounds or indication in the pharmaceutical industry
- PHRD 677 Risk Assessment and Management in Pharmacy Practice (3 units): Specific risk management issues, legal and professional expectations of pharmacists, and assessing and avoiding risk
- MPTX 510/PHRD 678 Topics in Pharmacology: The Other Side of Drugs (3 units): Nexus of pharmacology and toxicology, therapeutic use and toxicology of common drugs and prescribing these drugs in clinical practice
Experiential Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 750 Advanced Pharmacy Practice Elective (APPE) (6 units, max 18): Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in a healthcare setting
- PHRD 751 Nontraditional Advanced Pharmacy Elective (APPE) (6 units): Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in a nontraditional or emerging setting
Didactic Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 663 Pharmaceutical Development (3 units): Examination of pharmaceutical product development process including discovery, preclinical/clinical studies, regulatory-legal issues and marketing
- PHRD 670 Marketing and Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry (3 units): Covers basic and advanced strategies for marketing and development of new compounds or indication in the pharmaceutical industry
- RSCI 533 Safety and Evaluation During Drug Development (3 units): Safety pharmacology/toxicology requirements mandated by the FDA and other regulatory agencies to move a new chemical entity from discovery stage to market approval
- MPTX 511 Introduction to Medical Product Regulation (3 units): Introduction to regulatory environments surrounding medical product development, manufacturing and marketing, and operation of federal, state and international regulatory bodies
- MPTX 512 Regulation of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products (3 units): Ensuring safety and effectiveness of new drugs and biologics, marketing and monitoring approved pharmaceutical/biological products and management of genetically engineering products
- HCDA 507 Foundations of Product Development and Commercialization (3 units): Basic introduction to the pathways and principles for managing new health technology discovery, funding, development, FDA approval and commercial market launch
- BPMK 500 Biopharmaceutical Marketing Management (3 units): This course provides a comprehensive look at the key stakeholders across the biopharmaceutical and healthcare landscape, the pressing challenges currently facing the industry, and core strategies and tactics for managing biopharmaceutical products.
Experiential Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 738 Pharmaceutical Industry APPE (6 units): Practical experience within a pharmaceutical company; may include: clinical affairs, drug development, research and/or marketing process
- PHRD 751 Nontraditional Advanced Pharmacy Elective (APPE) (6 units): Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in a nontraditional or emerging setting
Note: As part of the fourth year APPE program, you are required to complete six rotations. If available, you may take a pharmaceutical industry APPE in partial fulfillment of the pharmaceutical industry area of concentration. Previous sites have included Allergan, Amgen, Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Emmaus Life Sciences, Gilead Sciences, Procter & Gamble and Teva Pharmaceuticals. We cannot guarantee placement in a pharmaceutical industry APPE.
Didactic Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 651 Community Pharmacy and Business Management I (3 units): Development of specialized knowledge and skills in community pharmacy practice involving location analysis, pharmacy management principles and introduction to business law concepts
- PHRD 652 Community Pharmacy and Business Management II (3 units): Continuation of PHRD 651, highlighting subspecialties available in independent pharmacy, including specialty pharmacy, 340B pharmacy, DME, compounding, LTC and infusion
- PHRD 663 Pharmaceutical Development (3 units): Examination of pharmaceutical product development process including discovery, preclinical/clinical studies, regulatory-legal issues and marketing
- PHRD 673 Spanish for Pharmacists (3 units): Practical Spanish for pharmacists, including commonly prescribed drugs
- PHRD 675 Travel Medicine (3 units): Elective emphasizing the role of the pharmacist in preventing and treating travel-related medical conditions
- PHRD 677 Risk Assessment and Management in Pharmacy Practice (3 units): Risk-management issues, legal and professional expectations of pharmacists, and assessing and avoiding risk
Experiential Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 750: Advanced Pharmacy Practice Elective (APPE) (6 units, max 18)
- Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in a health care setting
- PHRD 751: Nontraditional Advanced Pharmacy Elective (APPE) (6 units)
- Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in a nontraditional or emerging setting
Didactic Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 657L Basic Research Design (3 units, maximum of 6): Research experience to integrate research into the PharmD, focusing on industrial, academic or governmental issues
- PHRD 790 Directed Research (1–12 units, maximum of 12)
Experiential Courses (6 units)
- PHRD 750: Advanced Pharmacy Practice Elective (APPE) (6 units, maximum of 18): Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in healthcare settings
- PHRD 751: Nontraditional Advanced Pharmacy Elective (APPE) (6 units): Pharmacy practice experience (internship) course in nontraditional or emerging settings