Which are the 10 best pharmacy schools in California?
California is one of the most populous states in the United States, with a population of roughly 39 million people. Because of its large population, the state’s healthcare demands are usually high.
A Doctor of the program from an approved school of medicine is required to become a certified pharmacist in California.
The state of California features some of the greatest pharmacy schools in the country. To assist you in making your decision, we will list some of the best pharmacy schools in California in the following discussion.
#10. California Northstate University, College of Pharmacy (Elk Grove, CA)

The College of Pharmacy, which was formed in 2008, is one of the newest colleges on our list. The institution now has schools of medicine, dentistry, psychology, and health administration, among other things.
The college is already known for its creative educational atmosphere, despite the fact that it is a relatively new program. PharmD students engage with new team members each semester, learning to work with people from a wide range of social and intellectual backgrounds.
Students in their second and third years can participate in institutional and speciality practice settings through the Department of Experiential Education to develop their abilities and intuition as future pharmacists.
For undergraduates interested in a career in pharmacy, CNU also offers joint PharmD-MD, Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MSPs), joint MSPS-PharmD, MBA-PharmD, and BS-PharmD programs.
#9. Keck Graduate Institute

In California, the Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is a fully accredited pharmacy school. In the year 2014, the institution was founded. The college offers a four-year pharmacy curriculum that focuses on developing pharmacists who are collaborative, eloquent, caring, and inventive.
In terms of reputation for excellence and the number of students enrolled each year, the Keck Graduate Institute School of Pharmacy has continued to develop.
The Center for Rare Disease Therapies, the Center for Biomarker Research, the Science Heritage Center, the Center for Training in Applied Genomics, and the Amgen Bioprocessing Center are among the school’s five research centres.
The School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is committed to advancing medicine’s real-world applications, whether in the corner drug shop or in the corporate world. For each illness state and organ system, the program emphasizes clinical and therapeutic information. KGI graduates are qualified to work in ambulatory care, home care, compounding, hospital, and regulatory pharmacy, among other areas.
#8. Touro University California College of Pharmacy (Vallejo, CA)
Touro University is a Jewish-funded institution of higher study and professional education. Nursing, public health, pharmacy, education, osteopathic medicine, and physician assistant studies are among the graduate and undergraduate programs offered at the university.
Touro University welcomes students of all faiths, but half of the admissions are usually reserved for the school of pharmacy. The institution is committed to expanding access to high-quality healthcare services. The university’s learning environment is student-centred, preparing students for a successful professional path. Touro University California is ranked 16th in the country for producing top primary care residents among all medical schools.
Touro University provides a combination PharmD-MPH degree program for people interested in public health. All of the programs are extremely interactive, collaborative, and technologically advanced.
#7. Chapman University School of Pharmacy (Irvine, CA)

Chapman University School of Pharmacy is one of California’s most prestigious medical institutions. The school is affiliated with Chapman University, a private university that began offering academic programs in 1861. Art and design, computer technology, education and liberal arts, business, human and social science, legal and law, and healthcare are among the academic programs offered by the university.
Chapman also stresses diversified experiential learning, with students learning in groups with pharmacists, nurses, physical therapists, physician assistants, and experts in communication disorders.
Scientists and students who are passionate about making a difference in society through human healthcare will be trained at the school. The pharmacy program at Chapman University School of Pharmacy is available at three levels: bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral.
PioneerRx Pharmacy Software, the most modern software utilized by independent pharmacies, has also partnered with the institution. The software simplifies the learning process by allowing students to practice clinical skills in a cutting-edge pharmacy system. Chapman students have access to some incredible technologies.
#6. Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy (Loma Linda, CA)

The School of Pharmacy at Loma Linda University is rated as one of the best in California. Students enrol in a full-time, four-year program that will prepare them for a PharmD degree in the future. The major focus of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program is to produce a highly qualified team of pharmacists who are fully committed to the course.
Loma Linda University is a California Adventist university located in Loma Linda. In 1966, the university was established as a health science institution. There are more than 100 certificate and degree programs to choose from. The first students were admitted to the pharmacy school in 2002.
The fully integrated program provides academic and clinical training with a focus on the physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of health, also known as “whole-person care.”
This method can be taken by pharmacy students who participate in overseas mission work. These tours provide a broader view of healthcare, emphasizing the importance of caring for neglected people all over the world.
Students at Loma Linda University can combine their PharmD with an MA in Bioethics, an MS in Health Professions Education, or an MS in Informatics.
#5. Western University of Health Sciences College of Pharmacy (Pomona, CA)

Western University of Health Sciences was founded in 1977 and is a privately owned university. The Pacific College of Osteopathic Medicine was the university’s initial name. Physician assistant, nursing, optometry, osteopathic, dental medicine, pharmacy, biomedical sciences, veterinary medicine, and physical therapy are among the degrees offered.
The institution’s Pharm.D. program prepares pharmacists to work with other healthcare professionals. The university works with 350 different locations, including VA hospitals, pediatric hospitals, commercial hospitals, and county hospitals.
The pharmacy program includes a number of experimental clinics that help students develop their skills.
#4. University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Stockton, CA)

The University of the Pacific, located in San Francisco, California, is a highly regarded institution of higher study. The school concentrates on accelerated law, pharmacy, and dentistry studies. California Wesleyan College was the official name of the institution when it was founded in 1851.
In the field of pharmacy, the University of the Pacific offers three specializations: medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutics, which prepares students for careers in the pharmaceutical industry; pharmacy practise, which prepares students to work as community pharmacists; and pharmacology and physiology, which prepares students for academic careers.
Students at the University of the Pacific are taught skills such as patient counselling, performance, and physical examination, as well as how to complete medical histories, provide therapy, and perform clinical procedures. The graduation and school admittance rates for the institution are 72 per cent and 66 per cent, respectively.
#3. Marshall B. Ketchum University College of Pharmacy

Marshall B. Ketchum University is a full-fledged healthcare institute dedicated to educating clinicians and pharmacists. The university began as a multidisciplinary institution in 2013, with the inclusion of a college of pharmacy and a school of PA studies in 2011.
The institution is dedicated to providing society with compassionate, professional, and caring healthcare services.
MBKU’s College of Pharmacy is where the next generation of health care leaders are trained.
#2. University of Southern California School of Pharmacy (Los Angeles, CA)

The University of Southern California is ranked among the best pharmacy schools in California. The institution was established by Robert. M. Widney in the year 1880.
It’s no surprise that USC is at the top of this list; it established the first PharmD program in the United States in 1950. It has continued to lead the way in the sector since then, launching the first clinical pharmacy program in 1968 and the first PhD degree in pharmaceutical economics in 1990.
Law, medicine, occupational therapy, pharmacy, film, engineering, and business are just a few of the degrees available at the university. Image compression, DNA computing, VoIP, antivirus software, and dynamic programming were all pioneered at the University of Southern California, which is a hotbed of the invention.
Graduates of the USC PharmD program have gone on to work for major pharmaceutical firms such as Pfizer and Amgen, as well as medical organizations such as USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
#1. UCSF School of Pharmacy (San Francisco, CA)

UCSF is a top pharmacy school for a variety of reasons, one of which is that it has gotten the most NIH money of any pharmacy school in the United States for the 41st year in a row.
The school’s three-year accelerated PharmD program focuses on therapeutics, including drugs, medical devices, and diagnostic tests. World-class instructors and integrated collaborative learning are included throughout the year-long curriculum.
Graduates of the UCSF School of Pharmacy go on to work in both the public and private sectors. Since 1997, Stuart Heard ’72 has led the UCSF California Poison Control System (CPCS). Molly Steen ’15 has spent her career working in Native American communities, first at the Quentin N. Burdick Memorial Health Care Facility on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota and now at the El Reno Indian Health Center near Oklahoma City as the chief pharmacist.
Michelle Tam ’00 went from night pharmacist to award-winning food blogger and cookbook author in just a few years. She currently uses the biological and nutritional expertise she gained at UCSF in her recipes as the CEO of Nom Nom Paleo.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), there are 143 U.S.- based colleges and schools of pharmacy with accredited (full or candidate status) professional degree programs and 1 school with precandidate status, for a total of 144 colleges and schools as of July 2019.
In California, the cost of a Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum typically runs from $150,000 to $250,000.
Pharmacists in the top ten per cent earned $157,950, while those in the bottom ten per cent earned $87,120. The typical Pharmacist pay in the United States is $120,270 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The minimum GPA requirement for the cumulative and the pre-pharmacy courses is 3.0. However, the average GPA of admitted students is approximately 3.5 for both.
Conclusion
You’ve made a fantastic decision by deciding to pursue a career in pharmacy. It is our sincere desire to see you succeed in your endeavour. As a result, this post has been made for you to address all of your questions about earning a Pharmacy degree in California and the finest Pharmacy school in California.
In fact, we sincerely hope you take advantage of it. You will be very happy if you follow this guide word for word. Please let us know if you find this post useful in the comments area.