CHEM 1A (4 units): General Chemistry

CHEM 1B (3 units): General Chemistry

CHEM 1C (3 units): General Chemistry

CHEM 2AL (2.5 units): General Chemistry Lab

CHEM 2BL (2.5 units): General Chemistry Lab

MCDB 1A (4 units): Intro to Biology I

MCDB 1B (3 units): Intro to Biology II--Physiology

MCDB 1LL (1.5 units): Intro to Biology I Lab 

EEMB 2 (3 units): Intro to Biology II—Ecology and Evolution

EEMB 3 (3 units): Intro to Biology III

EEMB 2LL (1.5 units): Intro to Biology Lab II

CHEM 109A (4 units): Organic Chemistry

CHEM 109B (4 units): Organic Chemistry

CHEM 109C (4 units): Organic Chemistry

CHEM 6AL (3 units): Organic Chemistry Lab, Prerequisites: Chemistry 109A with a minimum grade of a C-; Chemistry 109B (may be taken concurrently)

CHEM 6BL (3 units): Organic Chemistry Lab, Prerequisites: Chemistry 6AL and 109A with a minimum grade of C-; Chemistry 109B

Note: Whether or not you take the second lab should depend on your major’s requirements and the admissions criteria of the pharmacy schools you plan to apply to. If the information isn’t available on a program’s website, contact their admissions office for clarification.

PHYSICS 6A (3 units) and PHYSICS 6AL (1 unit): Introductory Physics with Lab

PHYSICS 6B (3 units) and PHYSICS 6BL (1 unit): Introductory Physics with Lab

PHYSICS 6C (3 units) and PHYSICS 6CL (1 unit): Introductory Physics with Lab

Students who complete the PHYSICS 1 series will need to take PHYSICS 1-2-3-4-5 and PHYSICS 3L-4L-5L to satisfy a full year of Physics with labs. If the major only requires courses through PHYSICS 4 and PHYSICS 4L, then you may enroll in PHYSICS 6AL to satisfy the final lab requirement.

Note:  Mathematics 2A or 3A or 34A or AP Math AB Exam score of 3 or higher are required for Physics 6A.  Math courses may be taken concurrently with Physics 6A. For more information on the UCSB Math Placement Test required for Math 2A or 3A, go to the Course Placement Information located on the Department of Mathematics website.

MCDB 108A (4 units): General Biochemistry

• Prerequisites: MCDB 1A, and EEMB 2 and MCDB 1B; and Chemistry 1A-B-C; and Chemistry 109A-B-C. Completion of all listed prerequisites with a grade of C or better.
• Chem 109C may be taken concurrently.

MCDB 110 (4 units): Principles of Biochemistry

• MCDB and Non-MCDB majors may choose to take MCDB 110
• Prerequisites: Chem 1A-B-C and 109A-B, with grades of C or better.

MCDB 108B is highly recommended.

Note: Some pharmacy schools require one Biochemistry course, while others equate two quarters to one semester. Decide on a second course based on your major requirements and research each school's admissions criteria. If unsure, contact their admissions office for clarification.

MCDB 131/131L

• Prerequisites: MDCB 101A and either Chemistry 109A-B-C; or Chemistry 109A-B and MCDB 110
• Students also have the option of taking Microbiology at SBCC (BMS 157) or another community college, but some programs may prefer prerequisites to be completed at a four-year institution. 

Note: Many but not all schools require a microbiology lab, and MCDB 131L can be a very difficult course for non-Microbiology majors to enroll in at UCSB. Students may choose to take the course and the lab at a community college.  

These courses are not offered at UCSB.

Courses will need to be completed outside of UCSB. Those living in the Santa Barbara/Goleta area often choose to take these courses at SBCC (BMS 107 and 108) but the courses can be found at many community colleges. Reach out to our Pre-health advising team for recommendations.

Note: Programs may require either Human Physiology with Lab or both Human Physiology and Human Anatomy with lab. If taking a combined Anatomy & Physiology course, some programs require both parts I and II.  

A combination of 3 UCSB courses taken in the Writing or English departments should fulfill the full year of English requirement for most California pharmacy schools. Courses that satisfy GE Areas A-1 and A-2 will satisfy the English requirement.

Note: Courses that satisfy the GE Special Subject Area Writing requirement are not sufficient to satisfy the full year of English requirement.

When applying to professional schools, completing a full year of math is a good rule of thumb.

For students without prior college-level math or AP Calculus scores:

• Recommended courses include Math 34A/34B, Math 3A/3B, or Math 2A/2B; and PSTAT 5A/5LS, with no preference between series.

For students with AP Calculus scores, throughly review the information below:

• Taking courses for "study list credit". Since UCSB doesn’t list AP exam scores and equivalencies on transcripts, students may need to take math courses for “study list credit” to meet this requirement. Study list credit allows students to retake courses already credited through AP exams. After completion of the course the grade appears on the transcript but doesn’t provide additional units or affect the GPA.
• Options for a student with credit for AP Calculus AB:
  • Take Math 34A/3A/2A for study list credit, then Math 34B/3B/2B and PSTAT
  • Take Math 34B/3B/2B, Math 4A & PSTAT
  • Take Math 34B/3B/2B, a CC course in math (preferably Calculus) & PSTAT
• Options for a student with credit for AP Calculus AB & BC
  • Take Math 34A/3A/2A & 34B/3B/2B for study list credit and PSTAT
  • Take some combination of study list credit, CC courses & PSTAT
  • Move on to higher level math (Math 4A/B, PSTAT 5A, PSTAT 120A/B)
• Options for a student with credit for the AP Statistics exam
  • Take PSTAT 5A or 5LS for study list credit
  • Take a CC course in statistics, or higher level statistics at UCSB (PSTAT 120, etc)

Pharmacy schools often require one course each in Economics and Public Speaking but students should check the individual program requirements to confirm. You will need to check with individual programs to determine which UCSB courses will satisfy the Public Speaking requirement.

Prerequisite courses listed are minimum requirements; however, most successful applicants will have exceeded the minimum requirements by taking additional upper division science courses. Examples of appropriate courses include but are not limited to:

• MCDB 101A - Molecular Genetics I: Prokaryotes (4 units)
• MCDB 103 - Cell Biology (4 units)
• MCDB 131 - General Microbiology (4 units)
• If you choose not to major in one of the natural sciences, you may wish to include one or two additional science electives in your program of study if your schedule permits.