Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

The Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences empowers aspiring pharmacists, physicians, dentists, other health care providers, and scientists with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience they need to make a difference in the world. With top-notch facilities, experienced faculty, and a supportive community, you’ll be equipped to tackle the toughest health care challenges facing us today. Whether you dream of curing diseases, developing new medicines, or providing personalized care to patients, our program will give you the tools to succeed.

Who should apply?

If you have completed the necessary prerequisite coursework at a community college or another 4-year institution and have an interest in health care professions, scientific research, and drug development, you are highly encouraged to apply. This is a unique transfer program in which you complete the first two years at the college of your choice. The second two years are offered on the WSU Spokane campus. Coursework that needs to be completed prior to the transfer includes:

• English (one semester)
• Calculus (one semester)
• Statistics (one semester)
• Chemistry (two semesters)
• Biology (two semesters)
• Organic chemistry with lab (two semesters)
• Physics with lab (one semester)
• Human anatomy with lab (one semester)
• Human physiology (one semester)

In addition, students must fulfill certain WSU UCORE (general education) requirements before transferring.  Please meet with your college advisor to plan out your coursework for the first two years.

Learning Outcomes

Our curriculum is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the human body, diseases, and biomedical research. Here are some of the key skills and knowledge that you can expect to gain from the program:

1. Mastery of fundamental biological and chemical concepts: A strong foundation in basic biological and chemical concepts will enable you to understand the workings of the human body at the molecular and cellular level. You will be able to integrate these concepts to address complex topics in the biomedical sciences.
2. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills: Our program emphasizes critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills. You will learn how to analyze and solve problems in human biomedical sciences using scientific methods and approaches.
3. Effective communication skills: Communication is crucial not only in patient care, but also professional conferences and for public health. Our program will teach you how to effectively communicate biomedical problems, findings, and solutions to professional audiences as well as the public-at-large in writing and in oral discussion.
4. Utilization of scientific literature: You will learn how to effectively use scientific literature to identify knowledge gaps and analyze contemporary social and cultural issues relevant to human medicine.
5. Practical application of knowledge: Our program will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of a variety of approaches used in basic and clinical sciences. You will learn how to apply this knowledge to propose ways to address biomedical problems.
6. Ethics and professionalism: We place a strong emphasis on ethics in research practices and professional health care settings. You will learn how to make informed and ethical decisions in a health care setting.

Sample 2-Year Course List

• Pharmacology: the science of drug action
• Pathways: careers in biomedicine
• Ethics: conduct and career development
• Genomics: frontier of human genetics
• Medical microbiology: bugs and drugs
• Toxicology: assessing drug side effects
• Health Care Systems: tackling human health
• Pharmaceutics: delivering treatment
• Scientific communication: writing and speaking