How to Apply

UC Davis senior pharmaceutical chemistry major Manuel Munoz prepares a liquid solution for his intern project on cancer research on Tuesday, October 23, 2012.

How to Apply


All applications are administered through Graduate Studies. To start or return to an application, please go to their Application Management site HERE. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE for Fall 2025: December 1, 2024 at 11:59pm PST 

The application for perspective Fall 2025 students is now open. If you have questions regarding the application or applying for our program, please refer to the information below and our Frequently Asked Questions page. You may also contact our Graduate Program Manager.

NOTE: Unlike the Ph.D. in Chemistry program, students pursuing the M.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry are not offered financial support with admission.

Required Documentation

  • Transcripts
    We require academic records for each college-level institution you have attended. You will be instructed to upload scanned copies of your transcripts after you have submitted your online application. See Submitting Your Transcripts for more details. (Current or former UC Davis students do not need to order UC Davis transcripts with the exception of any UC Davis Extension coursework.)
  • Official TOEFL scores (international students who are not exempted)
    • Institution Code: 4834
  • Two Personal Essays
    These are opportunities to highlight your undergraduate research experience and demonstrate your maturity and motivation for graduate study. See Statement of Purpose & Personal History and Diversity Statement for more details. In your Statement of Purpose, please indicate which Chemistry faculty member has agreed to accept you in to their lab. 
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
    You will be asked to list the names and email addresses of the three individuals you have chosen to recommend you for admission, and they will receive instructions for uploading a letter.

Educational Prerequisites

  • Minimum 3.0/4.0 undergraduate cumulative GPA, with a greater emphasis on your performance in your major courses.
  • No minimum requirement for GRE scores.
  • Minimum TOEFL iBT score of 100 or equivalent (international students only who are not exempted).

In addition to the requirements stated above, applicants are expected to have the equivalent of the following UC Davis courses (please refer to the General Catalog for course descriptions):

Preparatory Subject Matter

  • CHE 2A/B/C: General Chemistry (15 units with lab)
  • BIS 2A/B or C: Biological Sciences (9 units with lab)
  • PHY 7A/B/C: General Physics (12 units with lab)
  • MAT 16A/B/C: Calculus (9 units)
  • STA 13: Statistics (4 units)

Depth Subject Matter

  • CHE 128A/B/C: Organic Chemistry (9 units)
  • CHE 129 A/B/C: Organic Chemistry Lab (6 units)
    • If two or more sequences are offered, the more rigorous option is highly recommended.
  • CHE 107A/B: Physical Chemistry (6 units)
  • BIS 102: Biochemistry (3 units)

Undergraduate coursework in organic synthesis (CHE 131) and participation in undergraduate research in chemistry are not required for admission but are certainly desirable and will strengthen your application to the program.

Additional Admissions Requirements

Applicants for the M.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry are strongly encouraged to communicate with potential research advisers prior to admission to the program. It is essential that you contact faculty whose labs are conducting research in areas relevant to Pharmaceutical Chemistry that you also wish to pursue, in order to introduce yourself and inquire about their willingness to accept a new student in this degree program.

The process of communicating with potential research advisers should begin in the Fall (if not earlier), prior to the relevant application deadline. You should take the initiative to inquire about future research directions of labs, exchange research ideas with potential advisers, and make every effort to identify viable opportunities.

While formal acceptance into a research group cannot occur prior to admission, contacts should be far enough developed such that at least tentative identification of a research adviser can be made as soon after the time of admission as possible.

English Requirement for International Students

International students from countries where English is not the native language are required to submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores to demonstrate English proficiency. Scores are valid for up to two years after the testing date. You are exempted only if you are a native English speaker or have completed two full years at a university where English is the primary language of instruction at the time in which you apply.