The University, the School, and Other Entities

This page is part of our Editorial Style Guide.

The University and sub-brands

Upon first reference to the University, use “UC San Francisco.” Upon subsequent references to the University, use “UCSF.” On About pages or when explicitly explaining organizational relationship, spell out “University of California, San Francisco.”

When referring to sub-brands of the University, use “UCSF” followed by the sub-brand. Example: “UCSF School of Nursing.”

The School

Upon first reference, use “UCSF School of Pharmacy.” Upon subsequent references, use “School.” (In an exception to UCSF Style, we capitalize “School” in secondary references.)

Examples:

During her 14 years as dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy, she championed the basic sciences and united the School in its efforts to transform the curriculum.
Grants to School researchers in NIH fiscal year 2012 totaled $31.7 million.

Do not refer to the School as “pharmacy school” in formal communications consumed by external audiences. This reference confuses external audiences who could equate the phrase with either the entire School or just the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program. (But using this phrase might work if the context is clear.)

Example: During her 14 years as dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy, Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, PharmD, championed the basic sciences and united the School in its efforts to transform the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum.

Departments

First reference is the full name, such as “the Department of Clinical Pharmacy.” Subsequent reference to departments will be “the department.”

Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Department of Clinical Pharmacy
Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences

Upon first reference to BTS

Use “the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, a joint department of the UCSF Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine.” This wording was agreed upon when the department was created.

Do say: Desai is chair of the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, a joint department of the UCSF Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine.

Do not say: Desai is chair of the UCSF Department of Bioengineering.

Programs, centers, labs, and more

Degree programs

PharmD degree program

Do describe as a year-round, three-year program leading to a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree. Put “year-round” as the first descriptor to help clarify that the program is not shortened in terms of required units compared to other four-year curricula with summer breaks.

Do not say three-year without year-round.

Use the word “program” to refer to the entire student experience. Use the word “curriculum” to refer specifically to the course of study.

Do refer to this program as doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program. (Include the acronym in the first citation in prose.) Exception: for content intended only for audiences directly involved with the PharmD program, you can just say PharmD.

Do always spell out the name of this degree in first citation with acronym to explicitly clarify that pharmacists are trained at the doctoral level, and to familiarize non-PharmD-focused audiences with the PharmD acronym.

Do not refer to the PharmD degree program as a “professional” degree program.

Do not refer to the PharmD as a “professional” degree.

Rationale: This term is outdated and exclusive.

Avoid using the phrase “pharmacy school” other than in casual reference in quotes, etc.

Rationale: The reader could equate the phrase with the entire School of Pharmacy.

Do not capitalize “Doctor of Pharmacy” in prose.

Do use this upon first citation in prose depending upon context: year-round, three-year doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program; doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program

Do use this upon second citation in prose depending upon context: PharmD degree program, PharmD program, program

Example: Graduates of the UCSF doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree program are highly competitive for postdoctoral residencies. In fact, 92 percent of applicants from this year’s program successfully matched for residency slots.

PhD degree programs administered by the School

The UCSF Graduate Division offers numerous PhD degree programs. Several of those degree programs are administered by the School of Pharmacy. Describe these programs as “offered by the UCSF Graduate Division, administered by the UCSF School of Pharmacy, and delivered by faculty members in the UCSF School of Pharmacy and the UCSF School of Medicine.”

Do refer to each of these programs as PhD degree program in xxx. Use the acronym in the first citation and do not spell out PhD.

Rationale: We do not spell out the name of this degree in first citation. Why? The term doctor of philosophy is not commonly used and can imply a doctorate in the humanities. Hence, its full use for science doctoral degrees can confuse audiences. Note: This is an exception to the general rule we’ve established for first reference of the PharmD as doctor of pharmacy.

Do not refer to these programs in formal communications consumed by external audiences—web descriptions, news and feature items, etc.— as five of UCSF’s “graduate programs.” While this is the common and understood shorthand descriptor used internally, the term confuses external audiences because UCSF degrees such as the MD, PharmD, and DDS are also graduate degrees.

Do not refer to PhD as doctor of philosophy. Simply use PhD.

Do use this upon first citation in prose depending upon context: PhD degree program in bioengineering (BioE); PhD degree program in biological and medical informatics—bioinformatics pathway (BI); PhD degree program in biophysics (BP); PhD degree program in chemistry and chemical biology (CCB); PhD degree program in pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacogenomics (PSPG). Use the acronym in the first citation.

Do use this upon second citation in prose depending upon context: BioE degree program or BioE program, BI degree program or BI program, BP degree program or BP program, CCB degree program or CCB program, PSPG degree program or PSPG program; program

Example: The PhD degree program in chemistry and chemical biology (CCB) was the first doctoral program in science offered by UCSF. The CCB program gives students a chemical foundation for understanding complex biological processes at an atomic level.

Labs

First reference to entities is spelled out, such as “Small Molecule Discovery Center.” If there is a subsequent reference and the entity uses an acronym, add the acronym in parens after the first reference. Subsequent references use the acronym only or a shortened version: SMDC or “the center.”

First reference to a lab itself in the copy may say something like “In the UC San Francisco lab of Tejal Desai, PhD, research focuses on... ” Subsequent references to the lab should be “the Desai Lab” (capitalize “Lab”).

Do say: Research in the Desai Lab is translational.

Do not say: Research in Desai Lab is translational.

Exception: Omit the article “the” when referring to people in the lab, such as: “Desai Lab researchers are working on...”

Groups and teams

We treat groups and teams as proper nouns, so use title case for these entities. Be consistent.

Do say: Admissions Team

Do not say: Admissions team

Affiliated entities

UCSF-affiliated institutions, e.g., Gladstone Institutes, ZSFGH, SFVAMC

Spell out first use, then use its abbreviation. See UCSF Style, Part 2, General Editorial Guidelines. Refer to the institution’s affiliation with UCSF.

Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI)

See Quantitative Biosciences Institute.

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