Nestled on the historic Mare Island waterfront, Touro University California shapes the future of medical and healthcare training in the San Francisco Bay Area. Established in 1997, this graduate-focused institution has spent decades turning a former naval installation into a thriving hub for osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, public health, and nursing. If you're looking at how this campus operates, what it offers students, and its deep roots in the Vallejo community, here is the breakdown.
The institution centers its entire academic philosophy around a simple motto: To Serve, To Lead, To Teach. Rather than focusing on undergraduate general education, it operates exclusively at the graduate and professional levels. Students arrive here with bachelor's degrees already in hand, stepping into rigorous, hands-on environments designed to address severe healthcare shortages and health disparities in California and beyond.
The Historic Mare Island Campus Setting
Location plays a massive role in the identity of Touro University California. In 1999, the university relocated from its original San Francisco home to the southern portion of Mare Island in Vallejo. This move placed the campus inside the grounds of the United States Navy's very first permanent West Coast installation, which operated from the mid-19th century until its closure in the mid-1990s.
Instead of building sterile, modern concrete boxes from scratch, the university chose historic preservation. Architects and planners restored 1930s-era naval quarters, administration buildings, and officer housing, converting them into advanced lecture halls, research laboratories, and student centers. Landmarks like the Farragut Inn—named after Civil War Admiral David G. Farragut—serve as focal points for campus life. This unique environment gives students a quiet, self-contained 44-acre academic village surrounded by rich maritime history and sweeping views of the Napa River and San Pablo Bay.
Core Academic Colleges and Professional Programs
Touro University California splits its graduate offerings across specialized colleges, each targeting critical sectors of the medical and educational fields.
College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM)
As the anchor of the Vallejo campus, the College of Osteopathic Medicine grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Osteopathic medicine mirrors allopathic medicine (MD) in its clinical scope—allowing graduates to prescribe medication, perform surgery, and match into residencies—but adds specialized training in the musculoskeletal system through osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).
A defining trait of the program is its heavy emphasis on primary care. Data historically shows that a large percentage of its graduates enter primary care fields, helping staff clinics in underserved rural and urban pockets of California.
College of Pharmacy (COP)
The College of Pharmacy prepares students through an accelerated, highly integrated curriculum leading to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. Students complete extensive clinical rotations earlier and more frequently than traditional pharmacy tracks, working directly in hospital settings, critical care units, and community health networks.
College of Education and Health Sciences (CEHS)
This division houses several critical multidisciplinary programs:
- Master of Public Health (MPH): Often pursued as a standalone degree or concurrently with the DO or PharmD programs (dual degrees like DO/MPH). It trains practitioners to look at systemic health trends, epidemiology, and health policy.
- School of Nursing: Focuses on post-licensure hybrid programs, including Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Nursing Education tracks designed for working professionals.
- Education Programs: Offers a Master of Arts in Education (MAEd) and a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Leadership, bridging the gap between healthcare practice and educational administration.
Community Integration and Local Impact
A medical school can easily exist in an ivory tower, detached from the neighborhood surrounding its gates. Touro University California works hard to avoid this trap by embedding itself directly into the fabric of Vallejo. Vallejo ranks as one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in California, presenting both unique public health challenges and rich learning opportunities for student clinicians.
Students and faculty log thousands of volunteer hours annually, running community health fairs, providing free screenings, and staffing local student-run health initiatives. Furthermore, programs like the Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) actively reach out to local high schools and regional colleges north of the San Francisco Bay. These pathway programs offer mentorship, paid summer stipends, and academic bridge support to economically and educationally disadvantaged students, creating a homegrown pipeline of medical professionals.
Partnerships with regional healthcare providers, such as Northbay Health, further expand local clinical access. These collaborations target environmental health concerns, air pollution mitigation in high-risk homes, and specialized cardiopulmonary care for Vallejo residents.
Admissions Competitiveness and Prerequisites
Getting into Touro University California requires meticulous preparation because class sizes remain intentionally modest to keep faculty-to-student ratios low.
- Meet Academic Baselines: For medical and pharmacy tracks, prerequisite coursework heavily features upper-division sciences, including organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biology, and biochemistry with accompanying laboratory hours.
- Submit Through Centralized Services: Medical applicants apply via the AACOMAS portal, adhering to rolling admissions cycles where applying early significantly improves applicant standing.
- Demonstrate Mission Fit: Admissions committees look beyond raw GPA and MCAT scores. They evaluate an applicant's commitment to primary care, understanding of osteopathic principles, communication skills, and dedication to community service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the DO program at Touro and an MD program?
Both DO and MD physicians complete four years of medical school, take rigorous board exams, and complete residency training. However, DOs receive an extra 200+ hours of training in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), focusing on hands-on diagnosis and treatment of the musculoskeletal system alongside a holistic view of patient wellness.
Does Touro University California accept international students?
No. Admissions policies for the core professional programs—such as the College of Osteopathic Medicine—generally require applicants to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents due to federal funding structures and clinical placement guidelines.
Is student housing available on Mare Island?
The historic campus does not offer traditional university dormitories because the student body consists entirely of mature graduate and professional adults. Most students rent apartments or houses in Vallejo, Benicia, or neighboring Solano County communities.
What residency placement rates do graduates experience?
Graduates from the medical and pharmacy programs consistently achieve strong match rates and board exam passing scores. For example, pharmacy graduates routinely post high first-time pass rates on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX).
