Chapman University has purchased two large research-and-development buildings in the heart of the Irvine Spectrum in a $20 million transaction that will provide the University with the space to significantly enhance and expand its Doctors of Physical Therapy and BioPharmacy programs.

“We are delighted that our health sciences graduate students, faculty and new campus will be part of the city of Irvine,” said Daniele Struppa, Chancellor of Chapman University.  “Chapman’s well-known physical therapy doctoral program, continually accredited since 1928, is one of the oldest and best-respected in the nation.  Our new School of BioPharmacy will provide training for a field that will require more and more graduates in coming decades.  We will add more programs as time goes on, probably beginning with a degree for physician assistants, and always with an eye to which health fields are in most demand in California and throughout the nation.”

“This purchase represents a vital step forward for the future of Chapman University and our burgeoning health sciences programs,” said President Jim Doti.  “The health sciences are essential to the future of Orange County, the state of California, the nation and the world, and represent a field in which national and international demand for highly trained graduates far exceeds the supply.  We took a look at which career fields would be in most demand in the future, and the health sciences dominated.  By expanding in this area of study, we hope that our students will help to fill those jobs and contribute greatly to the future health needs of California and the U.S.”

The site is about one mile from the Irvine Amtrak station, less than a two-mile drive from the 5/405 freeway interchange, and less than three miles from the Irvine Spectrum Entertainment Center.

This is the first time that Chapman University has expanded beyond its main campus in Orange.