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Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The graduate programs offered by the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences provide instruction and research training in diverse aspects of drug action including drug discovery to various elements of drug evaluation. These subjects are examined at the molecular, genomic, biochemical, biological, and clinical levels through an interdisciplinary curriculum that is individualized to the needs of each incoming student. The program includes as laboratory and clinical research in the areas of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacometrics, pharmacogenomics, dosage form design, physiochemical and biological aspects of drug action, drug metabolism, and drug toxicity.

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences

The PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences admits students with a previously earned four-year BS degree or MS degree. (An MS degree is not a prerequisite.). Depending on individual progress, the degree is normally completed in 4-6 years.

Curriculum Requirements:

Required courses Credit hours

  • PHC 500 Principles of Drug Development 2
  • PHC 507 Principles of Biological Transport 2
  • PHC 508 Drug Delivery: Principles and Applications 2
  • PHC 607 Intermediate Pharmacokinetics 3
  • PHC 630 Drug Metabolism and Disposition 2
  • MT 501 Methods of Analysis (counts as a departmental course) 4
  • PHC 506 or STA 527 Biostatistics (depending on background and desired depth of knowledge, both courses can be taken if desired) 3

Other Requirements

    Various - Elective courses totaling 10 credit hours, of which 6 credit hours must be taken outside the department
  • PHC 511 Research Proposal 3
  • PHC 599 Supervised teaching (2 credits/semester when assigned as a TA) 4
  • PHC 613/614 Departmental seminars (1 credit/semester for the first 8 semesters) various
  • PHC 502 Selected topics (for journal clubs and research group meetings) various
  • PHC 615/616 Thesis Research various
  • Minimum total number of credits needed for program: 72

Stipend Support and Tuition Waiver:

All PhD students are normally supported by a departmental stipend with complete tuition waiver during their entire period in the program, subject to satisfactory progress. The stipend is normally the same as that prevailing for NIH predoctoral trainees. Scholarships and fellowships obtained by the student herself/himself may be added to the stipend. For additional details on these and other aspects of the program, see the complete Departmental Policies and Guidelines.



Please direct questions to Dr. Murali Ramanathan, Director of Graduate Studies; email at mur...@buffalo.edu.

Graduate Course Descriptions are available online (pdf).

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