Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Our highly sought-after PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences gives you the opportunity to work with internationally-renowned faculty specializing in the fields of systems pharmacology and drug delivery.
Curriculum and Requirements
You must satisfactorily complete at least 72 graduate credit hours for the PhD degree. Required courses with a grade lower than a B- will not count toward the minimum credits.
| Required Courses | Credit Hours |
| PHC 588 Faculty Research Seminar | 1 |
| PHC 500 Principles of Drug Development | 3 |
| PHC 506 Biometry in the Pharmaceutical Sciences | 3 |
| PHC 508 Drug Delivery | 3 |
| PHC 509 Pharmacogenomics in the Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2 |
| PHC 510 Pharmaceutical Analysis | 3 |
| PHC 539 Protein Pharmaceuticals | 2 |
| PHC 607 Intermediate Pharmacokinetics | 3 |
| PHC 630 Drug Metabolism and Transport | 3 |
| Other Requirements | Credit Hours |
| Out of department graduate elective courses | >= 4 |
| Other graduate elective courses | >= 4 |
| PHC 511 Research Proposal | 3 |
| PHC 599 Supervised Teachning (2 credits x 2 semesters) | 4 |
| PHC 613 or PHC 614 Departmental Seminar | >= 2 |
| Three departmental research presentations including the Dissertation defense. The other two presentations may be scheduled in PHC 613 or PHC 614 | n/a |
| PHC 615 or PHC 616 Thesis Research. One or more credits after satisfactory completion of PHC 511 Research Proposal | >= 4 |
| Satisfactory completion of a research dissertation, including approval of the Dissertation Committee after submission of a written Dissertation Report, presentation of an open seminar and, oral defense | n/a |
- Course offerings vary each year. Refer to the Class Schedules.
- Students who have previously taken PHC 488 or PHC 588 within 3 years of enrollment in the MS or PhD programs are exempt from PHC 588. They are, however, strongly encouraged to attend the lectures provided by new faculty on a non-credit basis.
- PHC 506 Biometry for Pharmaceutical Sciences is the preferred statistics course. This requirement may be substituted with another graduate biostatistics course from the biostatistics or other department. Written approval from the Director of Graduate Studies is required for substitution. Substitution with STA 527 is not recommended and will be allowed only in special cases with prior approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.
- Full-time registration is satisfied by ≥ 12 credit hours per semester if you are not supported by an assistantship, or ≥ 9 credit hours/semester if you are supported by an assistantship. Registration for less than these credit hours is permitted after the student has completed his/her departmental preliminary examination.
- You should check with the Graduate School to ensure that your registration complies with university requirements. You should also be aware that different student loan programs, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and health insurance carriers can impose different rules for full-time student registration.
Ready to take the next step?
Visit our Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD admissions information page to apply!