EDUCATING LEADERS IN PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES SINCE 1886
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Our highly sought-after PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences is the foremost destination for graduate scholars interested in challenging the boundaries of drug discovery, development and evaluation.
You will work and learn alongside internationally renowned faculty as they advance the biotherapies and technologies of the future to improve human health and society.
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About the PhD Program
Program Requirements
- Required Courses: Must be completed with a grade of B- or higher. Courses that do not meet these standards will not count toward the degree and must be repeated.
- Overall GPA: A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required across 72 credits.
| Credit Hours | |
|---|---|
| Out of department graduate elective courses | ≥ 4 |
| Other graduate elective courses | ≥ 4 |
| PHC 511 Research Proposal | 3 |
| PHC 599 Supervised Teaching | 4 |
| PHC 613 and PHC 614 Departmental Seminar | 2 |
| PHC 615 and PHC 616 Thesis Research | ≥ 4 |
| Required Didactic Courses | |
| Electives | |
| Three departmental research presentations | |
| Pass Preliminary Exam | |
| Satisfactory completion of a research dissertation | |
| Total: | 72 |
| FALL | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Students will be registered for these first semester fall courses and will have a graduate course advisement meeting with the Director of Graduate Studies. | |
| PHC 506 Biometry in PHC* | 3 |
| PHC 607A Intermediate Pharmacokinetics | 3 |
| PHC 613 Pharmaceutics Seminar | 1 |
| PHC 588 Faculty Research Seminar (waived if PHC 488 within 3 years)** | 1 |
| PHC 508 Drug Delivery (available odd years) | 3 |
| PHC 630 Drug Metabolism and Transport (available odd years) | 3 |
| PHC 500 Drug Development (available even years) | 2 |
| PHC 539 Biologics - Specialty Pharma (available even years) | 3 |
| Total: | 13-14 |
*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.
**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.
Students who have waivers and require additional credits are suggested to enroll in PHC 615 Research with the Director of Graduate Studies.
| SPRING | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PHC 510 Pharmaceutical Analysis | 3 |
| PHC 614 Pharmaceutics Seminar | 1 |
| PHC 616 Research | Varies |
| Electives | Varies |
| Total: | ≥9 |
| FALL | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Register for the remaining courses that were not available or completed during your first year, as some courses are not offered every year. See First Year Required, above. | 5-6 |
| PHC 615 Research | Varies |
| Electives | Varies |
| Total: | ≥9 |
| Preliminary Exam (winter) Taken after all required core courses are successfully completed. Submit the Application to Candidacy form after passing the prelim. |
| SPRING | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PHC 600 Ethics of Scientific Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2 |
| PHC 616 Research | Varies |
| Electives | Varies |
| Total: | ≥9 |
| FALL | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PHC 599 Supervised Teaching**** | 2 |
| PHC 615 Research | ≥ 1 |
| "Out of department" graduate elective courses (fall or spring) | ≥ 2-4 |
| Other graduate elective courses | ≥ 2-4 |
| Total: | ≥9 |
| SPRING | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PHC 511 Research Proposal**** | 3 |
| PHC 599 Supervised Teaching***** | 2 |
| PHC 616 Research | ≥1 |
| "Out of department" graduate elective courses (fall or spring) | ≥ 2-4 |
| Other graduate elective courses | ≥ 2-4 |
| Total: | ≥9 |
****Students MUST complete PHC 511 within one year (i.e., within two semesters) after passing the Preliminary Examination and are highly encouraged to complete it within the semester immediately following completion of the Preliminary Exam.
*****Typically, students enroll in 2 credits in the fall semester + 2 credits in the spring. The credit number of PHC 599 for each session could be adjusted based on TA duties by the Director of Graduate Studies.
| FALL | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PHC 615 Research | ≥1 |
| SPRING | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PHC 616 Research | ≥1 |
| SUMMER (if needed) | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
PHC 615 Research Summer enrollment is also required if a student is using the summer semester as their last semester. | ≥1 |
- Graduate elective courses taken outside the department, recommended by advisor and approved by Director of Graduate Studies Credits: Minimum of 4
- Additional graduate elective courses (may include courses from the Elective Options list below or approved outside courses: Minimum of 4
| FALL | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PHC 502 Selected Topics (also offered in spring)*** | 1-3 |
| PHC 512 Pharmacometric Software (also offered in spring) | 1 |
| PHC 615 Research | Variable |
***PHC 502 Selected Topics can be used to register Research Group meetings and Journal Clubs. A separate registration code is available for each faculty member. Consult faculty on availability.
| SPRING | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| PHC 502 Selected Topics (also offered in fall)*** | 1-3 |
| PHC 512 Pharmacometric Software (also offered in fall) | 1 |
| PHC 516 Pharmacogenomics | 1 |
| PHC 518 Nutrigenomics in Cancer (prerequisite: Pharmacogenomics) | 2 |
| PHC 531 Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics I | 4 |
| PHC 608 Advanced Pharmacokinetics | 3 |
| PHC 610 Population PK-PD Modeling | 2 |
| PHC 616 Research | Variable |
***PHC 502 Selected Topics can be used to register Research Group meetings and Journal Clubs. A separate registration code is available for each faculty member. Consult faculty on availability.
Ready to take the next step?
Visit our Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD admissions information page to apply!