Thesis MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Overview

The School of Pharmacy offers training at the graduate level to unique, highly motivated individuals. Our mission is to train the next generation of leaders and decision makers seeking to improve the health of the community through outstanding basic and clinical research. Major strengths include highly accomplished, well funded research faculty, multidisciplinary training opportunities, and cutting edge technologies.

Curriculum

The 2-year thesis MS program consists of a sequence of required core courses, elective courses, journal clubs, faculty-directed research, and an original research project leading to a final thesis.

Year 1

Fall

Course	Title	Credit
PHARM3053	Biochemical Pharmacology	4
PHARM3040	Statistical Methods I	3
PHARM3049	Scientific Writing Skills	2
PHARM3042	Research Practicum/Elective	3

Spring

Course	Title	Credit
PHARM2001	Pharmaceutical Analysis	4
PHARM3071	Foundations in Pharm Sciences	4
PHARM3042	Research Practicum/Elective	3
	Journal Club	1

Year 2

Fall

Course	Title	Credit
PHARM3024	Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar	1
PHARM3042	Research Practicum/Elective	10
	Journal Club	1

Spring

Course	Title	Credit
PHARM2010	MS Thesis	11
PHARM3025	Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar	1

Track-Specific Electives

Biochemical Pharmacology

PHARM3009  -  Advanced in Pharmaceutical Sciences 

Pharmaceutics

PHARM5218  -  PK & Drug Response 
PHARM3074  -  Introduction to Regulatory Aspects of Drug Development
PHARM3002  -  Advanced PK

Medical Chemistry

CHEM2310  -  Advanced Organic Chemistry
PHARM3032  -  Medicinal Chemistry

Clinical Pharmaceutical Scientist

PHARM3034  -  Topics for Translational Research
PHARM5218  -  PK & Drug Response
PHARM3002  -  Advanced PK

Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology

PHARM3068  - Computational Systems Pharmacology
PHARM3039  -  Pharmacometrics and Systems Pharmacology

Outcomes Courses 

MS Year 1

Fall	Course No.	Units	Spring	Course No.	Units
Research Practicum	PHARM 3042	3	Research Practicum/electives	PHARM 3042/Electives	3
Intro to US Healthcare System Instructor needed	PHARM 3306	1	Pharmacoepidemiology	PHARM 2003	2
Stat Methods 1/Recitation In person	PHARM 3040	3	Foundations in Pharm Sci*	PHARM 3071*	1*
Scientific Writing In person	PHARM 3049	2	Communicating Data	PHARM 3312	1
Seminar			Secondary Database Applications	PHARM 3301	1
Topics and Methods in POPR H	PHARM 3052	1	Seminar
Research Methods Needs instructor	PHARM 3304	1.5	Topics and Methods for Secondary Database Evals
Data Security and Privacy	Data Security and Privacy	1	Advanced Stat Methods Applied multivariate analysis	PHARM 3045 OR PHARM 3073	3
Credits		12	Credits		12	Total MS Credits ≥ 48

• Good academic standing: ≥ 3.0 gpa and ≥ C+ in all core courses
• 2 credits of journal clubs & 2 credits of seminar are required
• ∗Different for POPR track – PHARM3023
• H = Hybrid Course

MS Year 2

Fall	Course No.	Units	Spring	Course No.	Units
Research Practicum/electives	PHARM 3042/Electives	10	MS Thesis	PHARM 2010	11
Pharm Sci Seminar	PHARM 3024	1	Pharm Sci Seminar*	PHARM 3025	1
Journal Club		1	*20 min presentation
			Thesis Defense
Credits		12	Credits		12	Total MS Credits ≥ 48

• Good academic standing: ≥ 3.0 gpa and ≥ C+ in all core courses
• 2 credits of journal clubs & 2 credits of seminar are required
• ∗Different for POPR track – PHARM3023
• H = Hybrid Course

Timeline/Milestones

The understanding of the various milestones will help assist you towards a successful completion of the program.

Application Process

To apply, please complete and submit an application via our Pharmacy Graduate Application Service (PharmGrad). As part of this application, you will be asked to upload a CV, transcripts, and 3 letters of recommendation. Application deadline is January 3, 2026. Please visit our application page for  additional details.