Prerequisites
Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, or an allied science. Prospective students should apply for admission through the Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) Graduate Program.
Program Information
The Ph.D. program in Pharmacology is designed to provide students with training in the Pharmacological Sciences and thus prepare them for a career in modern biomedical research. Our program begins with two years of didactic course work. The first year, as an undeclared Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) student, includes rotation through three research laboratories and completion of the BIMS core course work. By mid-February of the first year, each BIMS student will choose a mentor and declare a degree department. During the second year of study, Pharmacology students will complete the required course work and prepare for the qualifying examination. Students will be evaluated for Advancement to Candidacy based on their overall performance in the program. This evaluation will include performance in course work, research rotations, the results of the qualifying examination, and participation in department activities, such as the weekly Journal Club and Department Seminar Series. Upon completion of required coursework and the Advancement to Candidacy Exam, Pharmacology students are eligible to earn the M.S. in Biological and Physical Sciences. After Advancing to Candidacy, students will concentrate on conducting independent research under the guidance of a mentor and dissertation research committee. The student's research is expected to advance some field of biomedical sciences. As evidence of this level of achievement, students will publish research papers, including at least one as first author, and these papers will appear in recognized, peer-reviewed journals. The culmination of the research endeavor is a written dissertation that is presented publicly, and then defended orally before a faculty committee. The final examination for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is devoted entirely to defense of the dissertation by the candidate. Student progress through the program is guided at all times by a committee of faculty advisors and is reviewed at least twice a year by the student's dissertation committee. This training experience allows students to earn the Ph.D. in Pharmacology in four or five years.