Degree Offered
PhD, MS
PhD Program Description
The PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore offers students outstanding opportunities to be part of cutting-edge biomedical and pharmaceutical research while preparing them for careers in academia, government, and industry. A wide range of research is conducted in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, including medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, cellular and molecular biology, computational chemistry, biophysics, microbiology, neuroscience, pharmacometrics, pharmacokinetics, drug formulation, drug transport and delivery, industrial pharmaceutical research, and translational and regulatory sciences. Research is interdisciplinary, and students have access to state-of-the- art facilities that include the Computer-Aided Drug Design Center, Mass Spectrometry Center, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Good Manufacturing Labs, Bio- and Nano- technology Center, Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation, Metallotherapeutics Research Center and more.
The program provides a mentor-driven plan of study that is individualized and dependent on the student’s and mentor’s specific research interests. Each student in the program develops their educational experience with the advice of their mentor and an advisory/thesis committee.
Graduate students enrolled in the PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences program are fully funded, typically by teaching and research assistantships. This support includes an annual stipend, tuition remission, health insurance, and student fees.
PhD Program Admission
Candidates for admission must meet the minimum standards and requirements of the Graduate School which include a bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited college or university, or an equivalent degree from a comparable foreign institution. Additionally, the PhD program favors applicants with a BA, BS, or MS degree in the general areas of biology, biochemistry, chemistry, chemical engineering, molecular biology, pharmacy, and pharmaceutical sciences, although related degrees are considered. In addition to the Graduate School’s minimum admission requirements, applicants should have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 with A or B grades in recent science courses, and strong letters of recommendation. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are not required. International applicants whose native language or language of the home is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. The minimum acceptable TOEFL score for admission is 80 for the internet-based test. IELTS test takers must score at least Band 7. The program encourages applications from groups under- represented in the sciences.
Degree Requirements
Students pursing a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences must complete a minimum of 32 course credits (24 required, 8 elective) and a minimum of 12 doctoral dissertation research credits.
Students pursing a MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences must complete a minimum of 35 credits to graduate, including 19 credits in required core courses, 13 credits in research, and three credits in elective courses. There is no thesis required for the MS in PSC, but students are required to complete and present a capstone project in their last semester that highlights the research and findings from their biopharmaceutical research internship.
Required Courses
At a minimum, students must complete the following courses to graduate:
PhD and MS Required Core
| PHAR 600 | PRINCIPLES OF DRUG DISCOVERY | 3 |
| PHAR 601 | PRINCIPLES OF DRUG DEVELOPMENT | 1 TO 3 |
| PHAR 615 | PSC ETHICS AND BIOSTATISTICS | 1 TO 2 |
| PHAR 628 | BIOANALYTICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL METHODS | 1 TO 3 |
| PHAR 639 | SPECTROMETRIC METHODS | 1 TO 3 |
| PHAR 705 | PSC JOURNAL CLUB | 1 |
Note: Under certain circumstances, students may be exempted from some required core curriculum courses. Examples of this would be in the case of students who have completed the UM PharmD program and are exempt from parts of PHAR 600/601, or students who find appropriate alternatives to the PHAR 628/639 methods courses. All exemptions must be approved by the graduate program director and the graduate program steering committee.
PHAR 600 and PHAR 601: PharmD students may take 1 to 3 credits.
PHAR 628 and 639: 4 credits out of 6 total from the two courses are required. Credits beyond the 4-credit requirement may count as elective credits.
PHAR 705: Students enroll in PHAR 705 every semester.
MS Required Courses
| PHAR 608 | INTRODUCTION TO LABORATORY RESEARCH | 1 TO 2 |
PHAR 687
| Process Analytical Technologies for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing | 1 |
PHAR 688
| Biopharmaceutical Research Internship | 1-6 |
PHAR 689
| Research Project Design and Management | 1 |
| PHAR 690 | | 2 |
PHAR 691
| MS Departmental Seminar | 1 |
PhD Required Student Rotations
| PHAR 608 | INTRODUCTION TO LABORATORY RESEARCH | 1 TO 2 |
Most students are required to complete two laboratory rotations, minimum of eight weeks per rotation. All students must join a laboratory by the end of their first year.
PhD Required Seminars
Students must complete three seminars.
| PHAR 708 | COMPREHENSIVE EXAM SEMINAR (THIRD YEAR, FALL SEMESTER) | 1 |
| PHAR 709 | DEPARTMENTAL SEMINAR | 1 |
Students are required to present one departmental seminar after their comprehensive exam. Students register for 1 credit during the semester in which they are presenting, six to 12 months before their dissertation defense.
Dissertation Defense
Dissertation Research/Thesis Committee
| PHAR 899 | DOCTORAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH | 1 TO 12 |
Students need a total of 12 credits to meet graduation requirements. The thesis committee is formed after the comprehensive exam and is required to meet on a yearly basis to evaluate progress and direction (it may need to meet more frequently to suit individual student needs).
Elective Courses
Students must take at least 8 credits of elective courses to fulfill graduation requirements.
Available Electives
Students may select from various graduate-level courses within the department and, with approval, courses within other University of Maryland graduate programs.